Novel pair for Senior final on October 9
Unde r-par Castle town re giste r an incre dible 17 wide s
GUSSERANE’S RECENT superiority over long-standing rivals Castletown in knockout football continued in a poor contest in Innovate Wexford Park on Sunday when the O’Rahilly’s deservedly advanced to a second Tom Doyle Supplies Senior championship final in the space of three years with three points to spare.
And while this win wasn’t as comprehensive as the 2-9 to 1-4 verdict against their north county opponents at the same stage in 2014, it was no less merited as Gusserane were by far the sharper side and looked comfortable at all times.
Their defence performed excellently as a unit, and the decision to re-deploy team captain Graeme Cullen as a play-making centre-back earlier in the campaign appears even more inspired with every passing game.
Any time Castletown attacked into the wind in the first-half, they were met by a swarm of Gusserane bodies in and around the ‘D’ and more often than not found them impossible to break down.
And then when the eventual winners were facing the elements on the re-start, the versatile Shane Cullen dropped back as an extra defender and this added to Castletown’s woes.
It’s a major understatement to point out that the losers’ attacking play lacked direction. In fact, they were shocking, finishing with 17 wides and playing without an effective targetman on the edge of the square.
Their approach was summed up nearly three minutes into added time when it was clear that only a goal would rescue them and earn a replay they didn’t deserve. Despite this, Brendan Halpin opted against lobbing the ball in from a free, and to cap it all his point attempt from the left went across goal and wide.
It was a third successive semi-final loss for Castletown, who also bowed out to St. Martin’s at this stage last year, and the failure to play anywhere near their potential should annoy and haunt them in equal measure over the winter months.
Much of the credit for that must go to Gusserane though. The disappointment of the 2014 final loss to St. Anne’s lingered last year when they failed to qualify, but the new management trio - with Carlow-based teacher Maurice Browne joined by dedicated clubmen Mick Caulfield and Kevin Kehoe - have now guided them back into a novel final with Glynn-Barntown.
Gusserane won the toss and opted to utilise the wind, but Castletown did create an early goal chance when a foul was committed as Brendan Halpin was sought out by Donnacha Holmes with a handpass into the square.
Adrian Flynn was in good kicking form in a game of few scores, and he opened his account from 50 metres in the third minute. Conor Carty levelled from a 14-metre free, but Castletown had to wait 27 minutes for their next score when veteran Colm Morris - playing despite a fractured bone in his right hand - came forward to start a move featuring Stephen Moloney and ending with Jody O’Shaughnessy hooking the ball over the bar as he fell.
In between, Gusserane had picked off five points without reply in 17 minutes and, although the rate of scoring mightn’t have been as regular as they would have liked, they were still playing the better football.
A goal chance ended with the ball hitting the grounded Seán Ryan and going wide via a post, but 90 seconds later Shane Cullen passed crossfield to Jamie Cooney who made it 0-2 to 0-1.
Cullen picked off their third score after Ryan and John Roche re-cycled an attack from the endline, while Adrian Flynn soloed down the left flank and split the posts in the 17th minute.
Their last two points of the half came from Shane Cullen frees, winning the first himself before Páraic Conway was impeded for the second.
It was 0-6 to 0-2 at the break, with Gusserane hitting six wides and Castletown managing one less. However, by game’s end those figures would read seven to 17 as the men in maroon failed abysmally to make use of the elements.
They must have hoped for better things when Colm Morris required just 53 seconds to narrow the gap, but it wasn’t a taste of things to come.
Seán Ryan had a shot smothered at the expense of a fruitless ’45 at the other end before Adrian Flynn scored again from a Páraic Conway handpass in the 37th minute (0-7 to 0-3).
Castletown had kicked half of those twelve wides after the break before Conor Carty knocked over a free, but Gusserane responded immediately as Conway pointed from a Seán Ryan assist.
Even when Castletown substitutes Anthony Masterson and Ross Bealin both scored to narrow the gap to two, it was hard to see their team doing enough to get their noses in front.
And so it proved, with the last score arriving at the other end in the 58th minute. Referee Damien Donovan really should have allowed an advantage as Gusserane had an overlap and possession after Ryan was taken out of it by Joe Gardiner.
However, he blew too quickly to let the move develop, black carding the defender before Adrian Flynn tapped over the free.
The half ended in a similar vein, with Castletown adding another four wides to cap a woeful performance. Stephen Moloney did worm his way into the square in added time but there was no room to get a shot away, with county Minor Mark O’Neill emerging with the ball to avert the danger.
Gusserane: Micheál Ryan; Mark O’Neill, Cathal Somers, Liam Dillon; Jack Burford, Graeme Cullen (capt.), Jack O’Connor; Adrian Flynn (0-4, 1 free), John Roche; Adrian Redmond, Kenneth Cahill, Páraic Conway (0-1); Jamie Cooney (0-1), Shane Cullen (03, 2 frees), Seán Ryan. Subs. - Cillian Kehoe for Roche (43), Mark Rossiter for O’Connor (47), Philip Wallace for Cooney (47), Matty Flynn for Redmond (60+2).
Castletown: Niall Hempenstall; Joe Gardiner, Danny Gardiner (capt.), Joe Aherne; Colin Kennedy, Noel Morris, Colm Morris (0-1); Richard Farrell, Stephen Moloney; Jody O’Shaughnessy (0-1), Conor Carty (0-2 frees), Andy Merrigan; James Holmes, Brendan Halpin, Donnacha Holmes. Subs. - Yusuf Frih for J. Holmes (40), Pierce Maxwell for Merrigan (41), Anthony Masterson (0-1) for O’Shaughnessy (41), Ross Bealin (0-1) for D. Holmes (56), Jesse Foley for J. Gardiner, black card (58).
Referee: Damien Donovan (Volunteers).