Mellows rally from a dreadful start to maintain unbeaten start to campaign

Date Published: 23-May-2011

Liam Mellows 0-15

Kiltormer 1-9

STEPHEN GLENNON

LIAM Mellows continued their winning ways when outscoring Kiltormer five points to one in the final quarter to come from behind to record their second victory of their senior hurling championship Group B campaign in Loughrea on Sunday.

Having struggled to get the measure of a gritty Kiltormer outfit for long periods, Liam Mellows had to dig deep in the closing quarter as county star David Collins converted three dead balls – two frees and a 65 – while substitute Conor Hynes and Galway forward Aonghus Callanan added further efforts to rubberstamp the win.

That said, manager Brian Hanley – who later in the day guided Westmeath to Leinster championship victory over Carlow to set up a provincial quarter-final meeting against his native Galway – will know Mellows have to seriously improve if they are to be regarded as championship contenders.

For one, the manner in which they started this contest will be a concern to the city outfit, having found themselves 1-5 to 0-1 in arrears after just 14 minutes. Kiltormer centre-half forward Keith Kilkenny was causing the Mellows defence all sorts of bother in this opening period and, indeed, he tallied three points – two from frees – as Kiltormer raced into a 0-3 to 0-1 fifth minute lead. Brian Lee was the Mellows contributor.

Although the victors could have wiped out this advantage through Callanan on seven minutes, only to be denied by an unbelievable save from custodian Emmett Goode, Kiltormer continued to press forward with the lively Brendan Kenny and David Hayes – an absolute belter from distance – swelling their side’s tally.

Kiltormer raced into a 1-5 to 0-1 lead on 14 minutes when a booming Goode puck-out found its way behind the Mellows defence and Kenny came tearing into the breach, collected possession and fired beyond Mellows keeper Paddy Gannon to put daylight between the sides.

Really, Kiltormer should have pushed on from there, but over the next half hour, they would only score one more point – a neat effort from blood sub Shane Tierney – while Liam Mellows, in contrast, hit nine points in this time.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.