Courageous Castledaly see off champions at second attempt to set up final with Garrycastle

The 2008 Westmeath SFC final will be an all South Westmeath affair after Castledaly narrowly defeated defending champions Tyrrellspass in last Saturday"s titanic semi-final replay in dismal conditions at Páirc Chiaráin, Athlone. Conditions on the day were not for the faint-hearted after it rained almost non-stop in the Athlone area from the early stages of Saturday morning. But a battling and courageous performance by Castledaly saw them eventually stave off the challenge of a Tyrrellspass team who perhaps looked somewhat battle-weary after their many trials and tribulations of the past couple of years. Tyrrellspass, under the shrewd management of Pat Flanagan, have been very worthy champions for the past two campaigns. But Castledaly stepped up to the mantle in extremely admirable fashion and deserved to knock the Tidy Town side off their lofty perch as county kingpins. Many onlookers assumed Castledaly had blown their chances of eliminating Tyrrellspass following the previous weekend"s controversial drawn game at Cusack Park, when it was generally acknowledged that Castledaly fell victim to some very questionable refereeing during the second half of that match. But after already beating Tyrrellspass in the group stage of this year"s championship, there seemed to be an inner belief within the Castledaly camp that they possessed the right sort of tools to see off Tyrrellspass. And so it eventually proved. With a fairly hefty wind in their favour during the opening half, a ninth-minute goal from Michael Duffy set Castledaly on their way in wet and mucky conditions, and they managed to take a two-point lead to the interval. However, with the wind in their faces during a tumultuous second half, it looked ominous for Castledaly as Tyrrellspass displayed the mettle of champions to claw back the deficit and lead by a single point with 48 minutes played. Despite a valiant effort in both matches, the game appeared to slipping away from Castledaly. It would need a Herculean effort to slay Tyrrellspass. And that"s precisely what Castledaly proceeded to produce. A second goal arrived right on cue - but from an unlikely source. Substitute Tommy Warburton - usually deployed in defence - was sent into the forward line by manager Padraig Farrell in the 48th minute and his impact was truly memorable; his low shot squeezing past a couple of Tyrrellspass defenders before nestling in the bottom corner of Darren Quinn"s goal with just ten minutes left on the clock. Westmeath star Martin Flanagan, visibly struggling after acquiring an injury, fired narrowly wide as Tyrrellspass tried bravely to save their crown. Adrian Corcoran was red carded as their frustration began to show. Castledaly were inches away from a famous victory. Some dogged defending was needed as Tyrrellspass went route one. Then, three minutes into injury-time, Tyrrellspass were awarded a 13-metre free and Denis Glennon stepped up. Castledaly"s supporters held their breath as their team packed the goal line. It was the last kick of the game and a goal would win it for Tyrrellspass. A human wall stood firmly between Glennon and the net. He shot just over the crossbar and upon Sean Carroll"s final whistle Castledaly had reached a fourth county final in seven years, where they will meet Garrycastle this coming Sunday at Cusack Park (throw-in: 3.45pm). It"s the third time in recent years that Garrycastle have stood in Castledaly"s way of claiming a first ever county title, but Castledaly will be well buoyed by their mighty performances against Tyrrellspass. Both teams made one change from the previous week with Ciarán Henson missing out for Castledaly through injury. Adrian Kelly was introduced in his place. Tyrrellspass reintroduced Trevor John Gonoud to the fray in place of Cathal Daly. Tyrrellspass opened the day"s scoring with Martin Flanagan floating a beautifully struck kick over the bar. Within moments, though, the defending champions suffered the first of two major injury setbacks when David Glennon pulled a hamstring and was forced from the field. Ger Egan took his place in the Tyrrellspass attack. Castledaly"s MJ McLoughlin struck the upright with a free, but Michael Duffy made no mistake from a similar distance on the opposite side of the field to level the scores with seven minutes registered. Castledaly then received a monumental boost with their next genuine attack, a move involving Enda Kelly and the impressive Niall Duffy, who throughout