Injury-time goal snatches final spot for Wolfe Tones

THERE was a very exciting finish to the Senior B Football Championship semi-final at Gurteen on Saturday evening.

With just under four minutes to go, Clondegad were awarded a penalty following a foul on Francie O’Reilly and Kenneth Kelly converted to give his side a two-point lead, 1-8 to 0-9.

However, Wolfe Tones refused to concede and with the game in the second minute of injury time, they hit back for the match-winning score. Joe McGauley’s effort was deflected to the net by a Clondegad defender and the Shannon men went back into the lead, which they held for the short time that remained.

Clondegad did have a chance to force a replay when they were awarded a 30m free but it was at a difficult angle near the sideline and Paudge McMahon’s effort drifted narrowly wide.

Clondegad had marginally the better of the first-half exchanges and at half-time they held a two-point advantage, 0-7 to 0-5. It was much tighter in the second half and the result was in doubt right to the very end.

Wolfe Tones: Ciarán Argue; Stephen McInerney, Craig O’Brien, Aaron Brennan; Barry Loughnane, Brendan Hughes, Jamie Roughan; Kevin Corbett, Joe McGauley; Mick O’Connell, Chris Dunning, Jack Kelly; Brian O’Connell, Kevin Cahill, Gary Leahy.
Clondegad: Declan O’Loughlin; Flan Enright, Brian Murphy, Cormac Ryan; Francie Neylon, Paddy O’Connell, Conor Gavin; Gary Brennan, Eoin Griffin; Kieran Browne, Francie O’Reilly, Kenneth Kelly; Paudge McMahon, Pat Coffey, Eoin Donnellan.
Subs: Conor McNeilis for Griffin, Gearóid O’Connell for Kelly, Kevin Donnelly for Enright, Griffin for Coffey and Kelly for Donnellan.