Tommy Healy Memorial Cup Quarter Final Replay 2014

Kerry District League
Thursday 25th July 2014
CS Abbeydorney 1-0 Sporting Listowel

By Tommy Naughton

This quarter final was a game in the balance right up to the final whistle with both teams giving great entertainment to the supporters who showed on the night to support their clubs. Both teams were happy to pour men forward early on but some superb defending kept the game scoreless till very late on when CS Abbeydorney snatched it.

With only two minutes gone the opening chance on the game fell to Sporting Listowel when Ben Landy and Thomas McCarthy played a neat one-two before Landy saw his shot saved by Mike Dillon.

Abbeydorney’s Michael Nolan taught he had given his side the lead when his direct free kick deflected off the wall sending the keeper in the wrong direction but the ball just drifted over the bar. Fenton Collins then found himself in space and tired his luck from long range but it was off target and never troubled the keeper. Mike Dillon then kept the game scoreless with a good save after Michael O’Connor cut inside from the right wing and shot towards the near post.

Sporting nearly took the lead midway through the half after Evan Galvin got to the end line and pulled the ball back to Michael O’Connor whose first time shot went wide of the far post. An unusual incident happened then and could have been one of the strangest goals this season. Mike Dillon in the Abbeydorney goal went to throw the ball out but decided to change his mind in doing so the ball fell from his grasp falling into the path of Ben Landy whose left footed attempt was cleared of the line by Jack McCarthy.

Moments later McCarthy was outstanding again when he produced a last ditch sliding tackle to deny Michael O’Connor a certain goal. The final chance of an entertaining first half was to fall to Oisin Moran after he got on the end of a long ball out of defence by Ian Carey, however Sporting keeper Mike McKenna was out quickly saving at the feet of the attacker at the edge of the penalty area.

The start of the second half lacked the effort from the first but the game was to have a explosive last 15 minutes. The best chance early in the second half came from Thomas McCarthy who created room on the right wing and drilled a shot across the goal with was only inches wide of the far post. Oisin Moran was just off target with twenty minutes remaining with his attempted over head kick.

With only fifteen minutes remaining both sides were reduced to ten men when Oisin Moran and Thomas McCarthy clashed and referee Kevin Cunningham produced a straight red card for each player. This seemed to change the tied of the game and Abbeydorney became more dangerous and Mike McKenna had to save well from a Darren Tiernan header.

The break through was finally to happen when Timmy Murphy picked up the ball close to thirty yards out, he sent a high looping shot towards the goal which the keeper could only get fingertips to it but it was enough as the ball found the net to give the Abbeydorney men the lead with ten minutes remaining.

Sporting now had to get more men forward and keeper Mike McKenna had to be alert to claw away a Michael Nolan free with minutes remaining. Mikey Canavan nearly got the sides level with five minutes left but his glancing header from a Ben Landy free was wide of the target.

With time quickly running out Sporting won a corner when was floated high towards the back post were Evan Galvin coming in at pace headed the ball wide of the far post when it looked like he could be taking the game to extra time. In the 95th minute Abbeydorney caught Sporting out for numbers at the back and Darren Tiernan found himself through with only McKenna to beat but the keeper guessed correctly t0 save to his left when a certain goal looked on and with this the final whistle went.

CS Abbeydorney will now face another Listowel side in the semi final when they meet NA Fianna next week .

CS Abbeydorney: Mike Dillon, Ian Carey, Michael Nolan, Timmy Murphy, John Gleeson, Jack McCarthy, Gary Silles, Fenton Collins, Darren Truslore, Oisin Moran, David o Mahony. Subs; Darren Tiernan for Darren Truslore ( 50 mins), Darcy o Sullivan for David o Mahony (65 mins), Dylan Hartnettt for Gary Silles (86 mins) .

Sporting Listowel: Mike McKenna, Eric o Connor , Damien Halpin, Matt Barran , Mikey Canavan , Edward Stack, Calum Finnegan, Thomas McCarthy, Ben Landy, Evan Galvin, Michael o Connor . Subs , Ed Mullivill for Damien Halpin ( 10 mins), John Nolan for Calum Finnegan (65 mins), Sean Stack for Michael o Connor ( 83 mins ) .

Referee ; Kevin Cunningham .