Uncompromising draw leaves Cordal and Scartaglen wanting a little more

COUNTY JUNIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP 2 ROUND 2 Cordal 0-9 Scartaglen 0-9

ARCH rivals and close neighbours Cordal and Scartaglen served up a thrilling draw at a rain soaked Cordal last Saturday evening. In the traditional spirit of a local derby, yellow, black, and red cards abounded in a game that was fought with a ferocious intensity on a night when the constant rain made handling conditions a lottery.

It took a 66th minute free kick from Brian Reidy to level matters and earn a deserved draw for Cordal. The free came after impressive substitute Seán Walsh drove at the heart of the Scartaglen defence, and the lively youngster was pulled back just before he pulled the trigger. It was Cordal’s seventh point from a placed ball, and this indiscipline was to be Scartaglen’s downfall throughout the game.

The first sixteen minutes of the game belonged to the visitors. Eddie and Seán Horan were pulling the strings around the middle of the field, whilst Shay Walsh and Niall Casey were proving to be effective target men in the forward line. For all of Scartaglen’s dominance they only led by 0-4 to 0-2 at the water break when they really should have been further ahead.

Eddie Horan got the ball rolling in the second minute with a massive score off his left peg from forty metres, before Philip O’Connor replied with a Cordal free kick three minutes later following a foul on the hard-working full forward Kieran O’Donoghue.

Scartaglen pulled 0-3 to 0-1 ahead with two pointed Eddie Horan frees, before TJ O’Connor slotted a placed ball for Cordal after a swift counter-attack following a turnover. Shay Walsh then landed a free, after Niall Casey was fouled when making a spectacular catch, to leave Scartaglen two ahead at the water break.

Water breaks are a funny business. They are welcomed by the team that is struggling whilst the team with the momentum can suffer because of the break in play. What is clear is that managements will have to plan for such interventions from now on, and it could add a whole new tactical dimension to gaelic football.

In this case it was Cordal that gained the most out of the break in play, and they came out for the second quarter with renewed vigour. The increasingly influential Philip O’Connor pointed a free following a foul on Donal McCarthy, and he repeated the trick five minutes later when Eamon Nolan was hauled to the ground, to level the affair.

Scartaglen needed a response and they got it immediately afterwards when Sean Horan fielded Martin Hewitt’s kickout before going on a barnstorming run and slotting over the bar. There was still time for Cordal to equalise, and once again Philip O’Connor pointed from a placed ball when he was hauled to the ground by Tom Forde, an act that saw the tall midfielder earn the first black card of the game, before the sides went in at 0-5 apiece at the half time break.

Cordal started the second half brightly and went two points ahead eight minutes in thanks to two Philip O’Connor free kicks. In the meantime, Tom Forde had come back on the field but his midfield partner Seán Horan received ten minutes in the bin after a deliberate foul. Horan’s black card was to prove costly later in the game.

Seán O’Connell came storming into the game for Cordal, but it was Shay Walsh that pulled one back for Scartaglen with a good score in the 41st minute. Cordal’s Mark O’Donoghue was then dismissed to the bin for a high challenge, before a fine mark and point from Tom Forde levelled matters once more on the stroke of the water break.

There was drama to follow straight afterwards. Cordal turned over the ball following a short kick out and as Eddie Horan bore down on goal, Kieran O’Donoghue took him down with a tackle that would do justice to Munster’s Keith Earls. O’Donoghue had been booked in the first half and referee Tom Moriarty had no choice but to issue a black and red card to the rangy youngster.

Scartaglen’s Seán Horan took issue with the tackle on his brother and his remonstrations led to a yellow card, which on top of his black earlier meant that he also received a red. When the football resumed Eddie Horan dusted himself off to point the free and nudge Scartaglen 0-8 to 0-7 ahead with 22 minutes gone.

Seán Walsh came on for Cordal and announced his arrival with a lovely score to equalise. Eddie Horan looked to have won the game for Scartaglen in the 62nd minute when he pointed from play, but there was spirit in the Cordal ranks, and Reidy levelled matters with the last kick of the game to send both sides home with a share of the spoils. CORDAL: Seán Óg O’Ciardubhain, Gary O’Leary, Joe Sheehy, Jamie Cahill, Mark O’Donoghue, Sean O’Connell, Brian Reidy (0-1f), Jason Cronin, Kieran Enright, Michael Flynn, Philip O’Connor (0-5, 4f), Donal McCarthy, Eamon Nolan, Kieran O’Donoghue, TJ O’Connor (0-2f). Sub: Seán Walsh (0-1) for TJ O’Connor (50).

SCARTAGLEN: Martin Hewitt, Alan Horan, Ger O’Connor, Padraig O’Connor, Josh Kerins, Padraig Reidy, Hugh O’Connor, Thomas Forde (0-1), Sean Horan (0-1), Conor Cremin, Eddie Horan (0-5, 3f), Brendan Rahilly, Niall Casey, Shay Walsh (0-2, 1f), Mike Horan. Subs: Flor McCarthy for C Cremin (39), Brian Riordan for N Casey (61), Damien O’Connor for T Forde (63).

REFEREE: Tom Moriarty (Legion)

Photo by Domnick Walsh Ted Moloney, Duagh, shields the ball from the challenge of Mike Breen, Asdee, during their Junior Football Championship match in Duagh.