Shamrock Gaels march through
SHAMROCK GAELS FENAGH/ST CAILÍN’S 2-11 2-10
A goal two minutes into injury time from substitute Dylan Willis, saw Shamrock Gaels come from behind to beat Leitrim champions Fenagh in Saturday’s Connacht Intermediate Football Championship quarter final at Quigabar.
Trailing by two points at the break, the Sligo side went the opening 12 minutes of the second half without a score. But with Fenagh unable to break away, Gaels kept in touch with their opponents, with Willis’ winner seeing them through to this weekend’s semi-final meeting with Roscommon counterparts Fuerty.
A disappointing afternoon for Fenagh was compounded shortly after conceding Willis’ winner, when full back Diarmuid McHugh was dismissed for a second bookable offence.
Taking part in their third game in thirteen days, it was Gaels who conceded the opening point to Fenagh skipper Ryan O’Rourke.
Although sluggish at times, the Sligo side hit back with a goal from Shane Deignan, quickly followed by a white flag courtesy of the influential David Quinn.
Deignan getting to the ball ahead of his marker before confidently hammering it past Fenagh goalkeeper Paul Gill.
With a stiff breeze at their back, Fenagh slotted over two more without reply from Ryan O’Rourke. While against the wind, Shamrock Gaels slowly moved the ball down their right side before Darragh Hailstones made it 1-2 to 0-3 in the east Sligo men’s favour with 15 minutes elapsed.
All of John McPartland’s side’s good work was undone on 18 minutes when Fenagh’s Alan Doonan was dragged to the floor just yards from goal. Ryan O’Rourke planting the resulting penalty to Donal Touhy’s right. The Leitrim side now leading by a point.
Ryan O’Rourke and David Quinn exchanged scores at either end, while Deignan levelled the game on 21 minutes with a simple score.
David Quinn was responsible for Shamrock Gaels’ final point of the half. But a late surge from Fenagh, with impressive scores from the boot of Donal Wrynne and Ryan O’Rourke’s sixth of the opening half, left the Leitrim men two ahead at the break.
Gaels’ busy calendar of late looked to be taking its toll as Fenagh stretched their lead to five points within the opening eleven minutes of the second half.
When the maroon and white did awaken, it was courtesy of quick movement and hard work which allowed David Quinn pick out the posts from close range. Shortly followed up by another Deignan point.
Gaels brought this one back to a three point game, but they were pegged back once again on 48 minutes.
Speedy hand passing brought play through the spine of the ‘home’ side with the ball breaking between a forest of players on the goal-line. A mini-scrum developed and substitute Tony Sims seemed to get the last touch on the ball as it eventually found its way beyond Touhy.
Behind by six and looking like their provincial campaign would end prematurely, Gaels were to deny Fenagh any more scores and would sensationally turn this tie on its head.
Declan Maguire’s troops tried to play keep ball and slow the game down, but the spirited Sligo champions rallied again, slowly eating into the deficit.
Willis got the comeback underway, followed by two white flags from David Quinn.
Deignan had his fourth score six minutes from time to make it a two point game as Fenagh now seemed to be flagging further by the second.
With just two in it and with Fenagh reluctant to push men forward, Shamrock Gaels struck for the winner in the second of the five added minutes. Willis leaping to the air to catch Aaron McLoughlin’s square ball at the edge of the small rectangle, before expertly dropping the ball on to his foot and into the roof of the net.
Fenagh’s afternoon ended in further misery when McHugh was sent off following a foul on a Shamrock Gaels man seconds before the final whistle.
SHAMROCK GAELS: Donal Touhy; Ciaran O’Connor (Seamus Hailstones 38), Evan Lyons, Keith McMorrow; Karl McKenna, Paul Higgins, Declan Willis; Dillon McDermott, Joe Henry; Shane Deignan (1-3), Brian Boyd (Dylan Willis 44) (1-1), James Carroll; Darragh Hailstones (0-1), Frank Quinn, David Quinn (0-6).
FENAGH/ST CAILINS: Paul Gill; Diarmuid McHugh, Niall Butler (Jarleth Scollan 34), Alan Doonan; Sean Keegan, Richard Heany, Mark Keegan (0-1); Jack Gilheany, Donal Wrynn (0-3); Martin Doonan (Tony Sims 20) (1-0) (Niall Butler 60), Shane Doonan, Aaron McLoughlin; Conor Dwyer, Ryan O’Rourke (1-6), Riordan O’Rourke.
REFEREE: Declan Corcoran (Mayo).