Clarecastle 0-13  -  Éire Óg 1-10 at Gurteen

NEITHER side left Gurteen happy on Saturday. A result against Clarecastle is a thing to relish for Éire Óg, but it is soured by the fact that a point isn’t enough to keep them in the championship. Too little, too late.
Clarecastle, leading by nine points at half time, promptly went into hibernation thereafter. Éire Óg did have the advantage of a stiffening breeze but that can’t fully excuse the complete lack of performance from the Magpies. Injuries to key personnel like Jonathon Clancy partly explain but  maybe the venue had something to do with it also. Saturday marked the second time this season that Clarecastle have thrown away a nine-point half time lead at Gurteen. The first occasion occurred in the Cusack Cup when St Joseph’s took advantage of Clarecastle’s complacency.

The lessons, it seems, have not been heeded. Still, the result leaves Clarecastle in a far more enviable position than Éire Óg. Providing they can avoid further hiccups; their fate still rests largely in their own hands.
Without exhibiting too many of the gross failings that have blighted their season so far, Éire Óg still found themselves heavily in arrears at the end of the first half.
Adrian Flaherty was released like a coiled spring from the bench and his contribution of 1-3 more than anything brought Éire Óg to the brink of an unlikely win.
On a gloomy day, only Ken Ralph glinted for Clarecastle. Éire Óg scored the game’s first point, through John Rynne. Danny Scanlon replied for Clarecastle in the second minute. The Éire Óg half back line had an unsettled look to it and it was no great surprise when Fergus Flynn was recalled from wing forward to centre back.
Clarecastle pushed ahead with two points from Ralph. Danny Russell landed a free before Clarecastle rattled off five unanswered points to lead 0-8 0-2 by the 18th minute.  Clarecaslte stretched their lead to nine points with Quinn, Ralph and Aaron Considine tapping over.
Éire Óg, at last grasping the urgency of the situation, summoned the kind of performance that their season has been crying out for.
Kevin Moynihan landed a point inside 30 seconds of the restart. Flaherty received a handpass from Russell and slammed the ball home from a tight angle.
Russell converted another free to put four between the sides in the 39th minute.
Clarecastle were being overrun across the pitch, but Ralph’s instincts were as sharp as ever.
He planted two frees but saw their worth de-valued by three points from Eire Óg.
Flaherty’s 58th minute point tied the game but with Eire Óg on the attack, referee Ger Hoey blew the final
whistle. Time had finally run out.

Match Details

Clarecastle
John Casey (7), Gareth Barry (7), Jamie O’Connor (7), Mark McNamara (7), Ollie Plunkett (7), Conor Plunkett (7), Danny Scanlon (7) (0-1), Patrick Kelly (7) (0-1), Alan O’Loughlin (6), Jason Considine (6), Derek Quinn (7) (0-2), Eric Flynn (6) (0-1), Eamon Callinan (6), Tyrone Kierse (6), Ken Ralph (8) (0-7)(3f) Subs Aron Considine (7) (0-1) for Callinan, Sean Talty for Considine, Sean Moloney for Kierse, John Pyne for Flynn.

Eire Óg
Kevin Brennan (7), John Mulcahy (6), Noel Whelan (7), Mark O’Donnell (8), David Ryan (7), Ronan Cooney (6), Mark Fitzgerald (7), Ronan Keane (7), Kevin Moynihan (7) (0-1), Damian McMahon (6), Tadgh McNamara (7), Fergus Flynn (7) (0-1)(1f), Barry Nugent (7) (0-1), Danny Russell (7) (0-3)(3f), John Rynne (6) (0-1) Sub Adrian Flaherty (8) (1-3) for Cooney, Kieran Hanna for Keane.

Man of the Match
Adrian Flaherty (Éire Óg)

Match Official
Ger Hoey (Killenena)

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