Kilkerley Emmets 4-4 Roche Emmets 1-5

The hosts struck for three late goals on Wednesday night as the U13 boys went down to defeat in their second championship match.

Having led for a significant portion of the contest, it was a disappointing way to lose in a game where everything unravelled at a rapid rate.

Leading 1-3 to 1-2 at half-time, full-forward Liam McCabe – who was coming in for quite a bit of rough attention both on and off the ball – scoring the goal and a couple of points, with classy No11 Brooklyn Taaffe neatly chipping over too.

And a strong start to the second period, in which Taaffe and Niall Connolly, who played extremely well at midfield, pointed, Roche were looking good entering the closing stages.

However, a mixture of variables and the loss of goalkeeper James Curtis to injury, which saw the influential Conor Douglas lost from the forward line in order to fill the net-minder’s berth, meant the derby clash slipped away.

Nonetheless, the lads have two more matches to come in the group as they bid to qualify for the semi-finals.

Best on the night were Conor Clarke, Donal Bradley, Connolly, Jack Murphy and Taaffe.

Roche: James Curtis; Adam McGuinness, Cian Ellis, Ruairí O’Donnell; Conor Clarke, Ronan Grant, Donal Bradley; Niall Connolly (0-1), Kyle Callan; Jack Murphy, Brooklyn Taaffe (0-2), Seán Conlon; Bernard Verbeek, Liam McCabe (1-2), Dean Griffin

Subs: Peter McArdle, Conor Douglas, Karl Reilly, Seán McEneaney, Paul Reilly

Referee: David J McArdle