*Cillian Brennan is challenged by Eoin Troy. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLONDEGAD moved a step closer to what they hope will be a return to senior status when they overcame O’Curry’s in the first of the TUS intermediate football championship quarter finals played on Saturday afternoon.
Clondegad 0-14
O’Curry’s 0-8
Venue: Captain Tubridy Memorial Park, Kilrush
While their victory was merited, Clondegad were made fight all the way by Doonaha based O’Currys and two points in injury time pushed final margin out to six points.
Content at having reached the last four, Clondegad will agree that they will have to improve if they are to go all the way and bring the Talty Stores Cup back to Ballynacally.
Clondegad started in lively fashion and raced 0-3 to 0-0 clead inside ten minutes with scores from Podge McMahon, Ryah Jennings and a converted ‘45 by their goalkeeper and captain Declan O’Loughlin.
After missing a couple of opportunities from frees, O’Curry’s opened their account in the thirteenth minute when wing back Seamus Keane came up field to kick a fine score.
Two converted 13m free from Danny Downes had the sides level at 0-3 each as the game moved into the second quarter.
Clondegad’s response was impressive and they hit their best patch of the tie in the second quarter when they kicked six points without reply, Cillian Brennan’s and Sean O’Leary’s efforts from distance being the pick of the scores in this period.
Dinny McMahon’s O’Curry’s started the second half with a point from a Shane Browne 20m free but Clondegad replied with points from Ryan Jennings and Colm Meaney to open a seven point lead and that was still the position at the three quarter stage after Shane Browne and Podge McMahon had exchanged scores.
O’Curry’s, as always, refused to give in and they replied with points from Danny Downes, goalkeeper Damian Clohessy and Jim Marrinan to leave four between the sides with five minutes of normal time remaining.
The Westerners piled on the pressure but Clondegad who played the closing minutes with fourteen men after Brian Casey picked up a black card, defended well and they finished out the tie with injury time points from Mossy Gavin and Cian Kirby.
Brian Murphy, Colm Meany, Sean McAllister, Gearoid O’Connell, Ryan Jennings and Cillian Brennan got through a lot of work for the winners while Sean Haugh, Michael Foran, Paddy Clancy, Seamus Keane and Shane Browne did well for O’Currys.
Scorers Clondegad: Podge McMahon (1 free), Sean O’Leary (1, f, 0-3 each; Ryan Jennings, Cian Kirby (0-2) each; Declan O’Loughlin (‘45\), Colm Meaney, Cillian Brennan, Mossy Gavin (0-1) each
Scorers O’Curry’s: Danny Downes (0-3, frees); Shane Browne (0-2, 1 f), Damian Clohessy, Jim Marrinan (free), Seamus Keane (0-1) each
Clondegad:
1: Declan O’Loughlin
19: Peter Casey
3: Brian Murphy
27: Cormac Reidy
24: Gearoid O’Connell
6: Brian Casey
29: Colm Meaney
13: Cillian Brennan
8: Sean McAllister
10: Cillian Gavin
11: Ryan Jennings
9: Diarmuid O’Neill
26: Cian Kirby
14: Sean O’Leary
22: Podge McMahon
Subs:
7: Barry Toner for O’Leary (39)
15: Mossy Gavin for P. McMahon (43)
17: Eoghan Donnellan for C. Gavin (43)
2: Conor Gavin for G O’Connell (54)
23: Eoin Kennedy for D. O’Neill (56)
O’Currys:
1: Damian Clohessy
7: Eoin Brew
11: Michael Foran
3: Stephen Kelly
5: Seamus Keane
6: Sean Haugh
4: Jonathan Clancy
20: Eoin Troy
9: Thomas Clancy
2: Paddy Clancy
8: Shane Browne
12: Cathal Downes
13: Danny Downes
14: Ian Roche
15: Jim Marrinan;
Subs:
17: Luke Murray for I. Roche (45)
18: Sean Marrinan for D Downes (55) (inj)
Referee: Pat Healy (Kilmaley)
