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| 07/07/06 - Division 1A |
| AC Athletic (10) |
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Ballyheigue |
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| Team: |
Cyril Dineen
John Fitzgerald
Mark Walshe
Conor Harty
Eamon Fitzgerald 
Stephen Goggin
Conor Diggins
Barry Walshe
Mark Dillane
John Mike Dooley
David Leahy
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| Subs: |
John Madden for David Leahy
Shane Leahy for Mark Dillane
David 'Reilly for Barry Walshe
Shane Harty for Conor Diggins
Kieran Young for Stephen Goggin
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AC ATHLETIC win DIV 1 title with perfect 10
On a balmy September evening at the start of the 2005-06 season these teams mat at Kerry head to play out a tight close fought encounter which ac just shaded by a single goal.
What a different match the reverse fixture proved on Friday night at mount hawk park. Athletic had already won promotion, but needed one point to take the divisional title from close rivals Currans. They arrived with a full squad and all guns blazing.
At the other end of the table stand Ballyheigue,relegated to Div 2 but with a reserve cup final place in the bag. They arrived depleted, able to field just three of their regular first team. Credit to the injury ravaged side for turning up to complete a fixture unimportant to them. A walkover would have given AC the points but would have deprived their leading goalscorer John Mike Dooley of the chance of winning the divisional 'GOLDEN BOOT' award.
Further credit is due to ballyheigue manager paul casey who led the the scoring charts in mid winter in a struggling side. He had to just stand and admire as Dooleys five goal haul took him past the last man standing John Falvey of Behy Rovers to the coveted crown.
The match as a acontest was over before half-time. Ballyheigue held out until the 13th minute,but from there the net shook with a persistent regularity. Stop gap keeper Mike Drury had already saved from Steve Goggin after David Leahy had cleverly backheeled the ball into his path before the first breach in the dam came from a free-kick on the edge of the box.
The Ballyheigue wall blocked Leahys first effort but had encroached.Dooley stepped up for the second attempt and floated it gently over the wall and just under the crossbar. At this stage the visitors were still competitive and AC keeper Cyril Dineen nearly gave them some hope when his clearance from the edge of the box cannoned off ned flahive into Damien Caseys path but the fleeting chance was lost.
At the other end Nick Stack showed tremendous heart rising above the Athletic forwards to head a corner away from danger. But three goals in three minutes starting on the half hour mark ended what ever slim chance there had been of a close game. First Dooley was felled in the box. The striker dusted himself down and rolled the ball to Drurys right as the keeper commited himself to the other corner. Then the striker turned provider and Leahy rose at the far post to head neatly inside the upright. The winger added a fourth benefiting from a fortunate rebound off Drury to fire home from inside the area.
The keeper managed to staunch the flow of goals momentarily turning Mark Dillanes header around the upright but was flummoxed by another Dooley curler that just crept inside the far post to give AC a five goal lead. With Leahy heading the sixth on the stroke of halftime the game had become something of a procession.
But if the drama that comes with close encounters had evaporated another took centre stage.
At the start of the match the leading divisional scorer was John Falvey of Behy rovers with 14 goals. Dooley had scored 10 before the start of this final game. By halftime his hat-trick had closed the gap to a solitary strike. One more and a ashare of the trophy was his,but two more were needed to take the crown outright.
Three minutes into the second priod the burly striker lashed a fierce shot past Drury from the edge of the box. Then unselfishly he tried to set up chances for colleagues. Ironically the next two srikes were the best of the night. First Eamon Fitzgerald crashed a 30 yard drive high into the roof of Drurys net. Then perhaps an even better effort came from Shane Leahy whose volley from outside the far corner of the box went in at thunderous pace to rattle the net.
But with referee Kevin O'Regan glancing at his watch Dooley raced away from a tired Ballyheigue defence to beat Drury once again.
So AC lifted two titles in the same evening: divisional winners and leading goalscorer.
(c) Jim O'Gorman The Kerryman 2006.
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