Ferns pull win out of fire
FERNS ST. Aidan’s pulled a victory out of the fire to book their place in the quarter-final of the Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship after a pulsating end to this Group A clash in Bree on Friday.
Having played catch-up all the way, bottom side Tara Rocks gave themselves real hope when Colm O’Keeffe hit the back of the net to draw them level at 1-12 apiece with less than five minutes remaining.
However, the Ferns response was instant, with substitute Conor Jordan plundering a goal at the other end to swing the tie back in their favour.
Ferns had looked the most likely winners throughout, but could never quite shake off their determined opponents.
Anthony Dwyer gave the men in red and white the perfect start, diverting Derek Thorpe’s delivery into the danger zone beyond goalkeeper Lee Owley inside four minutes, and they held a 1-8 to 0-7 lead by the break with Dwyer helping himself to a couple of points and Eddie Cullen knocking over five placed balls and one score from play.
Tara Rocks refused to go down without a fight though, and they hung on in there with two points each from Lorcan Clare, Patrick Fortune and Mikey Byrne and one from Gearóid O Súilleabháin keeping them in touch.
Ferns earned themselves an ounce of breathing space after the change of ends when Eddie Cullen boomed over a long-range free and Anthony Dwyer added a point to give them a six-point buffer, but three points on the trot from Rhys Owley, Mikey Byrne and Colm O’Keeffe had Tara Rocks right back in the mix.
Points from Eddie Cullen and Conor Jordan for Ferns sandwiched efforts from Emmet O’Toole and Lorcan Clare to leave just a puck of the ball between the sides on 55 minutes, and Tara Rocks grabbed the leveller seconds later.
Mikey Byrne stood over a free 25 yards out and when he drilled a ferocious shot on goal the sea of bodies on the line did its job. Colm O’Keeffe was quickest to react though, following up to finish the ball to the net.
The celebrations had barely died down when Ferns had the green flag waving at the other end. Substitute Conor Jordan got on the end of a pass from Anthony Dwyer and applied the clinical finish.
Eddie Cullen then converted an injury time free to copper-fasten Ferns’ place in the knockout stages, while Tara Rocks will have to pick themselves up for the relegation final.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: Niall Byrne; Paul Lancaster, Colm Whelan, Peter Nolan (capt.); Jack O’Hagan, Tomás Hawkins, Pádraig Walsh; P.J. O’Neill, Derek Thorpe; Ciarán Doran, Eddie Cullen (0-9, 6 frees, 1 ‘65), Brian O’Neill; Anthony Dwyer (1-3), Paddy O’Leary, Ben Cowman. Subs. - Conor Jordan (1-1) for Doran, Aaron Cahill for Dwyer.
Tara Rocks: Lee Owley; Shane O’Toole, Enda O’Leary (capt.), Colm Noctor; Shane Tobin, Stephen Hughes, Rhys Owley (0-1); Gearóid O Súilleabháin (0-1), Murt Sheehan; Emmet O’Toole (0-1), Mikey Byrne (0-3, 1 free), Lorcan Clare (0-3); Wayne Farrell, Colm O’Keeffe (1-1), Patrick Fortune (0-2, 1 free, 1 ‘65). Sub. - Donnacha McDonald for Clare.
Referee: Bob Treacy (Clongeen).