Ocked the GAA world
ward line was taken apart that day.
They had three sent off, two substituted and Gerry Browne departing with an injury that left Laois feeling the perpetrator had gotten away with inflicting.
A 45 from O’Toole was Wicklow’s first second half score and Robert McHugh pointed a free soon after.
Wicklow had turned the screw and were a different team. Pat ‘Whackser’ Byrne had subdued Whelan, Mick O’Toole was all over Tom Prendergast like a rash and Billy Kenny was sitting back allowing O’Toole and Darcy to bomb forward at every opportunity.
The big moment arrived in the 22nd minute of the half. Tommy Murphy industrious as ever kept the ball in play near the end line, he fed Kevin O’Brien who quickly played in Paul Tyrrell who had replaced Ashley O’Sullivan moments earlier.
Tyrrell had pace and a directness that was vital at that pivotal moment. He was about to finish to the net when he was grounded by the Laois defence. He had been a serious doubt to play any part still carrying a knee injury sustained in the O’Byrne cup final weeks earlier.
Arriving on the field wearing the number 18 jersey and not his allotted 23.
Number 18 was listed to Mick Murtagh in the match programme. This led to Murtagh getting credit in some quarters for winning the penalty, hopefully he didn’t lose any Laois friends in the aftermath.
O’Brien took the penalty and he has admitted since it was one of his poorest, fortunately he was alive to take the rebound off Conroy’s legs to finish to the net and level the game, 2-6 to 1-9.
Four minutes later Con Murphy, further playing the captains part, shot Wicklow in to the lead and they didn’t look back. Tom Prendergast departed after an off the ball incident and it was curtains for the league champions. The tactics, heat and numerical disadvantage eventually broke the Laois spirit.
Points by McHugh and Pat Baker finished the scoring Laois had lost their first game in eleven months and they were not happy. Their last defeat was to Dublin in the Leinster final of 1985.
Con recalls the players not actually being too aware of all the events that unfolded after the final whistle until possibly even the following day.
One thing he did recall was the Sunday Game highlights show which didn’t overindulge in the action from Aughrim.
The referee felt the full wrath of the Laois anger and struggled to get from the field and then from the ground itself.
These actions later becoming headline news for weeks to come. ‘Blackguards at Aughrim’ was one headline with ‘Blow whistle on lunatics another’ as they described Garda batons having to be used to protect him. This certainly took some of the gloss off the fine Wicklow win.
The ‘Battle of Aughrim’ it has been labelled since that June day in 86 and that Wicklow team have lost some of the credit they deserved for a fine win in that narrative.
Laois were a fine team and may have won bigger honours but Wicklow wanted it more that day and did what was needed to progress.
Meath defeated Wicklow in the semi-final in Newbridge to end our hopes.
The Wicklow team and scorers: Dan Leigh (Baltinglass, Owen Doyle (Avondale), Pat Byrne (St Pats), Nick O’Neill (Stratford),
Jim Darcy (Tinahely), Billy Kenny (Baltinglass), Mick O’Toole (Kiltegan), Pat O’Byrne (Aughrim), Seamus Morris (Tinahely) RIP, Robert McHugh (Baltinglass, 0-3), Kevin O’Brien (Baltinglass, 2-3), Pat Baker (Avondale, 0-1), Con Murphy (Baltinglass, Captain, 0-2), Tommy Murphy (Baltinglass), Ashley O’Sullivan (Garda). Subs: Pat O’Toole (Blessington, 0-1) for Doyle, Paul Tyrrell (Tinahely) for O’Sullivan.
Kieron Kenny asks that if anyone has old match programmes they are seeking to get rid of then please contact him on 085 7541602 as they could be of major benefit for a project he is undertaking.