Injury stoppage gave Clare time to shape up

Clare 1-14   Leitrim 2-8

EIGHT points down, 1-5 to 0-1, just six minutes from half-time, it seemed that the Clare footballers were destined to remain in NFL Division 4 for 2014. Had they lost to Leitrim in Carrick-on-Shannon on Sunday, their promotion ambitions would have been obliterated.

However, a couple of developments aided Clare. First off, they introduced Rory Donnelly for Chris Dunning in the 22nd minute. Dunning couldn’t force his way into the game from wing-forward but Donnelly provided Clare with a viable outlet in the full-forward line. In tandem with Mark McCarthy, Donnelly’s movement and speed of thought flummoxed Leitrim.

A couple of minutes after Conor Beirne had beaten Shane McNeilis and Joe Hayes to a diagonal ball, driven in by Emlyn Mulligan, putting Leitrim 1-5 to 0-1 ahead, their corner-forward Adrian Coal picked up a neck injury. Play was held up for eight minutes before the Glencar/Manorhamilton player was stretchered off.

The stoppage seemed to break Leitrim’s concentration, while Clare were transformed on the resumption.
Up to that stage, Clare had kicked five wides, one of which was a clear goal-scoring chance for Mark McCarthy, who skied it well wide. David Tubridy had pointed Clare’s only score from a free, won by Enda Coughlan, in the fifth minute. The next 20 minutes were marked by Clare wides kicked by Tubridy, McCarthy and Shane McGrath, while midfielder Wayne McKeon and centre-forward Mulligan kicked a superb brace of scores from play for Leitrim.

Mulligan was the game’s most visible figure in those opening 20 minutes. Clare moved Gordon Kelly to wing-back and detailed Martin McMahon to keep an eye on the Leitrim captain.

The long hold-up definitely benefited Clare. Gary Brennan drew a free, which was converted by Tubridy, who missed a relatively straightforward free, won by McCarthy, two minutes later.

The same players combined for the Clare goal, three minutes into injury time. McCarthy pulled an excellent Cathal O’Connor delivery from the sky, thought about shooting himself but laid it off to Tubridy, who deflected the ball home from a couple of yards. Clare were now just three points down, 1-5 to 1-2. Mark McCarthy and Shane McGrath, played in by Rory Donnelly, tagged on two further points as Clare at last played with confidence and real vigour.

Their body language, leaving the field, clearly showed that they were in a good place at half-time. The seven-point deficit had been reduced to just a single point.

Donnelly equalised 20 seconds into the second half after Clare won the throw-in and Gordon Kelly made an incisive run forward. A minute later, Paddy McGowan put Leitrim back in front but such was Clare’s subsequent dominance that the FBD Connacht League champions didn’t score again until the 20th minute.

In the interim, Brennan dictated the flow of play from midfield. The Clare captain caught several kick-outs, scored two inspirational second-half points and helped out defensively when Leitrim attacked. Mark McCarthy was a bit unlucky not to deflect a diagonal Brennan ball to the Leitrim net, while Tubridy missed a clear goal-scoring chance in the 18th minute. The Doonbeg man was put through, one on one, with Leitrim sub-goalkeeper Brendan Flynn. Tubridy tried to side-foot the ball to the net but instead it went about a foot wide.

Podge McMahon and Shane McGrath helped to put Clare into a 1-9 to 1-7 lead, 10 minutes from time. Ten minutes earlier, Joe Hayes stood up well to a Kevin Conlon shot as Leitrim sought desperately to find a route back into the game.

Nine minutes from time, Tubridy finished a superb move involving Donnelly, Kelly and Brennan. This score was followed by a Gordon Kelly point, leaving Clare 1-11 to 1-7 ahead.

Clare were now on the rampage and this was illustrated by further points from Cathal O’Connor, Brennan and Tubridy, from a free, after McCarthy was impeded. Three minutes from time, Clare led 1-14 to 1-7. Emlyn Mulligan added 1-1 from frees in the closing minutes. The goal was the game’s last kick and came after Martin McMahon received a second yellow card, having pulled down a Leitrim forward. Joe Hayes kicked the ball away, which resulted in referee Paddy Neilan bringing the ball closer to the Clare goal. With Clare not fully organised, Mulligan banged a low shot to the net. The score had no impact on the result but it may count later this spring if teams have to be divided by scoring difference.

The first 20 minutes were virtually a write-off for Clare, both in general play and in front of goal. They will have to analyse why they didn’t perform in that spell before their next game away to Offaly on March 3. However, Clare showed plenty of vim and aggression thereafter, which secured two invaluable points.
Gary Brennan provided the leadership that Clare didn’t have in their defeat to Waterford a week earlier. The Clondegad man showed why he is rated amongst the leading midfielders in the country, with a near complete midfield display.

Rory Donnelly excelled following his introduction, while Mark McCarthy expended everything he had for the cause. If his finishing improves, the Kilmurry man can become one of Clare’s main men. Elsewhere, Cathal O’Connor, Enda Coughlan, Shane McGrath and Martin McMahon played very well on a day when Clare had to win if they were to retain a realistic chance of winning promotion.

Emlyn Mulligan was the best player in Páirc Seán in the opening 20 minutes but he wasn’t as influential as the game evolved.

Prior to the throw-in, the small crowd observed a minute’s silence in memory of the late Jimmy Smyth.

Clare: Joe Hayes (Lissycasey); Laurence Healy (Ennistymon), Shane McNeilis (Kildysart), Enda Coughlan (Kilmurry Ibrickane); Martin McMahon (Kilmurry Ibrickane), Gordon Kelly (Miltown), Declan Callinan (Kilmurry Ibrickane); Gary Brennan (Clondegad, captain), Cathal O’Connor (Coolmeen); Shane McGrath (Thomas Davis), Alan Clohessy (Liscannor), Chris Dunning (Wolfe Tones); Mark McCarthy (Kilmurry Ibrickane), David Tubridy (Doonbeg), Podge McMahon (Clondegad).
Subs: Rory Donnelly (Cooraclare) for Chris Dunning (23), Niall Kelly (Lissycasey) for Podge McMahon (51) and Cathal Duggan (Doora-Barefield) for Mark McCarthy (71).
Scorers: David Tubridy (1-5, 4f), Shane McGrath and Gary Brennan (0-2 each), Mark McCarthy, Rory Donnelly, Podge McMahon, Gordon Kelly and Cathal O’Connor (0-1 each).
Wides: 12; frees won: 27; 45s: 1.
Yellow cards: Declan Callinan, Rory Donnelly and Martin McMahon.
Red card: Martin McMahon.

Leitrim: Cathal McCrann; Danny Beck, Ciarán Egan, Alan Wynne; Colm Clarke, Paul Brennan, Paddy Maguire; Wayne McKeon, Paddy McGowan; Kevin Conlon, Emlyn Mulligan (captain), Gerry Hickey; Adrian Croal, Conor Beirne, James Glancy.
Subs: Brendan Flynn for Cathal McCrann (22 injured), Brian McDonald for Adrian Croal (26 injured), Cian Reynolds for Gerry Hickey (half-time), Seán McWeeney for Ciarán Egan (42) and Ray Cox for Kevin Conlon (58).
Scorers: Emlyn Mulligan (1-4, 1-2f), Conor Beirne (1-0), Wayne McKeown (0-2), Paddy McGowan and Danny Beck (0-1 each).
Wides: 8; frees won: 16; 45s: 2.
Yellow cards: James Glancy and Alan Wynne.

Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon).