Healthy Horeswood lead reeled in to force replay

HORESWOOD AND HWH-Bunclody had to do it all over again after they played out an energy-sapping draw in the Gorey Guardian Juvenile football Roinn 1 championship final in St. Patrick’s Park.

The south county side had dealt with the wind better in building a 2-8 to 1-6 lead heading into the final quarter, but the loss of influential centre-back Nigel Dunne-Sherriff to a black card changed their outlook and their opponents responded.

That said, Bunclody still needed to win frees. They didn’t score from play against the howling breeze but they did do the hard work of running with ball in hand and they drew enough fouls against a tiring Horeswood rearguard to get the tie.

The first-half was fascinating. Horeswood could have dealt a huge early blow against the elements when Jack Kehoe drove through but his shot flashed across the goal and wide. Jerry Connors fired high to the net after being fed by Ciarán Kavanagh, but their 1-2 to nil lead wasn’t that convincing.

Indeed, Horeswood gave themselves something to work with when Cathal Mernagh kept in Joe O’Sullivan’s wayward shot and fed Matthew Foley who cut in on goal to net. Eventually Bunclody reached half-time 1-6 to 1-3 ahead but it didn’t seem to be enough.

That hunch looked spot on as Horeswood dominated the third quarter and scored 1-5 without reply. They were already ahead by a point when Robert Delaney’s long punt found Neil Ennis and he casually soloed in and drilled to the net.

Mernagh put his side 2-8 to 1-6 up but they rarely threatened another score after Dunne-Sherriff’s black card. Bunclody turned the screw, and while they never looked like bursting through for a goal, they were patient and picked off five Regan frees, including the last in added-time, to force extra-time.

The 14-minute delay before the start of extra-time was unacceptable as adults argued over whether their charges should play. This mess was fuelled, unnecessarily, by an impromptu County Board offer to circumvent their own rules and send the game to a replay, if both clubs agreed.

Overtime, when it eventually started, was tight. Joe O’Sullivan put Horeswood ahead with a free but James Black responded. Despite Bunclody dominance against the breeze, there was no score in the second period, meaning the game headed to a replay.

HWH-Bunclody: Derry Mahon; Thomas Fitzgerald, Stuart Power, Alan Carton; Páraic Nolan, Lee Levingstone, Larry Connors; Ciarán Kavanagh (capt., 0-1), Matthew Healy; Cathal Dunbar, Ciarán Regan (0-9, 6 frees), Claude Flynn; Ciarán Nolan (0-1), Jerry Connors (1-0), James Black (0-1). Subs. - Eoin McDonnell for Power, black card (30+1), Thomas Jeffers for C. Nolan (45), Nolan for McDonnell (64), McDonnell for Jeffers (75), also Mylie Connors, Oisín O Ceallaigh, Ben Martin.

Horeswood: Ryan Rowe; Kevin Wall, Jason Murphy, Dean Roberts; Seán Hunt, Nigel Dunne-Sherriff, Jim Wallace; Robert Delaney, Barry Walsh-Howlin (0-1); Cathal Mernagh (capt., 0-1), Jack Kehoe (0-2, 1 free), Danny Nolan (0-1); Matthew Foley (1-2, 0-1 free), Joe O’Sullivan (0-2 frees), Neil Ennis (1-0). Subs. - Conor Foley for Dunne-Sherriff, black card (45), Alex Molloy for Wallace, inj. (72), Alan Kehoe for Wall, inj. (78), also John Chapman, Dermot Clancy, Jack White.

Referee: John Carton (Monageer-Boolavogue).