Ferns close to shock
Taghmon-Camross lucky to survive
FERNS ST. AIDAN’S 0-7 TAGHMON-CAMROSS 0-7 UNFANCIED FERNS St. Aidan’s came within a whisker of forging a shock victory in Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday when they shared the spoils with a malfunctioning Taghmon-Camross side in a low-scoring Ashdown Park/Amber Springs Hotels Intermediate football championship semi-final.
There was high drama over five minutes into added time with the sides deadlocked when Ferns substitute Robert Vickers palmed the ball on to John Breen slightly to the right of goal at the Clonard end.
It’s easy to be wise from the stand of course, but I felt the best option was to try for a fisted point. However, the midfielder put his boot to the ball and it lacked elevation and power, eventually ending up in the arms of netminder Seán O’Gorman before the final whistle blew and Taghmon-Camross breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Both teams have hurling commitments next weekend, so one would expect the Taghmon-Camross mentors to ask themselves a key question in the fortnight before the replay: is their gameplan bringing the best out of their highly-rated forwards?
My own opinion is a resounding ‘no’, because their talented scoring attackers were denied space and support by the insistence on having at least two extra defenders at any given time.
The frustration of their followers in the stand was summed up by one who, after urging his team to push up in the second-half, added the witty but accurate comment: ‘it’s not f***ing Dublin we’re playing’!
Ferns make no secret of their preference for hurling, but they were more than a match for the favourites even after losing Tomás Hawkins to a straight red card in the 52nd minute. However, the loss of free-taker Ryan Nolan with an apparent hamstring injury earlier was the last thing they needed with a depleted squad already for next weekend’s Pettitt’s Senior hurling semi-final against Oulart-The Ballagh.
Their main man was Paul Morris who exuded control on the ball, playing the game at his own pace and repeatedly making excellent use of possession.
One might argue that those aforementioned Taghmon-Camross forwards need a drier day to show their true worth, and the wind and rain played into the hands of the less polished Ferns outfit.
However, you take what you get weather-wise at this time of year, and more often than not it’s bad rather than good.
Just seven scores were recorded in the first-half, with the sides level three times before a Ryan Nolan free in the 28th minute left Ferns with an interval lead of 0-4 to 0-3.
Eoin Doyle had opened the Taghmon-Camross account inside three minutes, with Patrick Breen levelling for the Gorey District side who were ahead 8-3 on the wides count by the break.
Jonny Dwyer played a one-two with Tommy Dwyer to edge them in front in the ninth minute, but Stephen O’Gorman hit back with the outside of his boot from an Ian Carty pass.
Tommy Dwyer made it 0-3 to 0-2 and then saw his goal chance saved when he was forced on to his weaker right foot.
Páuric O’Gorman brought the teams together for the third time in the 22nd minute, and Seán O’Gorman had to make a good save from John Breen before Ryan Nolan restored the Ferns lead.
The same player converted another placed ball on the re-start but succumbed to injury four minutes later.
Taghmon-Camross struggled throughout the third quarter though, a point borne out by the fact that their first attempt at a score after the break didn’t arrive until the 46th minute when Barry O’Gorman dropped a kick short.
Eventually Eoin Doyle narrowed the gap to 5-4 in the 50th minute, but the Ferns cause wasn’t helped when linesman Martin Conway alerted referee John Diskin to an off-the-ball incident and Tomás ‘Ducker’ Hawkins was red-carded.
Seamus McLoughlin levelled two minutes later from a free but Taghmon-Camross simply couldn’t edge ahead. John Breen restored the Ferns lead from a free before Barry O’Gorman equalised, and there was a let-off for the red and whites 40 seconds into added time when Darren Carty was penalised for over-carrying after it looked like he was fouled first close to goal.
The advantage lay with Ferns again when Paul Morris kicked a short free to John Breen who made it 7-6 with a fine finish in the 62nd minute.
Stephen O’Gorman was the Taghmon-Camross saviour, pointing from just inside the 45-metre line after an Ian Carty handpass for the last of their five equalisers nearly three and a half minutes into added time, but they still had that late, late scare to endure before the game ended in stalemate.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: Ivan Meegan; Niall Maguire, Pádraig Bolger (capt.), Brian O’Neill; Keith Breen, Declan Byrne, Peter Nolan; John Breen (0-2, 1 free), Patrick Breen (0-1); Paul Morris, Tommy Dwyer (0-1), Tomás Hawkins; Ryan Nolan (0-2 frees), Colm Whelan, Jonny Dwyer (0-1). Subs. - Robert Vickers for Nolan, inj. (37), Ciarán Roberts for Maguire (50), Eddie Cullen for Whelan (60).
Taghmon-Camross: Seán O’Gorman; David O’Keeffe, Mark O’Gorman, Stephen Stafford; Shane Doyle, Barry O’Gorman (0-1), Pat Nolan; Derek O’Hanlon, Stephen O’Gorman (0-2); Páuric O’Gorman (0-1), Ian Carty, Darren Carty; Pierce Doyle, Seamus McLoughlin (0-1 free), Eoin Doyle (02). Subs. - Luke Sinnott for P. Doyle (41), Darren Hayden for O’Hanlon (48).
Referee: John Diskin (Bannow-Ballymitty).