the day formed a quite formidable midfield axis with his brother, Gordon. Thanks to a combination of crossbar and goalkeeper Darren Quinn, Derek Heavin"s effort at goal was diverted into the path of the waiting Michael Duffy, who anticipated the situation well and fisted the ball into the goal from the edge of the square. Castledaly almost goaled again shortly afterwards but captain James Galvin, sliding along the floor, was inches away from connecting with Michael Duffy"s low pass and could only watch as the ball trickled wide of the post. A couple of Martin Flanagan frees reduced the deficit to a single point by the 18th minute. Adrian Corcoran was shown the game"s first yellow card for a high challenge on Brendan Kelly, and Castledaly"s Niall Duffy would soon make his way into Sean Carroll"s notebook for barging into the back of Corcoran. Another Flanagan free levelled matters briefly on 26 minutes but Castledaly responded well through a couple of frees by Michael Duffy and MJ McLoughlin to take a two-point lead into the interval. Tyrrellspass would also have to cope without the services of Keith Scally for the remainder of the game after he sustained a muscle injury in the 27th minute. The sides had been level at this point the previous week and although Castledaly held the upper hand, they knew they faced a more difficult task in the second half, such was the strength of the wind. Castledaly"s only point of the second period arrived in the opening minute of the half when Michael Duffy sent over a free. For long periods of the second half, Castledaly needed to show sheer resilience and doggedness. In this regard, the Duffy brothers came to the fore and impressed greatly, while the likes of Derek Heavin and Niall O"Neill were also in excellent form, with Heavin"s marking of Denis Glennon proving particularly exemplary. Tyrrellspass, however, would notch four points without reply between the 38th and 48th minutes, starting with a 45" from Martin Flanagan. Further points from Gavin Hoey, Kevin Connell (free) and Denis Glennon gave Tyrrellspass the lead for the first time since the third minute. Castledaly appeared to be wilting but Tommy Warburton"s somewhat fortuitous goal on 50 minutes put them back in the driving seat. Gordon Duffy did much of the ground work, bursting down the right flank and sending over a high ball which Darren Quinn only partially dealt with. The loose ball fell kindly for Warburton and his shot seemed to take a slight deflection off a Tyrrellspass defender to wrong foot Quinn and find the net. Suddenly, Castledaly"s spirit was rejuvenated. They could see the finishing line and the excitement of going to another county final was beginning to mount among their support. Russell Casey"s height was called upon to deal with Martin Flanagan"s considerable threat and it was during an aerial tussle with Casey that Flanagan picked up yet another injury. Clearly in a state of some discomfort, Flanagan bravely played on but sent a very scoreable shot wide when a point seemed certain. In fairness, Flanagan was now operating nowhere near full tilt and Tyrrellspass" horrible luck with injuries was having a huge impact on their day. A second yellow card for Adrian Corcoran saw him get his marching orders and Castledaly were defending with all hands to the pump. Russell Casey was penalised in injury time for picking the ball off the floor and Denis Glennon had the chance to save the game from the free. However, with a wall of Castledaly defenders between him and the goal, his effort was marginally over the crossbar. The deficit was reduced to one point but Castledaly had secured a coveted place in the final. SCORERS - Castledaly: M. Duffy 1-3 (0-3f), T. Warburton 1-0, MJ McLoughlin 0-1f. Tyrrellspass: M. Flanagan 0-5 (3f, 0-1 "45"), Denis Glennon 0-2 (1f), G. Hoey 0-1, K. Connell 0-1f. CASTLEDALY: James Kinahan; Michael Gavin, Niall O"Neill, Adrian Kelly; Stephen Kavanagh, Derek Heavin, Enda Kelly; Gordon Duffy, Niall Duffy; Alan Fitzgerald, MJ McLoughlin, Paul Kelly; Michael Duffy, James Gavin (capt.), Brendan Kelly. Subs: Tommy Warburton for M. Duffy (46 mins); Russell Casey for E. Kelly (48). TYRRELLSPASS: Darren Quinn; Terence O"Brien, Barry Murphy, Alan Rigney; Shane Arthur, Trevor John Gonoud, Philip Sheridan; Adrian Corcoran, David Murphy; Keith Scally, Denis Glennon (capt.), Gavin Hoey; Kevin Connell, Martin Flanagan, David Glennon. Subs: Ger Egan for David Glennon (3 mins); Cathal Daly for Scally (27); Brian Slevin for Egan (45). Referee: Sean Carroll (The Downs).