Harriers goals dump Taghmon
FAYTHE HARRIERS T’MON-CAMROSS 4-9 1-10 SHOWING THAT extra class in front of the posts, Faythe Harriers powered home four goals that proved sufficient to see off a brave Taghmon-Camross in this exciting Greenstar Under-21 hurling Premier championship quarter-final in Taghmon on Tuesday.
Taghmon-Camross, who had demolished one of the championship favourites, Rapparees, seven days earlier, were brought down from that high by a rampant Wexford town side, whose inside forward trio of John Gannon, Conor Halligan and Seán Banville wreaked havoc.
They shared all four goals between them, which ultimately proved the difference between the sides.
The game proved for Taghmon-Camross that it’s difficult to put back-to-back big game wins together, as they were unable to meet the challenge laid down by a well-drilled Harriers outfit. From the very outset it was noticeable the fire and passion evident seven days earlier was missing from the home side’s play.
The switching around of their defensive formation which served them so well in their initial outing came back to haunt them, as they missed the physical and hurling presence of Adam Winters on the fringe of the square, although he featured excellently at wing-back. But it was a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul and the Harriers were the benefactors on this occasion.
Taghmon-Camross, playing into the breeze, opened the scoring through a Darren Carty point, and when Pierce Doyle added a sixth-minute pointed free, one expected this to settle their challenge. However, the Harriers assumed control, playing a strong, direct brand of hurling, and their lengthy, accurate distribution led to crucial scores.
After an Eoin Roche eighth-minute point opened their scoring, their first goal arrived one minute later. Daniel Lynch delivered a great ball from 40 metres out on the sideline across the face of the goal, where Conor Halligan managed to direct it into the path of John Gannon who fired a superb first-time shot across the face of the goal into the opposite corner of the net, giving his side a 1-1 to 0-2 lead they were never subsequently to relinquish.
Thirteen minutes in Seán Banville pounced on a long Shane Wilde delivery to find the net from twelve metres.
While points from Ian Carty, Stephen O’Gorman and Pierce Doyle kept their side in the game, the Harriers through long-range Jack Murphy frees went in leading by 2-5 to 0-7 at the interval.
There was still a belief that Taghmon-Camross could take something from this game, turning over with the aid of the breeze and being just four points adrift.
The Harriers quickly quashed any such hope though when Conor Halligan got on the end of a long Jack Murphy free into the goalmouth to crash home a fine goal, increasing his side’s lead to 3-5 to 0-7 within one minute of the re-start.
The Harriers went on to control the half as the home attack was unable to create any impression on a solid defence in which Nicky Lawlor, Shane Wilde and Jack Murphy were outstanding.
The eventual winners added their fourth goal through John Gannon ten minutes from the end to give them a 4-8 to 0-10 lead, while the losers’ goal did not arrive until additional time when Stephen O’Gorman found the net from an acute angle.
It was too little, too late, to salvage anything from a game long gone from them.
Faythe Harriers: Adam McDaid; Stephen Cummins, Nicky Lawlor, Danny Walsh; Jack Murphy (0-4, 3 frees, 1 ’65), Shane Wilde, Fiach O Crualaoich; Cormac Byrne, Stephen Kearney (0-1); Jack O’Leary, Eoin Roche (0-2), Daniel Lynch (0-1); Seán Banville (1-0), Conor Halligan (1-0), John Gannon (2-1). Subs. - Cathal Kirwan for O’Leary, Philip Bowe for Gannon.
Taghmon-Camross: Jack Dunne; James Carroll, David O’Keeffe, Stephen O’Keeffe; Adam Winters, Ian Carty (0-2, 1 free, 1 ’65), Barry Og McGrath; Darren Carty (0-1), Shane Doyle; Luke Sinnott, Stephen O’Gorman (1-2), Darren Hayden; Stuart Murphy, Pierce Doyle (0-5 frees), Eoin McLoughlin. Sub. - Anthony Roche for McLoughlin.
Referee: John Tobin (Geraldine O’Hanrahans).