Horeswood in semi-final exit
Stroll for Offaly champions
SHAMROCKS HORESWOOD
HORESWOOD’S BID to reach a provincial decider faltered with a poor performance as they went under to a comprehensive 15-point defeat to a superior Shamrocks outfit in this disappointing AIB Leinster Club Intermediate football championship semi-final at Bord na Móna O’Connor Park, Tullamore, on Saturday.
For a few brief periods in the first-half it looked as if Horeswood could fashion a result, but once they were denied two goals through superb saves from Brian Lowry, they were always left chasing the game, as the Offaly side’s confidence grew with each passing moment.
Horeswood knew it was going to be a difficult day, but the manner in which they set up for the opening 30 minutes caught many by surprise. For most of that opening period, the Wexford champions had only two players placed inside the opposition’s ’45, making it difficult to see where their scores were going to come from. As a result, Shamrocks looked comfortable with a six-point cushion to take into the second 30 minutes.
And not alone did they refuse to relinquish their grip on the game, they went on to increase their dominance.
Inside 90 seconds Nigel Dunne pointed his side in front from a ’45, while two minutes later the same player sent over a superb point off his left side.
Six minutes into the game it took a superb last-ditch tackle from Johnny Keating to deny wing-back Gary Hutchinson - who had linked up with Dunne - a goal.
It was all Shamrocks at this stage, with the Horeswood defence caught napping as Dunne decided on a quick free from close to the sideline to David O’TooleGreene, leaving the big midfielder to give his team a 0-3 to nil lead after eight minutes.
Horeswood had to wait until the tenth minute for their opening score as David Larkin charged forward out of defence to kick a fine point. Following this breakthrough, they went on to enjoy their best passage of play through the following seven minutes.
With P.J. Banville - who had moved out to midfield - now getting more on the ball, and Larkin providing the support out of the half-back line, Horeswood for the first time began to adopt a more direct attacking approach.
Larkin laid off a superb ball to Declan Murphy who cut in on goal, but what appeared a goalbound shot was superbly blocked away by ’keeper Brian Lowry, with Seán Nolan picking up the loose ball to point.
Horeswood’s more direct approach created a second goal chance as Murphy and Larkin combined to set up Nolan, but his rising shot was superbly tipped over by Lowry, leaving it 0-3 each at the end of the opening quarter.
That was as good as it got for the Wexford champions, as Shamrocks finished the half strongly by kicking over a further seven points.
The visitors’ solitary response was a P.J. Banville point close to the break, but they still trailed by 0-10 to 0-4 at the interval, and they would have been further adrift but for a superb Conor Swaine save when he got down to beat away a low goalbound shot from O’TooleGreene.
Horeswood were trying to hang in and battle their way back into the game on the re-start, but Shamrocks opened with two Nigel Dunne points.
And they killed off the game in the 36th minute when Dunne threaded a superb 30-metre ball into space for Dunican who swivelled around his marker before planting a superb shot across ’keeper Swaine into the opposite corner of the net, giving his side a 1-12 to 0-4 lead and leaving no way back for the Wexford champions.
Shamrocks exerted their control on proceedings, kicking over some superb points, while their second goal came ten minutes from the end at a stage when they were leading by 1-17 to 0-7, with the Horeswood points courtesy of Darren Shannon, Eoin Murphy and Declan Murphy.
Dunne was once again the provider, picking out substitute Wayne Mooney, and he in turn found Paddy Dunican who applied an excellent finish.
Horeswood’s bad day was summed up in additional time when Seán Nolan found himself in a one-on-one with ’keeper Lowry who deflected the ball away to safety, leaving David Larkin to close out proceedings with the final score, a surging run from midfield to point.
Horeswood: Conor Swaine; Johnny Keating, Barry Hearn, Seán Stafford; Kevin Parker, Leigh O’Brien, David Larkin (0-2); Shane O’Hanlon, Colin Nolan; Darren O’Reilly, Darren Shannon (0-1), Eamonn O’Sullivan; Declan Murphy (0-1), P.J. Banville (capt., 0-1), Seán Nolan (0-2). Subs. - David O’Shea for Parker (HT), Gavin Murphy for Stafford (HT), Eric Banville for O’Sullivan (HT), Eoin Murphy (0-1) for O’Reilly (40), John Bradley for Shannon (50), David Murphy for Keating (53).
Shamrocks: Brian Lowry; Darragh Minnock, Conor Condron, Jack McNamara; Gary Hutchinson, Scott Delaney, Dan Heffernan (0-1); Andrew Delaney (0-1), David O’Toole-Greene (0-3); Shane O’Toole-Greene, Shane Heffernan, Luke Molloy; Alan Heffernan (0-1), Nigel Dunne (0-9, 2 frees, 1 ’45), Paddy Dunican (2-2). Subs. - Cathal O’Brien for Minnock (24), Adam Keyes for A. Heffernan, inj. (26), Pádraig Cantwell for S. Delaney, inj. (53), Wayne Mooney for Molloy (54), Alan Foster for S. O’Toole-Greene (58), Jack Watkins for Condron (59).
Referee: Fergal Kelly (Longford).