LETHAL LEE IS THE
Doyle strikes late to secure Thomas Scott Cup crown
YOU couldn’t ask for a more dramatic finale. A fierce battle for over 90 minutes with two teams going at it full throttle in front of a healthy and very vocal crowd had left everyone on tenterhooks. The rain had arrived early on but had changed its mind and left us all alone in Pat O’Toole Park so as the game crossed over into injury time it was sunshine that bathed the crowd, although very few would have noticed that given the drama on the field of play.
Arklow Celtic were hunting for a goal. Extra time was on the horizon with the threat of penalties looming beyond. A neutral might have said that Avonmore were the likely winners up until the introduction of Paul Werder. Things changed when Werder came in. He brought a creativity, a spark.
Werder takes a free late on. Avonmore clear it down to the field but only as far as captain Shane Walker. Walker deploys a sweet missile down to the corner for Werder but the busy Daniel Phelan is on hand and he puts the ball out for a corner. Gather the thoughts. Defend. Get to extra time.
Werder places the ball. The Arklow Celtic crowd on the bank go quiet, their hearts filled with hope. It hasn’t been an easy year. It’s a long time since the club tasted success. But there’s more important things than winning. They lost their founder Eddie Rowan in 2017. Some things you can never replace.
This Thomas Scott Cup final meant something really special to both teams. That was abundantly clear from the very start. The crowd told you that. The noise, the support. Elderly men and women mingled with little toddlers. At times the support at local soccer games can be threadbare at best but when there’s an emotional connection, when the competition goes right to the heart of a community, when a name like Thomas Scott is associated with a contest, the support will always be there.
Avonmore wanted this for obvious reasons. Celtic wanted this to honour their founder. This was always going to be a memorable day.
Werder looks up. He sees a packed Avonmore box filled with capable defenders who have thwarted Celtic all day. Men like Dean Gahan, Danny Byrne, Daniel Phelan, Shane Byrne who have kept the visitors at bay for over 90 minutes, including the opening 10 when Lee Doyle appeared to be a man possessed.
Werder crosses. It comes back out in his direction off an Avonmore foot. Mark Miley races out from the box to intervene but Werder gets there first and nonchalantly chips the ball back in with his left. It goes high across the square and comes down on top of Dean Gahan with Lee Doyle lurking behind. Both men have eyes only for the dropping ball.
Gahan, who was determined and reliable all day, goes up to head but the flight of the ball is deceiving, he misses. Onwards the ball plummets. Before the ball had even cleared Gahan’s head, Lee Doyle has begun swinging that right leg.
By the time the ball is at waist height, Doyle is in the air, his boot connecting sweetly with the ball and he drills it into the sod and it bounces up and goes past Ger Byrne’s attempted save before nestling in the bottom corner of the net.
Dean Gahan has his hands on his head. Scott Doran turns and looks at the linesman. Hoping. Paul Werder turns to the sideline with his arms raised aloft and a look of disbelief possessing his face. Lee Doyle has taken off on an unstoppable run across the field with at least seven Celtic players giving chase.
The sideline erupts, substitutes, management, supporters all flock on to the field. Doyle does a crunching body slam into the unforgiving ground.
If he hadn’t just scored the match winning goal he would probably have to have been stretchered off such was the impact. But he didn’t care.
The players and supporters surrounded him, hugging him, slapping him. Eventually he emerged only to be enwrapped by John Kearon. They embraced like brothers. The crowd were roaring in delight. Avonmore were stunned.
It’s not too late though. There’s still hope. The Avonmore supporters start to urge their players on.
They attack, seeking that equaliser. The ball is worked to Paudie O’Toole. It’s hacked clear but there’s a foul. Michael Kennedy signals it. A free for Avonmore out near the dressing room sideline, just in from that protective wall of trees. The free is whipped across the Celtic box but finds only the head of Shane Walker. He heads clear. Cián Ó’hAnnáin chases out for the ball and looks to have it under control but there’s Shane Walker all over him like a rash and the ball goes out for an Avonmore throw. O’hAnnáin throws to Eugene Dunne who taps it back to O’hAnnáin’s feet. He swings in the cross but it’s overcooked and goes harmlessly wide. The belief ebbs away.
Patrick Monaghan is in no hurry. He fires his kickout over the sideline. “That’s all right”, says a Celtic supporter.
Avonmore come again. They’re repelled. Celtic look out on their feet. The ball is worked to Callum Pursey who had an excellent second half. He feeds it out to Eugene Dunne who takes it around Paddy Walker but his shot is blocked by Leighton Doyle and the ball screws out towards the corner flag with Dean Gahan in hot pursuit. There can’t be much time left. Can there?
Gahan takes it around Kevin Regan, goes in along the endline and flicks it out but who is there to hack it away only Paddy Walker and it goes out for an Avonmore throw.
“Come on, referee,” yells a Celtic supporter.
“That has to be it,” shouts another.
Paudie O’Toole takes the throw to Dean Gahan, back to O’Toole, he fires in a cross but it’s too heavy and goes wide.
And there’s the three shrill blasts of the whistle. Pandemonium. Paul Werder heads for the sideline. He jumps into the air like a newborn foal, all gangly and innocent. He’s embraced. He falls to the ground, punches the turf in delight. A large body of Celtic players and supporters are dancing nearby. Jerseys have been removed by some players and the milky white Irish flesh is exposed to the beautiful sunshine. There are hugs, kisses, tears and exhaustion. There is joy.
What a game we witnessed. Early on it looked as though Arklow Celtic were going to blitz the Avonmore men. They started like men possessed with Lee Doyle causing all sorts of bother. Ger Byrne was called into action on numerous occasions in the opening 10 minutes. Shane Walker blazed over at one stage and Lee Doyle’s effort brushed off the top of the crossbar.
After 15 minutes Avonmore had their first real chance when the impressive Callum Pursey fired over the crossbar but Celtic were still looking dangerous and Danny Byrne did well to block out a shot from Lee Doyle for a Celtic corner that eventually came to Shane Walker but the captain fired wide.
Pursey had another decent chance on 20 minutes and Avonmore started to really turn the screw. Eugene Dunne popped up with an excellent shot that was parried well by Monaghan but only into the path of Avonmore captain Wesley O’Toole but O’Toole couldn’t make decent contact with the ball with an open goal in front of him and Sean Garvey got back to clear.
Avonmore did have the ball in the back of the net when Cián O’hAnnáin slotted home superbly past Monaghan but a really tight offside call was made and the goal didn’t stand and Celtic probably breathed a sigh of relief to get to the break at nil all.