dungarvan’s Michael Kiely gets to the ball ahead of Shamrocks’ adam crawford.
DUNGARVAN AVOID THE DROP TO THE JUNIOR GRADE
DUNGARVAN 2-8 SHAMROCKS 2-7
BEHIND by 1-12 to 0-0 after eight minutes and ahead by 2-8 to 1-5 after 38 minutes, Dungarvan hung on for dear life in the closing stages of this very evenly contested IFC relegation final against last year’s County junior ‘A’ champions, Shamrocks, in Cappoquin last Sunday afternoon.
LADY luck shone on the winners for the first time in the championship in prevailing here by 0-1 after losing their two previous outings to Sliabh gCua and Ballinacourty by the same margin. On the other hand, a bitterly disappointed Shamrocks head back to the junior grade that they spent so long trying to get promoted from in recent years, but they had a number of chances to win this game in the final quarter yet left their shooting boots at home.
Shamrocks received a brilliant start to the game with Billy Hynes pointing a brace of pointed frees before Shane Roche converted an 8th minute penalty to open a 1-2 to 0-0 lead and their prospects of winning looked very real indeed.
A rusty Dungarvan began to get on terms with the pace of their opponents and one of their key players on the day, Conor Sheridan, finished the ball to the country end goal in the 12th minute amidst a crowded goal area.
Adam Crawford placed Billy Hynes for a score from play in the 14th minute but the teams were level three minutes later when Cathal Curran(f), Eoin O Callaghan and Michael Kiely(f) claimed the next three scores .
A 21st minute third Billy Hynes pointed free regained Shamrocks’ lead but Kealan Daly and Michael Kiely(f) finished the first half scoring with minors in the 22nd and 28th minutes to give Dungarvan a lead at the break that looked very unlikely after ten minutes of play. Both teams kicked two first half wides each with Shamrocks winning nine frees to Dungarvan’s half dozen.
SECOND HALF
AS it turned out, the winning and losing of the game was in the first eight minutes of the new half. Just 24 seconds in, Liam Motherway levelled for the third and final time. Then Dungarvan enjoyed a golden spell with Kealan Daly, Joe Duggan and Brian Curran all dissecting the posts in the road end at the end of good passages of team play before Eoin O Callaghan banged home a great goal after Michael Kiely’s initial effort came back of the cross bar, 2-8 to 1-5.
The winners were not to score again as they tired due to lack of training but compensated with the will to win. Billy Hynes placed Kieran Crawford for a goal at the end of the third quarter but the Shamrocks followed with four costly and damning wides.
Centre back Shane Roche showed his forwards how to do it with points from play in the 50th and 54th minutes either side of a cracking effort by Dungarvan’s Eoin O Callaghan coming back off the crossbar, 2-8 to 2-6.
Shamrocks owned the ball for the remainder of the game and it took a vital interception by the winner’s corner forward Cathal Curran to deny them what looked like a certain goal with five minutes remaining.
In the dying embers, Billy Hynes was untypically wide with a free, then hit the post with another and finally kicked one short. At this stage, Dungarvan’s players greatest attribute was their defending and when the final whistle sounded, they avoided the drop to the junior grade which they last played in back in 1973.
Best for the winners were Jack Lacey, Conor Sheridan, Colm Curran, Robbie Wall, Brian Curran, Eoin O Callaghan, Mikey Burke and Mikey Kiely. For Shamrocks, Shane Roche, Ed Lonergan (27), Billy Hynes, Kieran and Adam Crawford and Jason Ahearne caught the eye.
Scorers :
Dungarvan : Eoin O Callaghan 1-1, Conor Sheridan 1-0, Michael Kiely 0-2f, Kealan Daly 0-2, Joe Duggan, Brian Curran and Cathal Curran(f) 0-1 each.
Shamrocks : Billy Hynes 0-4(3f), Shane Roche 1-2(1-0 pen.), Kieran Crawford 1-0 each, Liam Motherway 0-1.
Teams :
Dungarvan : Robbie Wall; Sean Hyslop, Mikey Burke, Brian Curran; Kealan Daly, Jack Fitzgerald, Joe Duggan; Colm Curran, Jack Lacey; Gabriel McGovern, Conor Sheridan, Gavin Christopher; Eoin O Callaghan, Michael Kiely, Cathal Curran. Sub ; Gary Donnolly for Gabriel McGovern. Oisin Morrissey.
Shamrocks : Bernie Kelleher; Jason Ahearne, Adam Crawfordl, Padraig Roche; Padraig Hynes, Shane Roche, Stephen Roche; Ed Lonergan, Colm Roche; Eoghan Lenehan, Kieran Crawford, Tom Dalton; Billy Hynes, Ed Hynes, Liam Motherway. Subs : Chris Murphy for Tom Dalton.
Referee : Kenny Houlihan(Kilrossanty).
