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PRESS
RELEASE
Junior
Championship 1st Round
Saturday 19th May
Mullabrack 4:10 to
O'Hanlons 0:10
Gary Gorman (L)
and Ronan McGuiness (R) with EamonNugent (referee)
It was a warm summers
evening in Lisummon where Mullabrack met O’Hanlon’s from Pontzpass
in the first round of the junior championship. Both teams had not
set the league alight in their first three games so the scene was
set for a very competitive local derby.
Mullabrack started the
better moving quick ball to Taff Toal who ended up on the ground
after an illegal challenge. Unfortunately he couldn’t covert the
resulting free and from a long punt down field O’Hanlon’s managed to
take the first score of the game from the boot of Declan McGuiness.
Good work from Danny O’Hanlon in goals sent quick ball out the line
to Tommy O’Hagan who punted the ball high and long which was caught
by the shaven headed Dara Smith in among a sea of O’Hanlon’s
players. He in turn sent an overhead hand pass onto the rushing
Gerard Agnew who sent a flashing shot past Nial O Fiachaáin in the
Pontzpass goal. Mullabrack then with their tails up began to dictate
play in the middle of the park through Phelim Sands and Gary Gorman.
Taff Toal in the forward line was terrorising the O’Hanlon’s defence
and after 8 minutes he won his free in front of goal which he coolly
slotted between the posts.
O’Hanlon’s, however kept
chipping away and to their credit won their fair share of free’s
which could have put them ahead only for poor free taking. They did
manage three points after ten minutes, but the game always looked in
Mullabrack’s control. Mullabrack men did not dwell on the ball and
the quick hand pass opened up the O’Hanlon’s defence again. Benny
Dougan, Eamon Boylan and Dara Smith were all involved in the build
up to a fantastic goal by Taff Toal. The young Mullabrack forward
evading two men in the O’Hanlon’s defence to flash the ball pass O
Fiachaáin in the O’Hanlon’s goal.
The game continued at a high
tempo with Dara Smith catching ball ‘like a man possessed’. He was
certainly laying down a marker for his team mates to follow. Pip
Agnew, a young player who had come in for criticism in their last
game was full of confidence and when given the chance in the
fifteenth minute he sent a 40 yard free over the bar from far out on
the left touchline. O’Hanlon’s continued to press knowing full well
that they needed to get themselves back in the game. A long range
point from Declan McGuiness kept O’Hanlon’s in touch and they also
came close to a goal only for a ‘cat like’ save from Danny O’Hanlon
in the Mullabrack goal who pushed the ball round the top hand corner
post. Tommy O’Hagan, Christopher Dougan, Daniel McNeill and Hugh
McSorely were solid in the Mullabrack defence time and again they
thwarted the O’Hanlon’s attack. This only inspired a tenacious
Mullabrack side and again Mullabrack stole in for their third goal.
Taff Toal sent a high ball into the O’Hanlon’s defence and excellent
work by Benny Dougan ensured the ball fell kindly for an unmarked
Gerard Agnew who sent the ball into the top corner of the net.
Mullabrack and O’Hanlon’s then exchanged points before the referee
blew the whistle for half time with the score at 3:3 to 0:5 in
favour of Mullabrack.
The
Championship Panel 2007 who defeated O'Hanlon's
Mullabrack started the
second half as they finished the first and a fantastic long range
shot on the turn from Gerard Agnew sent the watching crowd wild with
excitement.
This specialist long range
point taker was soon called back into the action when asked to take
a 55 yard free. The crowd held its breath and as if stroking a quill
across a sheet of paper, Agnew sent the ball between the O’Hanlon’s
post to take his personal scoring tally to 2 goals and 3 points.
O’Hanlon’s, however kept
themselves in the game with two points from frees and at no time
did they let up in challenging Mullabrack men for the ball. With
fifteen minutes gone in the second half Mullabrack’s skilful forward
Taff Toal began to show his quality. Two points on the bounce
wilfully supported by Gary Gorman and Paddy Toal had the Mullabrack
bench on their feet. In the 20th minute the crowd then
got their moneys worth when young Toal once again ran at the
O’Hanlon’s defence from far out on the left hand touch line. Clever
interchange of passing with Eamon Boylan left Toal with the keeper
to beat, which he did with ease leaving the score at 4 goals and 9
points to 7 points going into the last ten minutes of a pulsating
game.
At this point in the game
challenges began to come late and frequent from a beaten O’Hanlon’s
side. The referee took swift action with several bookings and it was
only a matter of time when O’Hanlon’s no. 14 was sent to the line.
Charlie Agnew then rang the changes in the Mullabrack side with
young Stephen Murray replacing Pip Agnew, Stephen Baxter replacing
Dara Smith and Martin Rice replacing Daniel McNeil. Colin Donnelly
then replaced Gerard Agnew and in the closing stages that man Taff
Toal popped up again with another good point from thirty yards.
Players on both sides then became involved in some unpleasant
scenes, but it was Mullabrack players who refused to become
intimidated by O’Hanlon’s heavy handed tactics. With little time
left on the watch the referee called for the ball and a jubilant
Mullabrack bench ran to greet their team. The game finished in
Mullabrack’s favour with a score of 4 goals and 10 points to 10
points.
The Mullabrack team can be
very proud of the way they conducted themselves on and off the
pitch. As Charlie Agnew remarked at full time, “it is pleasant to
see all the hard work in training paying off on the field of play…..
I knew there were goals in this full forward line and the entire
team should be proud of what has been achieved”.
Mullabrack Team
Danny O’Hanlon, Hugh
McSorely, Tommy O’Hagan, Christopher Dougan, Gary Gorman, Dara
Smith, Benny Dougan, Paddy Toal, Phelim Sands Eamon Boylan, Gerard
Agnew, Pip Agnew, Daniel McNeil, Stephen McKinney, Taff Toal
Subs: Sean Agnew, Liam
Conlon, Peter Murray, Mickey McCusker, Colin Donnelly, Stephen
Baxter, Martin Rice, Kevin Smith and James Lavery.
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