*Mark Roche netted twice for Avenue Utd.
Avenue Utd advanced to the finals of the Banner Carpets and Flooring Clare Cup Final but not without getting a fright as they held off a determined Shannon Hibs.
Avenue Utd A 3
Shannon Hibs A 1
Venue: Frank Healy Park, Doora
Hopes of a League and Cup double are still alive for Avenue Utd who will be relieved to held off a strong challenge from Shannon Hibs on Saturday evening, Mark Roche’s second half brace sent them on their way in what was an evenly contested affair.
It was the clash of teams from the towns, Ennis versus Shannon but it was also a case of a side chasing Premier Division glory against a club which has suffered relegation from the top flight. The gulf in standard was not so apparent however throughout the ninety minutes with some of the Avenue support base concerned the tie could indeed be heading to extra time.
In the competitive outing that it was, the clashes of star striker Elias Kunz and Hibs centre-half Stephen Tuohy along with Darragh Leahy on Avenue’s key man Dylan Casey were the main battlegrounds.
Despite having a multitude of first half chances, neither side broke the deadlock. Hibs netminder Damien Casey was the busier of the two for this period and he pulled off two saves to deny Elias Kunz on twenty one and forty six minutes respectively.
Although the opportunities that fell to Hibs did not require the intervention of goalkeeper James Tierney, they were arguably the better chances with Darragh Leahy coming close on two occasions, one off the back of a Darragh McDade free and another from a Dean Devanney corner, both shots narrowly missed the target.
Half-time at 0-0 brought the common consensus that Avenue’s fitness and strength in depth would see them over the line and this theory was proven correct by the time Mark Reillis blew the final whistle. That picture was not clear until the closing stages with the Shannon side working the favourites all the way.
Within fifty eight seconds of the restart, substitute Gary Roche had the ball in the back of the net. An excellent pass from Stephen Jordan left Roche with the simple task of tapping home.
Their lead was short-lived, less than two minutes later Hibs were back on level terms when a Billy Connors cross was superbly headed into the back of the net by Darragh Leahy.
Hibs had a glorious chance to go in front but Stephen Jordan would make a goal-stopping interception when Billy Connors pass to the on-rushing Darragh McDade was pushed out for a corner, the damage from this was non-existent with Connors’ attempt failing to trouble Tierney as it sailed over the crossbar.
Full-back Shane Browne came close to shoving Avenue back in control but his effort was pushed over the crossbar, the subsequent corner brought danger which saw McDade make a goal-line clearance as Avenue began to up the ante.
Excellent combination play from Avenue was rewarded when Mark Roche was brought down in the penalty box, Ciaran McKee picked up a yellow card for the foul while Roche tucked his shot into the bottom left corner of the net on seventy eight minutes. Shane Brown mounted the counter-attack which saw Gary Roche tee up his older brother Mark before he was fouled.
Entering the final ten minutes, tensions began to reach boiling point off the field. A tackle on full-back Conor Hehir and his subsequent retaliation set the temperatures soaring. Mark Reillis and his linesman Michael Rock managed to rapidly diffuse the situation.
When play resumed, Avenue could have extended their advantage only for a fine save from Casey stopped Gary Roche from doubling his tally. Hibs had their chance to equalise again, while Darragh Leahy did well to get through on goal, his final effort hit the side netting and with that their chances of getting back on level terms vanished.
In the final attack of the game, Avenue struck for their third goal and it was a memorable one with winger Mark Roche chipping the ball over Casey, Callum Barrett and Gary Roche were involved in the build-up play but the finish was worthy of a side to secure their place in a Cup final.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Avenue manager David Russell was pleased to have survived a very tough battle. “There was bigger games ahead only when we went ahead. It was a true battle, when it was 1-1 we said we needed to make changes and freshen it up a small bit, Hibs didn’t drop their heads, they went 1-0 down and scored within three minutes, we showed our character and conditioning, we’ve trained really hard during the year and that stood to us in the last twenty minutes of most games, we’ve scored late on in a lot of games”.
Hibs boss, Aaron Leahy said their relegation from the Premier Division ensured all their focus switched to the Clare Cup. “We went down early and knew for a while we were going down, we got a really draw with a couple of teams below us, we’ve put in a lot of work for the last couple of weeks, we set up well knowing the way Avenue play and we did really well, I couldn’t knock any of my lads, they’ve been excellent”.
He acknowledged that the absence of striker Gary Leahy was a blow to their challenge to reach the Cup final. “He was a huge loss. He wasn’t going to play but he came out and did the warm up, it gives our lads a lift and they know what he brings, Avenue would have man-marked him, he was a big loss and when you’re struggling you can’t afford for anyone to be missing”.
For the victors, the Roche brothers through their finishing effectively won the game, Dylan Barry was a composed figure protecting the back four while Conor Mullen and Elias Kunz were prominent throughout.
Hibs had strong performances from Jack Hannah, Darragh Leahy, Darragh McDade, Stephen Tuohy and Pa Devanney.
Avenue Utd A: James Tierney; Conor Hehir, Conor Mullen, Dylan Casey, Shane Browne; Dylan Barry; Stephen Jordan, Mikey Dinan, Mark Roche; Mossy Hehir, Elias Kunz.
Subs: Gary Roche for M Hehir (34) (Inj), Philip Talty for Dinan (HT), Callum Barrett for Jordan (75), Jamie Roche for Barry (83)
Shannon Hibs A: Damien Casey; Pa Devanney, Stephen Tuohy, Ciaran McKee; Bobby O’Connell, Mikey Wall, Darragh McDade; Jack Hannah, Dean Devanney; Billy Connors, Darragh Leahy.
Subs: Adam Ryan for Wall (67), Trevor O’Donnell for McDade (85), Darren O’Loughlin for Leahy (92)
Referee: Mark Reillis
