Newcestown 1-7
Kanturk 2-4
(Newcestown win 4-2 on penalties aet)
NOEL HORGAN REPORTS
THE picture looked bleak for Newcestown midway through the second half of the Bon Secours Senior A Football Championship quarter-final in Coachford.
The concession of a goal to Kanturk left the Carbery men trailing by 1-4 to 0-3 at that juncture, not an insignificant deficit considering scores were at a premium in a contest played in extremely testing conditions on Sunday.
‘You’d have to say we were in trouble after Kanturk got the first goal, but, credit to the lads, they put their heads down, stuck to the task for the last 15 minutes, and I thought we deserved to finish level,’ commented Newcestown manager Tim Buckley.
After the teams were tied, 1-4 to 0-7, at the end of the hour, Newcestown had a hill to climb again when Kanturk made another major breakthrough in the 64th minute. Again they made light of that setback, responding with an equalising goal from substitute Carthach Keane shortly before the change of ends in extra-time.
It meant Newcestown had twice hauled themselves back from the brink, underlining the redoubtable resilience and self-belief that has enabled them to punch above their weight and defy the odds so often in the past.
‘We all know it’s hard to beat us, we’ve shown over the years we know how to dig out wins, and we certainly kept the club culture up today,’ said a beaming team boss Buckley as he reflected on Newcestown’s latest heroics.
The conditions – incessant rain and a treacherous surface – ordained the game was always going to be an endurance test, with quality football out of the question.
In a dour first half, Kanturk enjoyed most of the possession, but they rarely managed to work the ball into the danger-zone, although Newcestown goalkeeper Christopher White was tested by Grantus Bucinskas in the tenth minute. A brace of converted frees by David Buckley allowed Newcestown to lead by 0-2 to 0-1 at the interval.
Buckley was on target from play within three minutes of the resumption, but Kanturk hit back with three points on the trot before Ryan Walsh added a goal to put them firmly in the driving seat.
Raising their performance in the last quarter, when the introduction of substitutes Seamus O’Sullivan and Carthach Keane gave them fresh impetus, Newcestown had points from Luke Meade and free-taker Buckley (2) before O’Sullivan and Keane were involved in a move that yielded a fisted equaliser from impressive centre-back Micheál McSweeney.
Shortly before McSweeney’s score forced extra-time, Newcestown enjoyed the rub of the green as a cracking shot at goal by Kanturk’s Ryan Walsh came back into play after striking one upright and then the other.
A second Kanturk goal did arrive, courtesy of substitute Cameron Hendry, in extra-time, but it was negated by Carthach Keane, who pounced after the Duhallow side’s custodian Ronan Cashman had struggled to deal with a probing delivery from Seamus O’Sullivan.
Keane’s strike in the 69th minute was the game’s last score, with Newcestown’s Cian Twomey, who shot wide from a good position, going closest to breaking the deadlock in the second period of extra time.
Clinical conversions on the part of Edmund Kenneally, Niall Kelly, Tadgh Twomey and Jack Meade, allied with a couple of fine saves by Christopher White, enabled Newcestown to win the penalty shoot-out 4-2 and advance to the county semi-final.
Scorers
Newcestown: D Buckley 0-5 (4f); C Meade 1-0; L Meade, M McSweeney 0-1 each.
Kanturk: R Walsh, C Hendry 1-0 each; I Walsh 0-2 (1f); C Mullane, L McLoughlin 0-1 each.
Newcestown: C White; N Murray, C Twomey, T Horgan; J Kelleher, M McSweeney, L Meade; C Goggin, G O’Donovan; R O’Sullivan, T Twomey, J Kenneally; N Kelly, E Kenneally, D Buckley.
Subs: S O’Sullivan for J Kenneally (45), C Keane for Kelly, J Meade for E Kenneally (54), C Dineen for Kelleher (55), E Collins for L Meade (inj, 58), R Sweeney (extra-time replacement for red-carded G O’Donovan), E Kenneally for R O’Sullivan (75), N Kelly for S O’Sullivan (79).
Kanturk: R Cashman; J McLoughlin, J Browne, C Mullane; B O’Sullivan, Aidan Walsh, T Walsh; Alan Walsh, P Walsh; C Mullane, R Walsh, L McLoughlin; G Bucinskas, C Walsh, I Walsh.
Subs: C Hendry for Bucinskas (52), C Clernon for C Walsh (54), M Healy for L McLoughlin (ht, et), Bucinskas for Hendry (72).
Referee: R Whelan (Aghada ).
