Corach ramble through

CORACH RAMBLERS 5, All Blacks 1: The preceding game to the Richie Dwyer Memorial Cup semi-final pitted the All Blacks against Corach Ramblers in the penultimate round of the Shield.

All Blacks were quickest out of the traps and a great run up the left-hand side by James Delaney followed by an equally impressive cut-back gave Thady Redmond the easiest tap-in to give them the lead.

Corach didn’t panic and began to pass the ball around, always looking and probing but keeping possession well. After 15 minutes the equaliser came, and what a well-worked goal it was.

A great run down the left flank was made by John Gleeson who cut back in and played the ball to Marty Keane.

He spotted the run of Alan Diskin coming from midfield, and the pass was perfection as Diskin never broke stride and hit the ball first time on the run which flew low into the corner.

And just three minutes later it was 2-1 to Corach as a perfectly-floated free-kick was met by the head of the inrushing Alan Diskin to give him and his team their second.

Soon after it was 3-1 when a long clearance by Toddy Barry in the Corach goal somehow eluded the All Blacks defence and Wayne Whitty rushed in to head over the onrushing Niall O’Callaghan in the All Blacks goal.

Corach continued to dominate and more chances fell the way of Paul Ffrench and Wayne Whitty as they went in at half-time leading 3-1.

The second-half was barely a minute old when Paul Ffrench got on the end of a long ball and finished low to the net to make it 4-1 to Corach, and one could almost sense the fight leaving the Blacks.

Wayne Whitty soon added the fifth following a great through ball from Alan Diskin when he rounded the ‘keeper superbly. The Blacks to their credit tried hard and had to concede second best to a rampant Corach team.

Pat Sinnott, Michael Sinnott, James Delaney and Thady Redmond gave their all but it’s Corach who advance to the Shield final where they await the winners of Fastnet and Kilmore.

Fixtures (Saturday, July 29, in Danescastle): Shield semi-final sponsored by Darren Walsh Carpentry, Fastnet Rovers v. Kilmore United, 5.30 p.m. (D. Jenkins/A. Tobin/J. Diskin).

7.15 p.m. - Cup semi-final sponsored by Rowe Windscreens, Duncannon v. Campile United (A. Tobin/D. Jenkins/J. Diskin).