Doonbeg victory in tense replay

Doonbeg 2-8   Éire Óg 1-9

COMPLETELY outplayed in the first half, particularly in the middle third of the field, Doonbeg scored four points in the last eight minutes (including injury time) to set up a county semi-final meeting with Doora-Barefield in Miltown on Sunday. This quarter-final replay had been due to be played in Kilmihil but was switched to Miltown following heavy rain on Saturday night.

 

Éire Óg led 0-8 to 1-1 at half-time, despite having Seán O’Meara red-carded after just 10 minutes following an incident involving Richie Vaughan. Having consulted with his umpires, referee Michael Rock sent off the corner-forward, who pleaded his case in vain.

Éire Óg were already 1-0 to 0-1 down at that stage. Doonbeg’s Shane Ryan netted for his side after just 22 seconds. Doonbeg won the throw-in and seconds later, David Tubridy’s threaded pass found Ryan on the run and he buried his second goal in two games.

Graham Glynn pointed Éire Óg’s first score six minutes later before David Russell and Richie Vaughan traded points. Éire Óg were wind-assisted but trailed 1-1 to 0-2 and the portents weren’t great.

However, even with Vaughan operating as the spare Doonbeg defender, Éire Óg embarked upon a scoring spree and held the Mapgies scoreless for the remaining 18 minutes of the first half.

Shane Daniels twice from play, Stephen Hickey from near the sideline, Dean Ryan, Eoin Glynn and Hickey from a 45’, shot an array of superb points. Although they led by four points at the interval, Éire Óg could have been much further in front.

They shot eight first-half wides, which indicates how dominant they were. The Ennis club won 90% of the breaks around the middle and an almost equal percentage of Doonbeg’s kick-outs.
Doonbeg needed to respond if they were to stay in the championship and they did just that when Brian Dillon pointed twice in the opening five minutes of the second half.

Now just 0-8 to 1-3 down, it looked as if the eventual winners were about to take over. That plan was scuppered, however, when Graham Glynn finished a clever Éire Óg move, started by corner-back Brian Dolan and further augmented by the very effective Seán Corry as the men in red held possession and switched the play.

Although a man down, Éire Óg were 1-8 to 1-3 ahead on the scoreboard, eight minutes into the second half. That they could only add a single point from Stephen Hickey’s fist in the remaining 22 minutes, indicates how their performance fell away, while Doonbeg slowly came to grips with their opponents.

Three minutes after Glynn’s goal, Colm Dillon netted a scrappy goal at the other end, steering home a loose ball after a couple of Éire Óg block-downs. Things got a bit heated for a minute after that goal but eventually calmed down in front of the Éire Óg goalmouth.

Fourteen minutes from time, David Tubridy kicked the first of his four points, this one from a free won by Paraic Aherne. Immediately after Hickey’s fisted point put his side 1-9 to 2-4 ahead, six minutes from the end, Tubridy pointed magnificently from play, off his left foot.

Two minutes later, Enda Doyle equalised after Éire Óg goalkeeper Eoin Slattery took a poorly hit free following a foul on Brian Dolan.

Tubridy pointed again two minutes from time after Eoin Glynn had elected to kick to Graham Glynn when it appeared he had the Doonbeg defence in trouble, had he continued his own run.

A minute into injury time, Tubridy pointed a free, given away after Eoin Slattery made himself available for a free, went on a solo run and lost possession, which indirectly led to another Doonbeg free.

James Hanrahan’s team tried their best to create a goal in injury time but they couldn’t breach a Doonbeg defence, which was much more solid than in the drawn game last weekend.

Although they have yet to put in a 60-minute display, Doonbeg are in the last four and will meet their 2011 quarter-final conquerors, Doora-Barefield.

Páraic Aherne, Brian Dillon, Shane Ryan and David Tubridy, late in the game, kept Doonbeg afloat, while Brian Dolan, Liam Corry, Brian Frawley, Shane Daniels and Graham Glynn gave their all for Éire Óg.

Doonbeg: Eamon Tubridy; Joe Blake, Pádraig Gallagher, Conor Whelan; Richie Vaughan, Paraic Aherne (captain), Eoin Conway; Frank O’Dea, Enda Doyle; Brian Egan, Colm Dillon, Shane Ryan; Jamie Whelan, David Tubridy, Brian Dillon.
Subs: Conor Downes for Shane Ryan (24mins injury), Shane Ryan for Brian Egan (39mins) and Kevin Nugent for Conor Downes (54mins).
Scorers: David Tubridy (0-4, 2f), Shane Ryan, Colm Dillon (1-0 each), Brian Dillon (0-2), Richie Vaughan and Enda Doyle (0-1 each).
Wides: 5; frees won: 19; Yellow cards: Colm Dillon, Shane Ryan.
Éire Óg: Eoin Slattery; Brian Dolan, Donie Lyne, Francie Keane; Dean Ryan, David Russell, Seán Corry; Brian Frawley, Seán Crotty; Shane Daniels (captain), Stephen Hickey, Liam Corry; Eoin Glynn, Graham Glynn, Seán O’Meara.
Scorers: Graham Glynn (1-1), Stephen Hickey (0-3, 1 45’), Shane Daniels (0-2), David Russell, Dean Ryan and Eoin Glynn (0-1 each).
Wides: 11; frees won: 27; 45s: 4.
Yellow cards: Graham Glynn.
Red card: Seán O’Meara.
Referee: Michael Rock (Ennistymon).