Fine away Leinster win for gritty Garrycastle side

Garrycastle 0-11, Fenagh 0-9

Garrycastle march on to play Offaly champions Clonbullogue in the next round of the Leinster Intermediate Football Championship after a pulsating encounter at Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow on Saturday. The away side were ahead at half-time but ended having to pull off a late comeback to secure the victory. It was a frantic and slightly manic game, but it was also one where both sides showed real quality at times. Thankfully for the significant travelling support, their 225km round trip was ultimately rewarded with a fine win.

Talisman Sean Murphy got the home side up and running within sixty seconds of the throw-in with a beautifully taken point. Garrycastle managed to work the ball to full-forward Conor Cosgrove straight from the kick-out though, and he matched Murphy’s kick. There wouldn’t be another point until the tenth minute as the sides tried to suss each other out. James Dolan, Jason Nugent and Eoin Monaghan had missed attempts for the Westmeath side, whilst Fenagh weren’t even having attempts as their attacks broke down in the face of a resolute defence. That did change tough on the ten minute mark when the talented Jack Tracey landed a beautiful point to restore his side’s lead. Skilful half-forward Nugent restored parity a couple of minutes later, and the away side continued to create the better of the openings.

They deservedly went ahead for the first time on 16 minutes with Eoin Mulvihill notching a fine point after good play in transition from his side. Fenagh were a little frustrated around that point, but they kept the score-board ticking over through the accomplished free-taking of Padraig Hynes in the eighteenth minute. They didn’t score again for ten minutes as Garrycastle really got the upper hand. Michael Monaghan got two scores and Nugent added another as they made their quality count in a spell where they could have had more, with Dolan and Eoin Monaghan missing chances. Fenagh had a decent little spell at the end of regulation time in the first half with Cormac Lomax and Hynes notched scores, while Mark Dermody could have had a goal in the build-up to the Lomax point but a good block prevented it, and so the Westmeath side edged the scoreline, 0-6 to 0-5, at the break after an enthralling half.

Cosgrove got the second-half scoring started after two minutes with a superb point. Five minutes into the half Hynes pointed a simple free and then a minute later, Jack Mulvihill of Garrycastle received a black card after stopping a Fenagh attack.

The away side survived a goalmouth scramble that followed the resulting free-kick before then having a dominant spell of possession themselves. Fenagh implemented a blanket defence for a period and made it very hard for the Athlone side to break them down. Cian McCarthy pulled a shot wide before Michael Monaghan saw a goalscoring chance bravely blocked by Padraig O’Brien. After surviving that spell, Fenagh were almost rewarded in a big way when Murphy burst through on goal, but he placed an undercooked shot into Sean Brennan’s grasp. They did at least get another point soon after through another Hynes free – which put them a score up with less than twenty left. Just as Mulvihill was about to return from his sin bin, team-mate Mark McCallon committed a high-tackle offence to keep his side on fourteen men. Hynes converted the resulting free, and another not long after, to leave the home side two points up with ten minutes left.

The key moment in the entire contest then came a minute later. Tracey did well to win an opposition kick-out on the left wing, before dashing towards goal. He connected beautifully with the ball but it cannoned off the post. A couple of inches the other way and Fenagh were five points ahead.

Gary Dolan and his team acted decisively, springing James Sheerin from the bench with seven minutes left. Almost immediately he rose to claim a high ball and intelligently called a mark. He knocked the resulting free over the bar and the tide turned. With two minutes left, Jamie Carroll angled a splendid shot over the bar from wide on the left to draw the sides level, and then Sheerin landed the decisive point as the clock struck sixty minutes.

As the game moved into injury time, Carroll was prevented from going in one-on-one with the ‘keeper when he was taken out by the burly Dion Wall.

However, the resulting free was in a favourable position for talisman Michael Monaghan to knock over. This left Fenagh needing two points or a goal with roughly three minutes left of added time. They never looked likely, especially taking into account their visible loss of composure. Murphy got a second yellow and his marching orders for disputing a refereeing decision, and then a minute later – the sixty-fourth and last of the game – Josh Kearney got a straight red for a high challenge.

It wasn’t a fitting way for Fenagh to end a contest in which they had fought valiantly. Garrycastle marginally had more quality but there was very little in it. Hynes and Murphy provided eye-catching displays but there were a number of strong ones on the Fenagh side.

For Garrycastle, Eoin Mulvihill, Michael Monaghan, Nugent and Cosgrove were strong performers, with Monaghan edging the man of the match discussion. However, the key talking point was the star turns from subs Sheerin and Carroll. They showed tremendous composure and sharpness in those dying moments to leave their loyal supporters looking forward to more trips around the province.

GARRYCASTLE: Sean Brennan; Jack Mulvihill, Jack Donohue, Gary McCallon; James Dolan, Mark McCallon, Mattie Guiheen; Eoin Mulvihill 0-1, Eoin Monaghan; Cian McCarthy, Michael Monaghan 0-3 (2f), Jason Nugent 0-1; Cathal Mannion 0-1, Conor Cosgrove 0-2, John Gaffey. SUBS: Ger Heneghan for Cian McCarthy (41); Ben Donegan for Nugent (44); Jamie Carroll 0-1 for John Gaffey (50); James Sheerin 0-2 (1f) for Cosgrove (53).

FENAGH: Pat Butler; Darragh Byrne, Dion Wall, Mark Dermody; Eoin McDonagh, Jamie McCabe, Padraig O’Brien; Keagan Bradley, Sean Murphy 0-1; Ciaran Whelan, Cormac Lomax 0-1, Colin Byrne; Jack Tracey 0-1, Eric English, Padraig Hynes 0-6 (6f). SUBS: Adam Smyth for Wall (temp.); Josh Kearney for Eoin McDonagh (62).