No dividing townies from the blues

Cooraclare 0-11 Éire Óg 2-5 (AET)

It has got to the stage where Cooraclare and Éire Óg resemble conjoined twins who cannot be separated. When one edges a few points ahead, they agreeably allow whoever is trailing to pull themselves back into the game.
They have spent so much time in each others company over the last two Saturdays – nearly two and a half hours – that they probably found it impossible to countenance not spending an intense hour in each others company this weekend. 
They’ve got their wish because for the third successive game, Cooraclare and Éire Óg will go at it hammer and tongs for a place in the county semi-final on Sunday.
Last Saturday’s replay in Lissycasey featured a lot in terms of incident and talking points including three sending-offs (two straight reds), on-field altercations, a one-sided sideline shemozzle, curious refereeing decisions, soft goals, extra time and late scores.
The quality of football wasn’t always awe-inspiring but the effort from both teams was commendable as was their respective reluctance to cave in.
Playing into the scoreboard end and with the wind behind them, Cooraclare led 0-5 to 0-1 at half time. John Looney notched all five points from frees, while they also kicked nine first half wides with Looney, Declan McMahon, Cathal Lillis, Mark Tubridy and David Marrinan all steering the ball wide of the target.
Cooraclare nearly goaled in the 14th minute when Looney was presented with sliver of a chance after Brian Frawley spilled possession in front of Shane O’Connell.
David Russell scored Éire Óg’s sole first half point after a lovely pass from Shane Daniels, while they had a goal disallowed after just three minutes.
Cooraclare, who played Hugh Donnelly in a roving role, leaving Rory Donnelly, who was hampered by a leg injury and Cathal Lillis in a two man full-forward line, went 0-7 to 0-1 ahead 20 seconds into the second half, when Lillis pointed after they won the throw in. Lillis pointed again seven minutes later, following a Joe Considine pass shortly after Stephen Hickey had scored Éire Óg’s second point.
A quick Darren O’Neill free placed Brian Lenihan for a tap over, after Andrew O’Neill, who started in goals but was moved outfield, was penalised for an unusual interpretation of the hand pass.
With Cooraclare 0-7 to 0-3 up, most of the excitement had yet to erupt. Half way through the first half Cathal Lillis was red carded for a late tackle on Donie Lyne, when yellow would have sufficed. While that situation was being addressed by Tom Stackpoole, Cooraclare manager Aidan Moloney tangled with Brian Lehinan, who was also red carded.
Moloney and Shane Daniels had also traded a few barbed comments as the Quilty man went infield to issue instruction to Cooraclare. Ten minutes from time Darren O’Neill goaled from a few yards out after Donie Lyne had delivered a skyscraper. Seconds earlier Joe Killeen had saved smartly from Stephen Hickey as Éire Óg upped the tempo. Three minutes from full-time Stephen Hickey pointed the Ennis men a point up after Joe Considine was caught for over carrying. Three minutes later John Looney equalised, while Shane Daniels kicked wide with the last kick. Forty one seconds of injury time was played when at least three should have been.
Inside the first minute of extra time Eoin Glynn gave Michael Chambers the slip, as Cooraclare were caught on the break. Glynn buried the goal chance leaving Éire Óg 2-5 to 0-8 up, with 19 extra time minutes still left to play. Joe Joe Whelan’s team didn’t press on though and in fact they didn’t score again. Two Mark Tubridy scores pulled Cooraclare to within a point of Éire Óg at half time in extra time. At that stage, Fergus Flynn had been sent off on a second yellow. Although a point down Cooraclare played with an added defender as both teams fought to stay in the championship.
With a minute to go, Eoin Glynn hit the Cooraclare post with a point attempt before Joe Considine’s fist saved Cooraclare in the last minute. The score came after Donie Lyne had a free awarded against him when it was clear that he had been fouled in the first instance.
Still neither team could claim to deservedly have won it or indeed lost.
David Marrinan, John Looney, Joe Considine and Mark Tubridy played well for Cooraclare while man of the match Donie Lyne, Nicky Hogan, Shane Daniels and David Russell did well for Éire Óg.

Cooraclare: Andrew O’Neill; Gearóid Meade, Conor Marrinan, Fergal Lillis; David Marrinan, Mark Tubridy, Thomas Donnellan; Joe Considine, Michael Kelly; Seán Maguire, John Looney, Declan McMahon; Hugh Donnelly, Rory Donnelly, Cathal Lillis.
Subs: Michael McMahon for Rory Donnelly, Joe Killeen for Declan McMahon, (Rory Donnelly at start of extra time as 15th man), Colin Kelly for Rory Donnelly (injured), Michael Chambers for Hugh Donnelly, Hugh Donnelly for Seán Maguire.
Scorers: John Looney (0-6f), Cathal Lillis, Mark Tubridy (0-2 each), Joe Considine (0-1).
Wides: 12; Frees: 32; 45s: 2
Yellow cards: David Marrinan, Michael Kelly.
Red card: Cathal Lillis.
“We’re not putting away our chances. We put ourselves under pressure for the second half against the wind. Fair play to Éire Óg, they got the goals and goals kept them in it and probably made them favourites to win the match. We need to cut down on conceding goals.” Cooraclare manager Aidan Moloney.

Éire Óg: Shane O’Connell; Michael O’Regan, Donie Lyne, Saran Butler; Dean Ryan, Conor Healy, Nicky Hogan; David Russell, Darren O’Neill; Shane Daniels, Brendan Manning, Brian Frawley; Stephen Hickey, Eoin Glynn, Brian Lenihan.
Subs: Fergus Flynn for Brendan Manning, David Monaghan (at start of extra time as 15th man), Brendan Manning for David Monaghan.
Scorers: Darren O’Neill, Eoin Glynn 1-0 each, Stephen Hickey 0-2, (0-1f), David Russell, Brian Lenihan, Shane Daniels 0-1 each.
Wides: 6; Frees: 15; 45s: 1
Yellow cards: Darren O’Neill, Fergus Flynn.
Red card: Brian Lenihan, Fergus Flynn.
“It will be the same again the next day. We’ll hammer it out to the end and see how it goes. They had plenty chances to go ahead in the first half and they didn’t pull away. Then when we got back into it we didn’t put it away. So it’s a 50/50 game again.” Éire Óg manager – Joe Joe Whelan

Referee: Tom Stackpoole (Ennistymon).