Crossabeg-Ballymurn salvage draw at the death
CROSSABEG-B’MURN 3-4 FETHARD 1-10 THE CROSSABEG-BALLYMURN team staged a miraculous recovery to earn another bite of the cherry against Fethard in their Enniscorthy Farm Systems Junior ‘B’ football championship semi-final in a blustery Bree on Friday.
Fethard held a 1-10 to 1-4 advantage with the clock reading 58 minutes, but first Billy Roche blasted the ball to the net, before Eoghan Kehoe drove a 21-yard free through a ruck of players and it somehow found its way over the line.
Fethard may have edged past a wasteful Bannow-Ballymitty in fortuitous fashion seven days earlier, but their luck certainly ran out on Friday as they seemed to have more than one foot in the final.
Great credit must also be given to Crossabeg-Ballymurn though, as their never-say-die attitude earned a replay that looked ex- tremely unlikely with time running out.
The Fethard attack, spearheaded by the excellent Darren Foley and Damien Browne, looked more potent throughout and the south county side were 1-5 to 1-1 to the good at half-time, with the former helping himself to four points and the latter bagging 1-1 of their tally.
The goal came in the 27th minute when Browne palmed a Robert Swan pass to the net, giving the New Ross District champions a 1-5 to 0-1 advantage.
However, Crossabeg-Bally- murn got the lifeline they needed just before the break when Luke Redmond touched Eoghan Kehoe’s delivery beyond the goalkeeper.
Fethard extended their lead to six points by the 57th minute with Darren Foley (three), Ciarán Dwyer and Damien Browne splitting the posts, and Paul Walsh, Billy Roche and Kevin Sludds replying for Crossabeg-Ballymurn.
However, there was a dramatic conclusion to the contest, with Billy Roche gathering the ball and powerfully firing it to the net despite defenders swarming all around him with less than two minutes of normal time remaining, and Eoghan Kehoe raising the green flag again in the third minute of injury time.
The replay will be on the weekend of October 8-9.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: James White; Conor Gormley, Eoin O’Connor, Jimmy Grannell; Conor Barlow, Mick Eviston, Oisín O’Connor; Conor Maddock (0-1), Shane Whelan; Luke Redmond (1-0), Billy Roche (1-1), Barry Coughlan; Paul Walsh (0-1 free), Emmet Kehoe, Daithí Redmond. Subs. - Eoghan Kehoe (1-0) for D. Redmond, Kevin Sludds (0-1) for Emmet Kehoe, Daithí Redmond for E. O’Connor, Emmet Kehoe for L. Redmond.
Fethard: Seán Foley; Frank Barden, Evan Rowe, Seán Sutton; Nathan Hayes, Brian Donohoe, Daniel Johnson; Tommy Power, Pete Mullan; Mikey Barden, Ciarán Dwyer (01), Jean-Luc Tubritt; Robert Swan, Darren Foley (0-7, 3 frees), Damien Browne (1-2). Subs. - Mark Hanton for S. Foley, Shane Tubrid for Power.
Referee: Seamus Whelan (Oylegate-Glenbrien).