23-04-2016
Listowel Emmets 1-18
Beaufort
1-18
After 80 minutes of
pulsating action neither Listowel nor Beaufort could be separated after this
gripping encounter. The game had pretty
much everything, two teams giving their all, 38 scores in total, the sides
level on no less than ten occasions, extra time and the game hanging in the
balance until the final kick. And that
didn’t take in to account Beaufort having to change their jerseys after 10
minutes due to a clash of colours with the hosts.
Although level at the
break it looked like Listowel had wrestled control when they raced in to a five
point lead early in the second half. But
Beaufort showed great character in battling back, their high fitness levels
complementing their hard running game, and will count themselves unlucky not to
have closed out the game in normal time and certainly after extra time. They created a number of goal opportunities,
which if taken, would almost surely have killed off the home challenge.
Both sides exchanged
scores in the first ten minutes with Conor Cox and Liam Carey to the fore. Beaufort had their first great goal chance in
the 17th minute but home keeper Keith Hughes was equal to the effort.
Full forward Francis
Courtney was causing the home defence problems but Cox and corner forward Bryan
Murphy tagged on scores to push Listowel ahead.
But Beaufort stuck to their task, should have goaled through Carey who
was unlucky to see his effort rebound out off the upright, before Courtney and
midfielder Murphy’s efforts had the teams all square at the break at eight
points apiece.
The game was crying
out for someone to take it by the scruff of the neck and Listowel’s Murphy stepped
up with a cracking goal upon the restart. Both he and Cox added further scores
by the 36th minute and suddenly Listowel were five clear and
seemingly in total control.
But from here it all
began to unravel for Listowel. Lacking
any foothold in the middle the long ball in to their full forward line was being
snapped up by a dominant Beaufort defence, in particular centre back Mike
Breen, who was a driving force throughout.
With Hughes called in
to action once more with another point blank save the warning signs were there
for Listowel. Centre forward Fergal
Hallissey narrowed the gap before Padraig Doona found space to finally beat
Hughes and you could sense the momentum shift.
Breen levelled and then Courtney pushed the lead out to two by the 57th
minute.
Listowel called for
experienced heads and introduced Noel Kennelly and to their credit they
responded through Cormac Mulvihill and Cox once more to take the game to extra
time.
Beaufort looked to
have the edge in fitness going in to the extra period and so it seemed when
Hallissey from two frees and Carey from play edged them three points clear by
the 65th minute. And the game
should have been wrapped up when Doona went on another of his storming runs
before unleashing a shot, which looked a goal all over, but unfortunately for
him it cannoned back off the upright.
Listowel had a reprieve and through Cox and the experienced Kennelly they
tied up matters once more in the final minute to take the game to an eagerly
awaited replay.
Listowel selector Paudie
Buckley summed up the relief in the Listowel camp “we are happy with a draw,
happy to have a second day out” while his counterpart Gary McGrath was fulsome
in his praise for his team “there was a performance in the team and we got it
out of them in second half today”
Man of the Match: Conor Cox, Listowel
Teams & Scorers:
Listowel Emmets: Keith Hughes, Jake Moriarty, Jack McGuire,
Niall Collins, Brendan Guiney, Darragh Leahy, Maurice Whelan, Tom McCarthy, Cormac
Mulvihill (0-1), Aidan Quinn (0-1), Denis Walsh, David Sheehy (0-2), Bryan
Murphy (1- 2), Bryan Sweeney, Conor Cox (c) ( 0-11, 4f)
Substitutes: Dara Hughes for A. Quinn, 42 Noel Kennelly (0-1, 1f) for D. Walsh, 56
Tom Mevlin for D. Leahy, 63 Darragh Broderick for M. Whelan, 70 Shane Quinn for
T. McCarthy, 71 Sam Tarrant for D. Sheehy, 73 John Heaphy for N. Colllins 78
Beaufort: Mike Moriarty, Padraig
Hartnett, Gerard Hartnett, Brendan Cronin, Jeremiah O’Sullivan (0-1), Mike
Breen (0-1), James O’Reilly (0-1), Ronan Murphy (0-3), Nathan Breen (c), Sean
Kelleher, Fergal Hallissey (0-4, 3f, 1 45), Padraig Doona (1-2), Danny Healy,
Francis Courtney (0-4, 1f), Liam Carey (0-1)
Substitutes: Ronan Ferris (0-1) for S. Kelliher, 12 Kevin Ferris for D. Healy, 52
Referee: Donal Casey, Scartaglen
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