Sars for relegation final
FETHARD SARSFIELDS
SARSFIELDS WILL need to summon their inner Houdini again after succumbing to Fethard in the Tom Doyle Supplies Senior football championship Group A in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross, on Sunday.
The Páirc Charman side have made a habit of dragging themselves out of the relegation mire late in the season, and they will need to locate their best form again if they are to retain their status as one of the twelve Senior clubs for 2019.
What they won’t want in that relegation final, whoever it’s against, is the kind of start that left them playing catch-up in this contest.
The Butters trailed by nine points (2-4 to 0-1) after just ten minutes and expended so much energy getting back into the game that they couldn’t find that little bit extra in the final few minutes.
It may have been between two struggling sides but this was a fast-paced, entertaining game of football. There was plenty of quick ball into the forwards, especially in the first-half, and the sparse crowd certainly got their money’s worth.
Without the injured Mikie Dwyer, Fethard set about making a statement early. A clever Joe Sutton ball sent brother Jimmy into the clear in the sixth minute and he made no mistake with a classy low finish.
Things could hardly have been going any worse for Sars when John Tubritt’s long ball into the edge of the square was palmed past Colm O’Dowda by the quick-thinking Joe Sutton.
Down by 2-5 to 0-2 at the end of the opening quarter, the Wexford town side soon had further bad luck - the last thing they needed.
Eoin Roche was clearly fouled when turning in on John Bridges’ feed and going for goal, and if John Carton had held his whistle for a split-second longer the powerful forward would have been credited with a goal after a great finish.
However, the whistle went for a penalty while he was shooting and Kieran Furlong saved Philip Cullen’s resulting spot-kick.
The impressive Conall Clancy did get one goal back in the next Sarsfields attack. Then, after great work by Lee Chin, Roche sent a rocket into the top corner of the Fethard net in the 23rd minute to help his side within three at the interval (2-7 to 2-4).
Sarsfields dominated the early stages of the second-half and actually took the lead when Chin raced away to net (3-5 to 2-7). However, his side managed just three points in the last 26 minutes as Fethard controlled the game.
The supreme John Tubritt put them ahead again in the 41st minute and they stretched into a two-point lead when he scored his fourth with ten minutes left.
Sars battled hard but they were running on empty towards the end and Fethard held on for a crucial victory.
While Sarsfields are going to be in a relegation final no matter what, the door to the quarter-finals is still open for Fethard.
A win against Castletown on Saturday will help but more than likely they will need at least three points from their final two games to progress.
Fethard: Kieran Furlong; Martin Power, Daniel Mullan, Eddie Power; Christopher Molloy, Graham O’Grady, Richie Waters (0-1); John Tubritt (capt., 0-4), Rúairí Tubrid; Darren Foley (0-1), Kevin Rowe (0-2, 1 free), Ciarán Dwyer (0-2); Jesse Foley (0-1), Joe Sutton (1-0), Jimmy Sutton (1-2). Sub. - Adam Swan for Dwyer (53).
Sarsfields: Colm O’Dowda; Con Ó Donnagáin, Michael Hanrahan (capt.), Fiach Ó Crualaoich; Brendan Mulligan, Seán Ó Corcora, Colm Browne; David Mooney, Ciarán Kirwan; Dylan Furlong, Eoin Roche (1-2), Ryan Furlong (0-1); Philip Cullen, Conall Clancy (1-3), John Bridges (0-2, 1 free). Subs. - Lee Chin (1-0) for Kirwan (21), Tomás Campbell for Ó Crualaoich (31), Cathal Kirwan for Cullen (31), Conall Ó Crualaoich for Ó Donnagáin, temp. (36-38), Ó Crualaoich for R. Furlong (56).
Referee: John Carton (Monageer-Boolavogue).