Minor Co.Championship
Austin Stacks 2-7; Dr. Crokes 2-3.
On a dull rainy evening in Lewis Road we overcame the local side in the first round of this season’s Co. Championship, with four points to spare at the end.
A defensive error inside the second minute led to the first score of the game, a goal for Crokes.
This seemed to have an unsettling effect on us as it took us until the 14th minute to register our first score, a pointed free by Kyle Fitzgibbon after a foul on James Galvin. Three further points by Kyle, all from play saw us take the lead for the first time on the 20th minute mark.
Then for the rest of the half Crokes took complete control, scoring 1-3 without reply to give them a five points lead at half time 2-3 to 0-4.
Whatever Seanie Power, Tim McMahon, Peter Williams and Noel O’Connell said to our boys in the dressing room during the interval had the desired effect as we started the second half in positive fashion.
Breandan Caball was introduced for the second half and in the next sixteen minutes three of our under 16 squad, Ciaran Flanagan, Sean Ryan and Michael O’Donnell (Michael is still only 15), were introduced, and all four made a positive contribution.
Early on we whittled away at that Crokes lead with points from Danny Carroll, Breandan Caball and a Kyle Fitzgibbon free.
Then in the 41st minute good work by Kyle, Ciaran Flanagan and Danny released team Captain, Ciaran O’Connell, and with a penetrating run he crashed the ball to the net for a super goal to give us the lead for the 2nd time in the game (1-7 to 2-3). Incredibly, that was the last score until almost the final kick of the game.
With the game deep in injury time Crokes, with a close-in free, had a chance to equalize and bring the game to extra time but the ball just went wide.
From the kick out, Kyle Fitzgibbon won possession on the wing, he sent a cross field kick to Ciaran O’Connell whose long high ball landed in the square and the tall Alan Duggan, making perfect use of the new square ball rule, rose high to flick overhead to the net and give us a well deserved victory.
The fact that Crokes failed to score in the second half was down to a number of uncharacteristic wides by them but more so to brilliant defending by us. Our two corner backs, Paul Galvin and Tommy McLoughlin (until he had to retire with a pulled hamstring in the 40th minute) defended tenaciously.
The half line of Conor Jordan, Barry Walsh (at centreback for most of the game) and Joseph O’Kelly, not alone defended well, but also launched many an attack, while Greg Horan (mostly at full back) controlled everything around him. Shane Walsh and Ciaran O’Connell were outstanding in the middle. Aidan McQuinn and Shane Greensmyth, as well as the players already mentioned, did an amount of work while on the field.
Team: Paddy Fitzgibbon, Paul Galvin, Barry Walsh, Tom McLoughlin, Conor Jordan, Greg Horan, Joseph O’Kelly, Shane Walsh, Ciaran O’Connell (1-0), Danny Carrroll (0-1), Aidan McQuinn, Shane Greensmyth, Kyle Fitzgibbon (0-5 – 2 frees), Alan Duggan (1-0), James Galvin.
Subs used: Breandan Caball (ht) (0-1), Ciaran Flanagan (37m), Sean Ryan (blood sub 27m to ht and full sub at 40m), Michael O’Donnell (46m).
Hurling & Football Club