Sars pull off great escape as Horeswood bow out

SARSFIELDS HORESWOOD

AS THIS Tom Doyle Supplies Senior football championship relegation final ticked into the 44th minute in Cushinstown on Friday, Sarsfields were waistdeep in quicksand. They hadn’t scored in 20 minutes of action and looked like they were heading for the drop.

For Horeswood everything seemed fine. Leigh O’Brien had just tucked away a stonewall penalty.

There was no question at all about the foul on Seán Nolan, it was as clear an indiscretion as you’ll ever see.

At that point Horeswood were moving the ball around, picking their moments to make that final burst inside their opponents’ ‘30. They were, simply put, completely controlling the game and playing at their tempo.

But they didn’t enjoy Lee Chin moving in to full-forward, they didn’t like it at all.

In fact, the switch, the Sarsfields failsafe option for a while now, would not have came as any surprise to the New Ross District side, they just didn’t cope.

From their own patient buildups Sarsfields morphed into a powerful, fast-moving machine. Everything went long but it wasn’t mere lucky breaks of the ball that quickly turned this tie on its head, it was the sheer injection of intensity that Horeswood couldn’t match.

The Sars were coming from everywhere. They won all the breaks, they took the ball powerfully into the tackle, and they wore down their opponents.

After being controlled for three quarters, the Páirc Charman side proved that the final 15 is by far the most important period of the game.

Horeswood settled quicker and built a 0-3 to nil lead after 13 minutes with P.J. Banville on target twice. Dylan Furlong, Chin and the talismanic Michael Hanrahan all pointed at the other end but a second Declan Murphy score had his side 0-6 to 0-3 up at the break.

Michael O’Hanlon fired a fine point and it was his run that freed Seán Nolan for the penalty in the 42nd minute. O’Brien sent the ‘keeper the wrong way but the goal was probably the worst thing to happen to Horeswood all evening.

It made Sarsfields a desperate, ravenous side and they preyed on their limp opponents. Chin and Hanrahan pointed only for Nolan to reply.

That 48th-minute score was his side’s last. They rarely got over their opponents’ ‘65 thereafter.

Chin put five between the teams with eight minutes left but his side really believed when he broke Conor Halligan’s long ball to David Mooney who off-loaded to Furlong, and the wing-forward battered the ball past Conor Swaine.

Hanrahan then put one between the sides with four minutes left (1-8 to 1-7).

There was an air of inevitability about things now and when Adam Dempsey’s effort dropped short, Swaine blocked it out as far as Ciarán Kirwan and he palmed the ball home - almost volleyball-like.

Horeswood were a beaten team, down by two, and they had no response.

Chin put the cap on a stunning Sars 2-4 run without reply with a couple of late frees to send the New Ross District side down after 19 years at Senior level.

Sarsfields: Philip Cullen; Fiach Ó Crualaoich, Brendan Mulligan, Con Ó Donnagáin; Jack Robinson, Michael Hanrahan (capt., 0-3), Cathal Kirwan; Ciarán Byrne, Lee Chin (0-5, 4 frees); Dylan Furlong (1-1), Eoin Roche, John Bridges; David Gouldson, David Mooney, Fran Cleary. Subs. - Conor Halligan for Robinson (24), Kevin Gore for Byrne (31), Adam Dempsey for Bridges (42), Ciarán Kirwan (1-0) for Mooney (55).

Horeswood: Conor Swaine; Kevin Parker, Barry Hearn, Steven Collins; Ryan Harris, David Larkin (capt.), Eddie Shiely; Shane O’Hanlon, Paddy Murphy; Seán Stafford, Leigh O’Brien (1-1, 1-0 pen.), Michael O’Hanlon (01); Declan Murphy (0-2), P.J. Banville (0-2, 1 free), Seán Nolan (0-2). Subs. - David Shannon for M. O’Hanlon (42), Johnny Keating for Stafford (52), Gary Conway for Keating (59).

Referee: John Carton (Monageer-Boolavogue).