Sweeney’s penalty goal crucial as Multyfarnham advance

AIB Leinster Club Junior Football Championship quarter-final: Multyfarnham 2-6, Ballycommon 1-6

Gerry Buckley reports

Multyfarnham put a very sluggish first half display behind them to eventually emerge from Tullamore as worthy winners by a goal against Ballycommon in last Saturday’s Leinster junior club football quarter-final.

All-Ireland finalists in this competition five seasons ago, Multy looked like they were heading for a limp first round exit at half-time, having scored just a single point in the first moiety (to their opponents’ three).

However, a big improvement on the change of ends saw them eke out a hard-earned victory, thereby advancing to a home provincial semi-final outing next Saturday week against Adamstown from County Wexford, ironically managed by former St Malachy’s and Westmeath player, Aidan O’Brien.

The Offaly champions had the aid of a useful breeze in the first half blowing from the scoreboard end of the ground. Said scoreboard got very little usage in an eminently forgettable first half.

The opening 11 minutes was laden with poor shooting and decision-making at both ends of the resplendent pitch, during which the nearest Multy came to opening their account came when Steven Sweeney’s shot hit the post in the fourth minute after good approach play by the centre half forward.

A brace of neat points from corner forward Christopher Kenny for the blue and white-clad side in the 12th and 18th minutes respectively edged them in front. Ian McGovern spurned two chances for Steven Cleary’s troops (a free and open play) before his colleague Shane Williams halved the deficit with a quality score in the 23rd minute.

Five minutes later, a misdirected kick-out allowed Conor Dunne to score Ballycommon’s third point. After a rare foray forward by Ronan Wallace, Jamie Coffey hit the post from a scoreable free, and Multy trailed by 0-3 to 0-1 at the break.

Coffey and Gareth Mann traded points from frees early in the second half. McGovern soon pointed a free for the men in the maroon jerseys, but Ballycommon pounced for the game’s first three-pointer in the 36th minute when Adrian Mann started and finished a fine goal-scoring move.

Both Wallace and his midfield partner Anthony McGivney were by now catching the eye, and the Tailteann Cup centre half back pointed via the crossbar a minute later. In the 38th minute, Robert Conneely was correctly black-carded and Coffey pointed the ensuing free.

Approaching the end of the third quarter, sub David Wallace made an instant impact by cleverly teeing up Williams for a very well-taken goal to put Multy ahead for the first time (1-5 to 1-4). Ballycommon sub TJ Bermingham equalized before Wallace set up Williams for a point.

The closing ten minutes (including added-time) was full of action at both ends. Craig Sweeney did superbly to keep out a Barry Bracken goal attempt. With two minutes of normal time remaining, Wallace and sub Sean Rock combined to tee up Cian Lee who was fouled inside the large parallelogram. Steven Sweeney superbly dispatched the resultant spot-kick past Paul Scally.

On the hour mark, sub Tom Mealiffe reduced the gap to a goal when he pointed at the end of a laboured move. In injury-time, goalkeeper Sweeney produced a fabulous full-length save to deny Dunne, and the Offaly men were unable to manufacture a goal from the ensuing ‘45’

Scorers – Multyfarnham: S Williams 1-2, S Sweeney 1-0 (pen), J Coffey 0-2 (2f), I McGovern (f) and R Wallace each. Ballycommon: A Mann 1-0, C Kenny 0-2, C Dunne, G Mann (f), TJ Bermingham and T Mealiffe 0-1 each.

Multyfarnham: Craig Sweeney; Thomas McGivney, Paul Heavin, Aran Whelan; Adam Bate, Cian Lee, Feichin Brennan; Anthony McGivney, Ronan Wallace; Adam Loughrey, Steven Sweeney, Shane Williams; Ian McGovern, Jamie Coffey, Ciaran Madden. Subs used: David Wallace for McGovern (42), Emmet Feerick for Coffey (47), Sean Rock for Loughrey (53), Cian McPhilips for Williams (60 + 2).

Ballycommon: Paul Scally; Robert Conneely, Donal Scally, Aidan Bracken; Chulainn Boland, Barry Bracken, Michael Conneely; Karl Dunne, Brian Todd; Sean Conway, Gareth Mann, Adrian Mann; Stephen Conneely, Conor Dunne, Christopher Kenny. Subs used: TJ Bermingham for A Mann (50), Tom Mealiffe for R Conneely (52), Ian Scally for Conway (56).

Ref: David Fedigan (Louth).