Clare SFC Semi-Final Preview: St Joseph’s Miltown v Doonbeg

Clare SFC Semi-Final Preview: St Joseph’s Miltown v Doonbeg

A traditional West Clare derby lies in store in Cusack Park as the holders Miltown go in search of back to back final appearances against a Doonbeg side that were last there in 2013.

Both these were forced to come through tough battles in their last eight ties, but the circumstances could not have been any different. That dramatic finish in extra-time saw the Magpies raid for two late goals to see off the challenge of Eire Óg while Miltown got the better of a stubborn but wasteful Lissycasey to book their semi-final berth.

The champions have been doing what they have to up to now but with the finishing line in sight they will know that they simply have to find another gear if their title defence is to continue. There is no doubt but there are a few more gears for David O’Brien’s charges to hit and with the expanses of Cusack Park available to them for the first time this season, it should lead to another level.

Doonbeg are back into Cusack Park for the second team this campaign after their opening round loss to Ennistymon. The Magpies were forced to dig deep in their subsequent two games as they dug out the draw against Cooraclare which saw them through to the knockout stages before a quintessential Doonbeg display against the Townies in the quarter-final. It was a throwback to the days of old with a fighting spirit and pride that ultimately proved the difference in the end. Daniel Ryan and his management team will be buoyed by that result against an Eire Óg side that were being mentioned as possible title contenders. They will also be grounded by the fact that they know their biggest challenge to date lies just around the corner, and the experience within the group of preparing for games like this will be vital.

In all their games to date, Miltown have been forced to be patient before teasing teams out to create the scoring opportunities for Eoin Cleary, Cormac Murray and the rest of their finishers. The manner in which Lissycasey choked that space two weeks ago will be something of a blueprint for Doonbeg, but the problem is that game-plan is difficult to execute when faced with the space available at HQ. Miltown will look to stretch the play with Kieran Malone and Micheál Murray likely to have plenty whitewash on their boots at full-time while the space in front of the full-forward line will allow the support runners to come into play. It will also allow Sean O’Brien to spread the play from the kickouts, and bypass the aerial threat of Colm Dillon and Enda Doyle in particular.

County team-mates Gordon Kelly and David Tubridy look destined for an afternoon together and this could well the match up that decides the contest. Everything Doonbeg do goes through their talisman, while Kelly is the cornerstone for Miltown. Likewise the match up of Colm Dillon and Conor Cleary will be one to watch, while Doonbeg will likely look to either Sean or Eoin Conway for the unenviable task of trying to curb Eoin Cleary’s influence.

Miltown will know that they got out of jail against Lissycasey last time out and a much improved performance is expected. Doonbeg will not fear the challenge and will look to frustrate a potent opposition forward line. It could well be another afternoon where patience proves to be a virtue, and it should be Miltown that come through.

Verdict: St Joseph’s Miltown

Manager’s Views

St Joseph’s Miltown: David O’Brien

“It is where everyone wants to be and there are four teams left now who all have their eyes on big prizes but no one can look past the games this weekend and we are no different. All we can worry about is getting our own house in order and making sure we give everything we have to the cause. We have done a lot well so far this year but there a lot of things we have to work on too. We have been good in stages and then switched off for periods too but overall we would feel we have done well. It was a tough group and we are delighted to be in the semi-final now” he said.

That test they faced against Lissycasey last time out is something O’Brien feels will stand to them for the battle ahead.

“We were happy with how we played in the first half that day but the penalty was a big score in the game for them. It stopped the rot for them when we were going well because if we had gotten one or two more scores then the game could well have been over at half-time. They got the first two points then in the second-half and it became a real battle which we were glad to have come out the right side of. Doonbeg were really good against Eire Óg and a lot of people had been tipping Eire Óg to come through there. It was always going to be really close because Doonbeg are so battle hardened and have some brilliant footballers so they were never going to make it easy. We played them earlier this year in the O’Gorman Cup and they have a game plan that they stick to and they are very good at it. It really was no great shock or surprise that they turned over Eire Óg. We are heading into Cusack Park now which is where everyone wants to play the big games and it is the best pitch in the county. There will be no excuses this weekend. Four teams are going to run out onto it and two will win so we just hope that we are one of them” he said.

Doonbeg: Daniel Ryan

“As a group of management and players, we knew that we would be in contention if we got our full panel together. At the start of the year we targeted getting back into the Cusack Cup and reaching the quarter-final of the championship and anything after that would be a bonus and we are in bonus territory now so anything after this will really stand to us. We won the Garry Cup and anything you win will bring confidence with it. It also allowed us to bring through some of the younger lads and develop them and we are happy with how they have come along. Sometimes you have to take that step backwards to come forward again and we feel we have done that this year. We were down players throughout the league and we were trying to mind the older lads a bit so it gave the younger lads a chance to step up to the mark which they took” he noted.

The manner of their victory over Eire Óg two weeks ago is something Ryan feels will be of huge benefit to them ahead of another huge test.

“The lads showed great character to keep fighting and battling right to the final whistle. There are a lot of them around for a while now and they used all that experience. We really dug in deep and our energy levels were really high and we finished stronger than Eire Óg I felt. It will be a massive test this weekend but I am sure our lads will rise to the challenge again because no one gave us a hope of winning the last day and yet here we are. Miltown are another step up and they have been setting the pace over the last few years in Clare football and they will be very hard to beat. It is a game that we are looking forward to and hopefully everything will go our way on the day” he said.