Chapter One of Cusack Cup final – the draw

Kilmurry-Ibrickane 1-15
Éire Óg  2-12
(After extra time)

Holders Kilmurry-Ibrickane are still on course to retain The Clare Champion-sponsored Cusack Cup (Division 1) football league title after they drew with Éire Óg after extra time at sun-splashed Kilmihil on Saturday evening.

 

Kilmurry-Ibrickane 1-15
Éire Óg  2-12
(After extra time)

Holders Kilmurry-Ibrickane are still on course to retain The Clare Champion-sponsored Cusack Cup (Division 1) football league title after they drew with Éire Óg after extra time at sun-splashed Kilmihil on Saturday evening.

A draw was a fair result but both sides will point to missed chances in a game that produced some great football. The holders looked to be on their way to retaining their title when they opened a seven-point lead at the three-quarter stage.
Inside the final 10 minutes they were six clear when they made a double substitution, replacing the experienced Paul O’Connor and Johnnie Daly with Thomas Lernihan and Michael Hogan.

When they review this tie they will wonder if they hadn’t made these changes, would they be celebrating another title win. That said, it would be unfair to suggest Éire Óg only got back into the game because of the Kilmurry changes. The town side played some great football and their performance improved as the game progressed, helped by some astute changes such as the introduction of Donie Lyne, Danny Russell and, in particular, Liam Corry, who caused a huge amount of problems for the champions.
Points were swapped twice in the opening quarter when both teams but, in particular, Éire Óg, kicked some bad wides. Eleven minutes from the break, Kilmurry got through for the game’s opening goal and it looked for a long time that this score would prove decisive.

Midfielder Peter O’Dwyer saw his effort for a point rebound off the upright. Ian McInerney reacted quickest and he flicked the ball across the goalmouth for Johnnie Daly to punch it to the net. It helped the West Clare side to a four-point advantage at the interval, when the score was 1-5 to 0-4.

Éire Óg had the better of the early second-half exchanges and while they created a couple of goal opportunities, they only managed to add points from Graham Glynn and Sean O’Meara.

In the next six minutes, Kilmurry-Ibrickane hit five points through Michael O’Dwyer (2), Stephen Moloney, Johnnie Daly and Evan Talty, who had replaced Enda Coughlan. The title holders had also brought in the experienced Odran O’Dwyer for Niall Hickey in their full-forward line.Seven points clear entering the final quarter, everything pointed to a win for the holders but Éire Óg had other ideas. However, the town side were struggling to convert chances and they wasted another goal opportunity two minutes into this period when Stephen Hickey shot low across the face of an open goal.

The margin was still six with five minutes to play and there didn’t appear to be any danger for Kilmurry. A Stephen Hickey goal finally arrived and Éire Óg clearly took great heart from this score. Straight from the kickout the town side attacked again and wing-back Sean Corry, soccer style, dribbled through from midfield before first-timing it over the bar to leave two between them with four minutes to play.

With the game in the final minute, the Townies struck again and Hickey got the vital touch in a goalmouth scramble to get the ball over the line. Éire Óg were in front for the first time since the second minute and now victory was a real possibility.
In the next minute, Kilmurry showed just why they have dominated Clare football in recent years. Full-back Darren Hickey started and finished a move involving a number of their players and his kick from 35m sailed between the uprights to tie up the game.

A further three minutes of injury time followed but neither side could manage a winning score.
For extra time, Kilmurry started with Paul O’Connor back at centre-back and Niall Hickey back in at full-forward. Thomas Lernihan and Odran O’Dwyer were the ones replaced. Hickey signalled his return with a point in the first minute but Graham Glynn cancelled this score with a lovely point for the town side. These were the only scores in the first period, when both sides had chances.

At the start of the second period, Kilmurry goalie Peter O’Dwyer made an important save from Graham Glynn before the other Peter O’Dwyer, now operating in the half-forward line, pointed. Éire Óg midfielder Darren O’Neill responded almost immediately with the leveller.

When team captain Michael O’Dwyer put the holders in front with a minute of extra time remaining, it looked like it might be the winning score but there was time for one last attack, which resulted in an Éire Óg free from 35m, which team captain Eoin Glynn converted to ensure another day would be needed to determine the destination of this year’s title.

While the Kilmurry defence did well overall, they did have some anxious moments, especially under high deliveries into the square. Declan Callinan, Martin McMahon and Paul O’Connor were prominent throughout. Elsewhere, midfielder Peter O’Dwyer did well while his brother, Michael, the team captain, played a major role in ensuring that Kilmurry are still in the running for a third successive crown.

Substitutes Donie Lyne and, in particular, Liam Corry excelled for Éire Óg, for whom Ciaran Russell, Aaron Fitzgerald, Sean Corry, Darren O’Neill, Graham and Eoin Glynn and Dean Ryan made valuable contributions as they chased a first win in this competition in a decade.

Kilmurry-Ibrickane: Peter O’Dwyer Junior;  Declan Callinan, Darren Hickey, Martin McMahon; Enda Coughlan, Paul O’Connor, Shane Hickey; Peter O’Dwyer senior, Keith King; Ian McInerney, Michael O’Dwyer, Stephen Moloney; Mark McCarthy, Niall Hickey, Johnnie Daly.
Subs: Odran O’Dwyer for N Hickey (36 minutes), Evan Talty for Coughlan (36 minutes), Thomas Lernihan for O’Connor (52 minutes), Michael Hogan for Daly (52 minutes), Enda Coughlan for Hogan (70 minutes), Lernihan for S Hickey (73 minutes) and Thomas O’Connor for Moloney (77 minutes).
Scorers: Johnnie Daly (1-1), Michael O’Dwyer (0-3), Niall Hickey (1f), Mark McCarthy, Peter O’Dwyer (0-2 each), Enda Coughlan, Darren Hickey, Ian McInerney (1f) Stephen Moloney and Evan Talty (0-1) each.
Frees for: 29; Wides: 7.
Bookings: Michael Hogan (61 minutes).

Éire Óg: Eoin Slattery; Ciaran Russell, Aaron Fitzgerald, Conor Dolan; Sean Corry, David Russell, Conor Brennan; Brian Frawley, Darren O’Neill; Eoin Glynn, Bryan Dolan, Dean Ryan; Sean O’Meara, Stephen Hickey, Graham Glynn.
Subs: Donie Lyne for C Dolan (24 minutes), Liam Corry for B Dolan (half-time), Danny Russell for Frawley (half time), David Monaghan for O’Meara (extra time);, Sean Crotty for David Russell (66 minutes) and Cian Darcy for D Russell (68 minutes).
Scorers: Stephen Hickey (2-1), Sean O’Meara (2f), Graham Glynn (0-3); Eoin Glynn (2f) Darren O’Neill (0-2), Sean Corry  (0-1).
Frees for: 31; Wides: 13; 45’s: 1.
Bookings: Conor Brennan (10 minutes), David Russell (38 minutes), Darren O’Neill (44 minutes).

Referee: Pat Cosgrove, Corofin.