Listowel and Castlemaine must go again

TOMMY HEALY CUP SEMI-FINAL Sporting Listowel 1 Castlemaine United 1

THESE two sides will have to do it all again as they could not be separated in a tough cup tie at Mounthawk Park on Friday evening.

Referee Seamus O’Mahony had a busy evening in a foul ridden game where yellow cards went into double figures, three red cards were produced while the amount of foul throw ins was unprecedented. However, both sides put in a big effort and a draw was probably a fair outcome at the end.

Sporting Listowel had the better chances over the 90 minutes, but Castlemaine were patient defended well and hit on the counter attack every chance they got. Both sides were without a few regulars, but they served up a close game which hung in the balance right up to the very end.

Castlemaine started strongly and forced three early corners and from the third Daniel O’Connor’s effort on goal was taken off the line by Brian Leahy. Sporting Listowel’s first chance came in the 10th minute when Robbie O’Hanlon and Chris Lyons combined to release Tom McCarthy and his daisy cutter of a shot was just inches wide.

They went close again two minutes later when Chris Lyons latched on to a Bryan Murphy cross and his glancing header was only a whisker away. Castlemaine went ahead in the 26th minute when Padraig O’Brien was bundled over in the box by Bryan Murphy and referee Seamus O’Mahony pointed to the spot.

Cathal Moriarty’s spot kick was brilliantly parried by Sporting Listowel keeper Darren O’Connor but Moriarty was on to the rebound in a flash and made no mistake on this occasion.

The Castlemaine keeper was called into action three minutes later making a fine save to deny Bryan Murphy after he was set up by Robbie O’Hanlon. Castlemaine had a chance early in the second half after a Jerome Flynn free kick but Padraig O’Brien headed his effort wide.

Sporting Listowel brought the game back to parity seven minutes into the second half with a superb goal. A free kick near the sideline was floated in to the goalmouth by David Keane and Tom McCarthy centred to Brian Murphy just inside the box and he sent a thunderous shot which flew into the roof of the net.

Over the next few minutes Sporting Listowel had a number of chances with Robbie O’Hanlon going close after a free kick. Then the Castlemaine goalie Luke Flynn was penalised for holding on to the ball too long and the indirect free kick inside the box was touched to Bryan Murphy but his effort on goal was blocked.

Then Castlemaine hit on the break with with sub Cathal O’Connor and Seamus O’Dowd linking up to free Cathal Moriarty and his shot was taken off the line. Then Castlemaine were penalised for a backpass to their keeper, but from the indirect free kick a shot by Cormac Mulvihill was blocked by the defensive wall.

By now both sides had used their benches and played cautiously settling for a draw at the end. The winner of the replay will meet Mitchels Avenue in the Final.

SPORTING LISTOWEL: Darren O’Connor, Mikie Moriarty (Jonathan Toomey, 70 mins), Damien Halpin, Brian Leahy, Cormac Mulvihill, Brian Murphy, David Keane, Tom McCarthy, Sean Gilbert (Jason Galvin, 86 mins), Chris Lyons (Stephen Foran, 70 mins), Robbie O’Hanlon

CASTLEMAINE B: Luke Flynn, Daniel Ashe (Mossie Moriarty, 67 mins), Kieran O’Carroll, Padraig O’Sullivan, Jamie O’Shea, Daniel O’Connor (Cathal O’Connor, 59 mins), Jerome Flynn (Colm O’Neill, 73 mins), Cathal Moriarty, Seamus Dowd, Sean O’Dea, Padraig O’Brien (Wayne Coffey, 72 mins)

REFEREE: Seamus O’Mahony