Higgins goal vital
Rathnure finally shake off Horeswood
RATHNURE HORESWOOD 2-17 0-21 (AET)
A NIGEL Higgins goal in extra-time proved pivotal as Rathnure eventually shook off the stubborn attentions of Horeswood in their Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship quarter-final in Taghmon on Saturday.
It looked like the attacker had settled the game in favour of the men in black and amber when he rattled the net for the first time with seven minutes of normal time remaining to put his side four points to the good.
Horeswood managed to claw back that deficit to force another 20 minutes, but when Higgins raised the green flag again in the second period of extra-time, they couldn’t repeat the trick.
Rathnure began the game brightly and built up a 0-6 to 0-3 advantage by the 20th minute, with Higgins, Fran Murphy, Seán O’Neill and Syl Barron all splitting the posts.
Michael O’Hanlon was the sole scorer for Horeswood in that period and he got three more points on the board to draw his side level, before Barry Hearn and Seán Stafford found the range to give them a two-point lead at the break (0-8 to 0-6).
O’Hanlon stretched the advantage to three, but Rathnure were back on level terms within seven minutes of the re-start thanks to points from Higgins, Mark Boland and substitute Ben Ronan.
It continued to be tit-for-tat until Higgins struck what looked like a fatal blow in the 54th minute, when he gathered an Alan Ronan delivery and leathered a shot past goalkeeper Wayne Power to put Rathnure 1-14 to 0-13 ahead.
However, Horeswood reduced the deficit to the minimum as O’Hanlon fired over two quickfire frees, followed by a Seán Nolan point.
They then grabbed the leveller in the fifth minute of injury time when Barry Hearn picked out the unmarked O’Hanlon with a short free and he slotted the ball between the posts.
Brendan O’Leary edged Rathnure back in front, but two placed balls from O’Hanlon had Horeswood one point ahead after the first period of extra-time.
A Seán Nolan score made it a two-point game, but Rathnure got their noses back in front when a Higgins effort at the posts from inside his own half found its way to the net.
Syl Barron and Danny Byrne then swapped points, before Barron held his nerve to slot over the insurance score from a free in injury time.
Rathnure are now one of three second teams in the semi-finals.
Rathnure: Seán Nolan (capt.); Aodhán Foley, Teddy O’Connor, Dylan Hogan; Alan Ronan, Mick O’Leary, Philip Redmond; Seán O’Neill (0-2), Michael Martin; Mark Boland (0-2), Fran Murphy (0-3), Syl Barron (0-6, 5 frees); Nigel Higgins (2-2), James Flynn, Brendan O’Leary (0-1). Subs. - Ben Ronan (0-1) for Flynn, John O’Connor for Hogan, Kiall Byrne for Murphy, Stephen Martin for O’Leary.
Horeswood: Wayne Power; Damien Hearn, Shane O’Hanlon, Gavin Murphy; Danny Byrne (0-1), Eamonn O’Sullivan, David Murphy; Seán Stafford (0-1), Barry Hearn (0-1); Michael O’Hanlon (capt., 0-15, 0-13 frees), Leigh O’Brien, Seán Nolan (0-3); Eoin Murphy, Jamie Myler, Eddie Breen. Sub. - Mossy Kent for E. Murphy.
Referee: Jack Stafford (Clongeen).