Éire Óg and Valley Rovers serve up a PIHC cracker
David Kirwan, Éire Óg goalscorer. Picture: Larry Cummins
ÉIRE Óg charged to a thrilling three-point victory over Valley Rovers on Saturday in Ballymaw after a nail-biting Premier IHC encounter that was in the mixer right up to injury time.
The Ovens side finished strong to overpower Valleys, led by the sharpshooting of Colm Butler, but it was a first-round tie that swing like a pendulum.
Hence the firecracker opening here with a goal for Valley Rovers in the opening 60 seconds. A high ball into the full-forward line dropped at the feet of Charlie Lyons who flicked it past an unsuspecting Dylan Desmond.
The sides continued to duke it out for the next 15 mins. Éire Óg producing four points on the bounce only to be cancelled out by four from the Inishannon men. On another day, their seven wides might have cost them as Valley managed five consecutive points before half-time to put the first hint of daylight between the teams as they went in at the break 1-13 to 0-11 in front.
However, Éire Óg were a different unit in the second half. A bit of handbags just before the restart seemed to put some fire in the bellies of the eventual victors as they kicked into another gear, sparking an excellent second-half comeback.
After 38 minutes veteran Kevin Hallissey smashed the ball past Valleys keeper Joe Lynch after an impressive solo run down the left. This reduced the gap to three but Valleys maintained that edge until the 53rd minute when David Kirwan capitalised on 10 yards from goals. He smashed a breaking ball into the corner of the net making it all square.
Éire Óg now had the momentum. They hit the front in the 59th minute with another tussle in the Valleys square culminating with the sliotar falling to Jack Sheehan who was the coolest man on the pitch, placing it low past the keeper for the game-breaking score.
E O’Shea 0-12 (0-10 f), J Sheehan 1-2, D Kirwan 1-2, K Hallissey 1-0, J Cooper 0-2, D Desmond, O O’Shea 0-1 each.
C Butler 0-12 (0-4 f), C Lyons 1-1, K Canty 0-3, J Walsh 0-2, C Kilduff 0-2, W Hurley, E Guinane, D Murphy 0-1 each.
D Desmond; D Dineen, J Kelleher, M Brady; J Mullins, C McGoldrick, E Kelleher; D McCarthy, K Hallissey; C O’Callaghan, D Healy, J Sheehan; D Kirwan, O O’Shea, E O’Shea.
Jer Kelleher for E Kelleher (48), B Hurley for J Sheehan (63 inj).
J Lynch; J O’Driscoll, C Desmond, T O’Brien; J Cottrell, D Murphy, W Hurley; C Kilduff, E Guinane; C Butler, J Walsh, S O’Leary; K Canty, M Savic, C Lyons.
R O’Sullivan for C Lyons (42), A Keneally for J Cottrell, D O’Shea for E Guinane (both 50).
Willie Wallis (Midleton).
App?
