Teape’s heroics inspires Saints
Homeland SFC Semi-Final
St Mary’s Drumcliffe-Rosses Pt 2-17 1-20
W
ERE St Mary’s lucky against Drumcliffe-Rosses Point? In high-intensity games such as this, with everything on the line, winning teams make their own luck.
The last team to win the Owen B Hunt Cup before Tourlestrane are back in their first county final since 2016, where they’ll face familiar rivals, lauded holders Tourlestrane. St Mary’s manager Mark Breheny has goalkeeper Jack Teape to thank – really thank – as the young custodian saved three spot-kicks in the penalty shoot-out that was required to separate these North Division rivals on Sunday last at Markievicz Park. Teape, whose pointed free brought the game to penalties, won the Battle of the Goalkeepers given that his opposite number, Drumcliffe-Rosses Point’s Paul Durcan, won an AllIreland medal with Donegal a decade ago.
Durcan, who was an immense presence when Drumcliffe-Rosses Point reached the decider two years, was beaten by the ice-cool spot-kick efforts of Nathan Rooney, Jay Cox and Emlyn Mulligan.
CIAN’S CATCH: Drumcliffe-Rosses Point’s Cian Lally gets the better of the O’Kelly-Lynch brothers, Gerard and Tony, during this particular aerial duel in last Sunday’s Homeland Senior Football Championship semi-final at Markievicz Park. This contest went to penalties.
SAVE: St Mary’s goalkeeper Jack Teape’s third penalty save during last Sunday’s shoot-out against Drumcliffe-Rosses Point.
point.
Superb points from Eoghan Smith and Neil Ewing had Drumcliffe-Rosses Point two points up, 0-9 to 0-7, midway through normal time.
St Mary’s, who brought on Johnny Martyn for Luke Nicholson, who had to go off with an injury, were only sporadically to the fore, although Michael Munnelly had kicked a lovely point. The second-half of normal time began with big points from Paul Kilcoyne (St Mary’s) and Neil Ewing (Drumcliffe-Rosses Point) and then St Mary’s looked to have finally gained a firm foothold through two goals in the space of two minutes from Michael Munnelly and Scott Lynch. Munnelly’s 41st minute goal came from Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch’s pass and Tony O’Kelly-Lynch was involved in the move that led to Scott Lynch’s rasping finish after 43 minutes. Drumcliffe-Rosses Point, now four points adrift, 2-10 to 0-12, had been warned earlier in the second period when Scott Lynch had a goal effort from a ball into the goalmouth by Emlyn Mulligan. St Mary’s thought they had edged further in front through a point from Patrick Maher – but the effort was chalked off as a wide. Drumcliffe-Rosses Point were back in it when Eoghan Smith and Cian Lally each pointed and Niall Collery buried a goal shot after Danny Cronin broke a ball in the danger zone.
SAINTS EMBRACE: St Mary’s goalkeeper Jack Teape, his side’s hero against Drumcliffe-Rosses Point, is congratulated by teammate Ryan Feehily after last Sunday’s penalty shoot-out.
A flowing move nearly yielded a third goal for St Mary’s – Nathan Rooney and Emlyn Mulligan worked the ball into Stephen Coen, whose fierce shot was tipped over by Paul Durcan.
With missed chances, equalisers, extra-time and penalties to come, this encounter just kept on giving. The game’s final act delivered a St Mary’s hero, Jack Teape.
Player of the Match: Jack Teape
St Mary’s: Jack Teape (0-3, 2f, 1 ‘45’),
Ryan Feehily, David Phillips, Fionn O’Hehir, Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch (0-1), Luke Nicholson (c), Ryan Madden (0-1), Paul Kilcoyne (0-1), Tony O’Kelly-Lynch, Michael Munnelly (1-1), Emlyn Mulligan (0-1, 1 ‘mark’), Patrick Maher, Stephen Coen (0-6, 1f), Nathan Rooney (0-3, 2f), Scott Lynch (1-0)
Subs used: Johnny Martyn, David McGovern, Sean Clifford, Jay Cox, Stephen Henry
Drumcliffe-Rosses Point: Paul Durcan, Ross Chambers, John McGowan, Ciaran O’Reilly, Cian McBride, Lee Cummins, Stephen Regan, Sean Power (c) (0-1), Ciaran Smith, Neil Ewing (0-2), Eoghan Smith (0-9, 5f), James Donlon, Cian Oates, Cian Lally (0-4, 2 ‘mark’), Danny Cronin (0-1)
Subs used: Jude McGarry, Niall Collery
(1-1), Kevin Dufficy, Paul Logan (0-1), Eoin Gaughan (0-1), Paul
O’Brien
Referee:
Michael
Duffy