Kanturk Credit Union Duhallow Junior Football Championship Semi Final
Millstreet 1-11 Lyre 1-09
Saturday, 25th August 2012 at 7.00 p.m. in Cullen
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Match Report
Lyre were red hot favourites for this game and had eyes on winning Duhallow and getting to the county final as they did two years ago, but it wasn’t to be as Millstreet came with a late goal to snatch victory and proceed to the Duhallow Final. Millstreet started the game strongly playing much the better football between the two half lines, controlling the ball and linking well with the forwards, but poor kicking meant the points weren’t coming. Lyre to their credit had few forrays towards the Millstreet goal, but they were much more clinical and after 15 minutes the score stood at two points a piece. However, Millstreet thanks to Patrick Coleman and Mark Ellis dominated the high ball in the middle of the field, and with the full forward line continuing to win good possession, persistence meant that the scores eventually came from Tadgh Collins, Robert Kelleher and Ellis. So, with three minutes to half time Millstreet led by 7 points to 3. A lead that we thought would be needed as they enjoyed a good breeze and the fall of the pitch in the first half. But in a flash it changed, as Lyre full-forward Denis Roche who had been receiving good ball all along, began to run riot as his speed running with the ball saw him carve up the Millstreet defence and Lyre scored 1-3 before the break leaving the score 0-7 to 1-6, as Millstreet left the pitch shell shocked.
The half time saw the Millstreet management bring in James Broxton (for the poor corner forward who was sacraficed as usual) to stay in front of the Lyre full-forward and to cut out the supply to their only real scoring threat … and it worked a treat, with Roche hardly getting a ball in the second half, as Broxton cleaned up, and Lyre had few other attacking ideas. However Millstreet who were now left short in the forwards found posession hard to come by in the forwards, and with a spare back, Lyre were able to work their way up the field much more easily, but like Millstreet, they were forced to shoot from out the field with little success. Lyre lead by 2 or 3 points throughout the second half, and with five minutes left to play, and the score at 0-10 to 1-9, David McCaul made his long run up the wing which was never tracked by the Lyre defence, the ball was flicked over the static defenders and McCaul ran on to bury the ball to the back of the net, sending the Millstreet crowd jumping for joy. Another pointed free by Tadgh Collins left us two ahead, and after a few nervous minutes and some goalmouth scrambles, the game was over and Millstreet proceed to the Duhallow Final for the first time since 2003 where they will meet the winners of Cullen and Rockchapel, who will have to play again after drawing their semi final on Friday evening.
Millstreet lined out as:
Denny Twomey
Patrick Randles David McCaul Danny O’Riordan
Conor Lane Brian G Murphy Alan Murphy
Mark Ellis Cormac Sheehan
Michael Murphy Patrick Coleman Len Murphy
Tim Kiely Tadgh Collins Robert Kelleher
Subs: Mark O’Donovan, James Broxton (for Tim Kiely – half time), Eamonn O’Keeffe, Donal Linehan, Eric Hickey, Kevin Hickey, Desmond O’Sullivan, Liam O’Connor (for Patrick Coleman 55mins), Donal Cashman (for Conor Lane 45mins), Muiris O’Connor, Beirteach O’Connor, Cian O’Mahony, Sean Cotter Conor O’Callaghan, Kevin Downey
Trainer / Selectors: Kieran Creed, Brendan Hickey & James Cronin
