Asdee went out of the North Kerry Championship at the first hurdle on a crisp October evening in an impeccable Frank Sheehy Park, Listowel, on a scoreline of 2-5 to 1-12.In a hard fought game against their more illustrious rivals from Finuge, Asdee will rue the missed opportunity of an upset, when a few misplaced passes and shots may have put them out of sight when holding a four point lead ten minutes into the second half.The long spell without competitive action, coupled with a greasy ball, saw both teams being less fluent in possession than they would have liked.Both teams had a couple of wides each before Finuge opened the scoring with a close-range free, with Darragh Keane replying with a point for Asdee in the 6th minute. A great point from Mike Breen finished an excellent team move from their own end line to put Asdee ahead. Finuge and Asdee’s Darragh Keane both exchanged close-range frees before Eoin Kennedy made the score 4 points to 2 with a fine effort from distance. Eoin Kennedy then coolly slotted home a goal soccer-style to put Asdee five points ahead. Finuge added a third close-range free before the break to leave Asdee 1-04 to 0-3 ahead at half-time.The second half opened with Asdee coughing up possession in a number of scoring positions before Finuge scored their fourth close-range free of the match. John Doran replied immediately with a lovely point, finishing off a superb team move. A number of charging runs by Martin Collins, Darragh, Sean, Conor & Jack Keane and John Doran drove Asdee on, before possession was coughed up with a score for the taking, leading to Finuge’s Jason Wallace punching over their first score from play in the 40th minute, something the Asdee defence and men tracking back deserve huge credit for with their impressive tackling and number of turnovers throughout the game. Finuge scored a further 1-2 in a three minute spell to take a 2-point lead, with the goal coming from a fortuitous rebound off the crossbar. However, Asdee bounced back straight away, with Owen Tydings connecting brilliantly with his fist to send the ball flying into the roof of the net from a Darragh Keane delivery.James Kelly produced a great save to deny Finuge a goal, followed by Martin Collins, David O’Connor & Conor Keane throwing their bodies on the line to keep the ball out. Once again, Asdee wasted good scoring positions before Finuge equalised with ten minutes remaining, going on to add two points in their next two attacks. Owen Tydings was then denied a goal to put Asdee back in front by a fine save from the Finuge keeper, Killian Fitzgerald. Another Finuge free, followed by an audacious drop-kick point by Reggie Galvin saw Finuge edge four points in front. Asdee did not lie down however, having two goal chances, particularly Mike Breen’s powerful shot which shaved the post, coming so close to pulling it back to a one-point game. In the final minutes, Finuge’s strength in depth showed as their bench and fresher legs made the task harder for Asdee to regain possession or momentum. Brosna’s Peter Curtin, who had a fine game, blew the final whistle to see Finuge victorious by four points, a scoreline that does not quite reflect how close this game was. We wish Finuge the best of luck in the next round and pass on our sympathies to their corner forward Jason Wallace, whose father Paul died suddenly a fortnight ago.Asdee can look back on a season where promotion in the county league, the Novice Championship, as well as this game, were all within touching distance. Well done to the team and management for their efforts, no man was found wanting for heart or work-rate, with a bit of match sharpness perhaps proving costly in the end on this Wednesday evening.Asdee Team: James Kelly, Conor Keane, Martin Collins, Brian Coughlan, Kieran Kelly, Sean Keane, Jack Keane, David O’Connor, John Doran (1pt), Paul O’Carroll, Darragh Keane (2pts), Eoin Kennedy (1-1), Mike Breen (1pt), Owen Tydings (1gl), Denny Dalton. Subs: Matthew O’Hanlon, Conor Coughlan, Con Carmody. Management: John Kennedy, Dan Dalton, Sean Doran.