Conor Gallagher celebrates saving the winning penalty. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography.
ENNISTYMON are basking in their latest success which sees them add the U21A title to the Minor A crown and Cusack Cup title to their list of achievements for 2023.
Ironically St Breckan’s were their opponents for both the U21A and Cusack Cup deciders and their latest clash was the most dramatic with winning penalties from Diarmuid Fahy, Brian McNamara and Éanna Rouine together with three saves from captain Conor Gallagher helping them to lift the John Marrinan Memorial Cup.
Addnig some continuity from their senior management is selector Brendan ‘Beano’ Rouine who was in the role of U21 boss with Ger Quinlan coach of both sides.
Beano told The Clare Echo, “We’ve won the U21 back to back, we’ve the Minor A and Cusack Cup in Ennistymon, we’re not gone away, every day is just that day, you draw a line in it and move on to try build on it, keep the player base wide, we’ve a lot of players challenging to get on the adult teams, it is step by step inch by inch and every day is a day of growth”.
Both Conor Gallagher and Oisin O’Loughlin excelled in the penalty shootout, he maintained. “I’m not sure did we win the game or just not lose it but when it goes to penalties it is just a lottery. It was an exhibition of goalkeeping out of the two goalkeepers to be fair, when it came to penalties every penalty hit the target, it was exhibition stuff from them”.
They set the way in the opening half, building up a 0-5 0-1 advantage but St Breckan’s ability to claw back with goals from Shane Fitzpatrick and O’Loughlin was evident. “Full credit to St Breckan’s, they came back and hit us for the goals and those two goals really gave them wind. When it was going down the stretch of normal time, we were gone two points behind into a forceful storm and full credit to our lads who showed serious heart and character to rattle off two points to make it level and bring it to extra time. We had a good first half in extra time into the wind again but then Breckan’s came back and we were level in half-time in extra time again, they came at us against the wind in the last ten, it really went down to the wire and a draw is a fair result, it is a pity there can’t be another day out for the two teams”.
Ciaran McMahon’s ability to pop up with vital scores came to the fore again in Doonbeg. Last year, he goaled at the death of extra time to force a penalty shootout in their senior semi-final win over Kilmurry Ibrickane last year, on Saturday with sixty two minutes on the clock the defender split the posts to send the U21 decider to extra time.
Rouine reflected, “Ciaran is a great player, a clutch player when it comes to it at that stage in the game, a brilliant lad and an unreal team player, he is the man to get the interceptions in back in the full-back line more often than not but again today he stepped up when we needed a score all the way at the other end and did the business”.
To win any championship is worth applauding but for Ennistymon to do it without their best player, the injured Brendy Rouine and Sean Rynne a starter on their senior side for the past two seasons, makes it more impressive. “Keeping the player base wide is crucial, we’ve a lot of young lads that we’re bringing through, we’ve three adult teams to cater for all year and everyone that played in that squad today had played on one of those three teams all year, they are all match fit and game fit while preparations are light this time of the year,” Beano stated.
