Handy Andy sends Éire Óg to last four

ÉIRE ÓG CARNEW EMMETS 1-10 1-09

WHEN and where did this game turn completely on its head?

With 21 minutes on the clock in the second half, word was sent in from the Éire Óg Greystones sideline that Chester Kelly was to go to midfield, Billy Cuddihy to centre-half back and Peter Keane to half-back.

Just prior to this, Jack Doyle had fired over what would be, amazingly, his side’s last score of the game to make it 1-09 to 0-05 and anything other than a Carnew victory at this stage would have been an outrageous suggestion.

Éire Óg needed something to lift the spirits. Despite being fairly comprehensively out hurled up to this point they were still within sight but they needed something to spark a revival.

Chester’s shifting from centre-half back to midfield started paying immediate dividends and altough the Carnew full-back line were still clearing the majority of the ball going in, it was now being gathered by the aforementioned Kelly and the likes of Andy Walsh who had drifted out from his corner-forward position.

The ball breaks to Billy Cuddihy at one stage with 22 minutes gone in the second half.

Cuddihy glances down the stand sideline and sees James ‘Pooch’ Cranley in a bit of space.

He rifles a sweet pass towards the ‘Pooch’ and the sharp-shooter shows lovely stick work to stop the ball, bring it to his hand, ship a solid shoulder from Enda Donohue and then cut infield and drop over a beauty from 40 yards. Spirit lifted. Revival sparked.

On come Éire Óg with gusto and Carnew almost visibly shrink. Clearances that might have went 60 or 70 yards are now going maybe 30 and more often than not directly to a, Éire Óg jersey.

Cranley points a free. He is incredibly important to the Éire Óg cause, make no mistake about it. In a forward unit that may not work the scoreboard too hard, Cranley is vital for scores.

And then we see the tide turning. Enda Donohue goes for a point from out the field but it drops short into the hand of Dan O’Neill who clears. Michael Arrigan bombs it down the field.

Ball breaks. Donohue sprints back but under pressure his clearance finds only Kristian Flynn, a horse of a man and a tireless worker last Saturday in Joule Park, Aughrim. The half-back gathers, trots over the 65 and proceeds to drop over a monster score to make it 1-09 to 0-09. The recovery continues.

Ball out. Won by Enda Donohue who is working like a dog. He looks to boot it to Dan Nolan but his kick is wayward and eventually gathered by Stephen Kelly who flicks to Peter Keane who sends it long.

Mark Collins recovers and he plays a low ball out to Oisin Furlong but he’s immediately surrounded by ‘Pooch’ and Andy Walsh and it’s ‘Pooch’ who comes away with it and slips it out to Leon Browne who sends over a screamer. Two between the teams, 26 on the second half clock.

Four minutes for Carnew to survive in the Senior hurling championship. Four minutes for Éire Óg Greystones to achieve an incredible result and secure their place in the county semi-final against Glenealy and it’s nothing more than their season deserves.

Stephen ‘Chester’ Kelly gets the ball and sets off on a long run and hand off to Andy Walsh. The Éire Óg faithful are on their feet. Walsh’s strides seem to be covering about a half a mile each as he gallops into space. He swings the timber half way between the 21 and the 14 and she flies like a bolt of north Wicklow lightening into the bottom corner of Michael Collins’ goal. Oh Lordy! 1-10 to 1-09.

Back come Carnew. Defeat hangs over them like a dark shadow. Their annus horribilus looks set to climax with a quarter-final exit only days after their departure from the Intermediate football championship.

Éire Óg clear a ball and it’s gathered by Jack Collins who has put in a massive shift for his team. He gives it to Martin O’Brien and we go long up the stand side and it’s worked high to Wayne Kinsella but it’s over his head and Éire Óg clear but only as far as Enda Donohue. He fires a sweet ball to Seanie Kinsella down on the bank side, dressing room end, but his snap shot drifts wide.

The drama is savage. There’s hooks and blocks and flash points and yellow cards and Hughie O’Neill has a golden chance to put Éire Óg two up but his effort comes off the post.

Michael Collins takes the puck out. Last seconds of the game. Éire Óg win it. Long ball. Free out for Carnew but they seem unable to even strike the ball with any conviction and they can’t get it out of their defence.

John Keenan looks at his watch as Leon Browne sends a ball down on top of Anto Byrne. It breaks out to the sideline. Byrne and Jack Collins tussle for possession and there’s the three shrill blasts and the eruption of cheers from the Éire Óg supporters.

This was a massive victory for them in many ways and a potentially massive defeat for Carnew but at the other end of the developmental spectrum.

Éire Óg now face Glenealy in a county semi-final with the chance of a final against their neighbours Bray on offer.

Glenealy won’t make the mistakes or fade as badly as Carnew did but the Éire Óg men will really fancy their chances if they’re still in it with 10 or 15 minutes to go in what should be a very interesting county semi-final.

Carnew will wonder where it all went wrong for them. A 1-05 to 0-04 lead at half-time flattered Éire Óg in many ways with ‘Pooch’ keeping the north Wicklow men in it although they did see the ball rattle the Carnew crossbar.

Tom Darcy’s men were 1-05 to 0-01 to the good at one stage, the goal coming from Wayne Kinsella, but the four points, three from ‘Pooch’ and one from Anto Byrne, kept Éire Óg in the hunt at the break and once they’re within sight of their opponents there’s nothing these Greystones lads can’t achieve.

Scorers - Éire Óg Greystones: James Cranley 0-07 (3f), Anto Byrne 0-01 (f), Andy Walsh 1-00, Kristian Flynn 0-01, Leon Browne 0-01.

Carnew Emmets: Enda Donohue 0-05 (5f), Wayne Kinsella 1-00, Timmy Collins 0-02, Jack Doyle 0-01, Robert Lambert 0-01.

Dan O’Neill; Shaun Hughes, Michael Arrigan, Peter Keane; Billy Cuddihy, Stephen Kelly, Kristian Flynn; Leon Browne, Shane Nolan; Gavin Parslow, Anto Byrne, James Cranley; Andy Walsh, Huguhie O’Neill, Michael Walsh. Subs: Sean Lawless for M Walsh, Daniel O’Connor for G Parslow.

Michael Collins; Oisin Furlong, Mark Collins, Jack Collins; Aaron Kinsella, Martin O’Brien, Enda Donohue; Padraig Doran, Robert Lambert; Jack Doyle, Dan Nolan, Drew Brennan; Timmy Collins, Wayne Kinsella, Seanie Kinsella. Subs: Conal McCrea for R Lambert.

John Keenan (Aughrim)