Ferns boosted by three goals

Final tie with Anne’s sealed

FERNS ST. Aidan’s may have registered fewer scores than Rathgarogue-Cushinstown in Saturday’s Greenstar Under-20 football Division 3 championship semi-final, but they had the goal-getting knack that the home side lacked and it powered them to victory.

It was almost four months to the day since the winners’ last game – a loss to Hollow Rovers in their closing group game on July 11 – as they received a walkover in the quarter-final from Blackwater.

And while that lack of match sharpness led to an inevitable slump in the second-half, they managed to steady the ship again and book a place in the decider against St. Anne’s this Friday.

The Rathgarogue-Cushinstown players had a lot more games under their belts recently, and it showed early on as Eoin Porter (two frees) and Paddy Barron pushed them 0-3 to nil clear in the teeming rain.

However, Ferns showed their ability to unlock the opposing defence for the first time in the tenth minute when centre-forward James Lawlor latched on to the break from an opposition kick-out and raced down the middle before firing to the net past Fionn Slattery for the equaliser.

Porter (free) and Ivan Meegan (’45) swapped points before the arrival of a well-crafted second Ferns goal in the 19th minute.

Wing-back Lee Quigley was the creator, racing down the right wing before finding Conor Jordan whose cross from the endline was first-timed to the net by Shane Stafford (2-1 to 0-4).

Porter and Eoin Murphy exchanged points before the break, with a goal attempt by Jordan well saved by Fionn Slattery in between.

Although Rathgarogue-Cushinstown captain Tadhg Cody soloed away from the throw-in and pulled back an immediate point, his team shipped another goal blow in the 34th minute.

This time Shane Stafford did well to keep a hopeful kick from the left by Ivan Meegan in play before midfielder Niall Murphy arrived on the scene to pick his spot and establish a 3-2 to 0-6 lead.

Meegan (free) and Cody registered points before the former raced through soccer-style from the left and drove the ball directly off the ground and over the bar in the 39th minute (3-4 to 0-7).

However, the hard work wasn’t done for the visitors as Rathgarogue-Cushinstown launched a comeback almost similar to the one that saw them snatch victory from under Hollow Rovers’ noses one week earlier.

Four points on the trot from Eoin Porter (two frees) and Paddy Barron (two) narrowed the gap to 3-4 to 0-11 moving into the last eight minutes, while Ferns netminder Liam Murphy also made one vital save from a snapshot during that dominant spell.

Although Barron was the only Rathgarogue-Cushinstown forward to score, and they were reliant on midfield duo Tadhg Cody and Eoin Porter to a large extent, the benefit of a lot of football recently between Junior, Junior ‘B’ and Under-20 was starting to show.

Ferns were under pressure, but a defence well marshalled by Conor Scallan never looked like conceding a goal and that was crucial. The siege was finally lifted when their county goalkeeper and captain, Ivan Meegan, ended their 16-minute scoreless spell with a point before adding another in the 58th minute (3-6 to 0-11).

A converted Porter free left Rathgarogue-Cushinstown hoping for a levelling goal to force extra-time, but instead an Eoin Murphy interception close to the left sideline led to a game-clinching breakaway point from his midfield partner, Niall Murphy.

Ferns St. Aidan’s: Liam Murphy; Willie Bolger, Patrick O’Hagan, Rory Scallan; Lee Quigley, Conor Scallan, Patrick O’Toole; Niall Murphy (1-1), Eoin Murphy (0-1); Jason Maguire, James Lawlor (1-0), Ivan Meegan (capt., 0-5, 1 ’45, 1 free); Shane Stafford (1-0), Chris Turner, Conor Jordan.

Rathgarogue-Cushinstown: Fionn Slattery; Shane O’Connor, Ricky McGrath, John O’Keeffe; Liam Roche, Liam O’Shea, David Thorpe; Tadhg Cody (capt., 0-2), Eoin Porter (07, 6 frees); Eoin Burke, Paddy Barron (0-3), Seán Kehoe; Ben Sutton, Eric Cummins, Jack Murphy. Subs. - Darragh Roche for Sutton (HT), Aodhán Slattery for Kehoe (44), John Forristal for Thorpe (58).

Referee: Fintan O’Reilly (Kilmore).