Month: March 2009

AN action packed 94 minutes of football produced nine goals; one red card and perhaps the most dramatic victory Tulla United are likely to ex- perience this season.

Denis Murphy pounced in the 93 minute to score the winning goal for Tulla on Sunday morning after Her- mitage looked to have snatched an unlikely share of the spouls.

The home side looked done for when Tulla stormed into a 3-0 lead after 30 minutes. Hermitage, howev- er, staged a thrilling comeback and the sides were level 3-3 by the 66th minute.

Tulla didn’t stay in shock for too long and regained the lead courtesy

of Alan Brigdale’s diving header. David Moloney’s free kick looked to have earned the “Tage a point but thanks to Murphy, there was one fi- nal twist in this engrossing tale. Such a finale looked a distant and remote possibility after Tulla, aided and abetted by some slack “Tage de- fending, dominated the first half. The visitors took the lead in the 13th minute when Paudge Vaughan rose unopposed to head home Ricky Collins’ corner. Tulla’s pacy front men were asking plenty of questions of the “Tage defence and the second goal arrived on the half hour mark. Again, “Tage were found wanting from set plays. Collins’ deep free kick bounced around the 18 yard box before Shane Mason took charge by

rifling ball to the back of the net.

Seconds after the re-start, Alan Brigdale picked up the ball, un- marked and 25 yards out from goal. The striker blasted home a shot that left Tage goalie David Phillips rooted to the spot to give Tulla a 3-0 lead.

‘Tage were handed a lifeline when Tommy Leahy nodded Barry McNa- mara’s free of a Tulla defender and into the net.

Then they were a side transformed after the break. Leahy deftly flicked a looping header over Tulla goalie Trevor McInerney in the 48th minute to reduce Tulla’s lead to a goal

Alan Brigdale went close with a bullet header soon after before a re- surgent “Tage earned the eqauliser their efforts deserved.

Brendan Dobbin, who along with Declan Callinan and Seanie McGee, was at the heart of the Tage come- back, beat two defenders before ex- pertly curling home the equaliser.

Tulla lost McInerney to injury but regained the lead in the 71st minute when Colin Mason’s inviting cross was met by the diving head of Alan Brigdale.

“Tage again summoned an equal- iser when Moloney walloped home an 84th minute freekick.

The drama wasn’t yet done. Mur- phy beat Phillips to a loose ball in the 93rd minute to give Tulla the lead. The goal was hotly disputed by “Tage who claimed Phillips had been fouled.

Moloney was sent off for a second

yellow card in the ensuing protest. Remarkably, “Tage created one more chance but Callinan’s touch was too heavy, four yards out from goal.

MAYBE The Avenue thought the hard work was done with back-to- back wins in consecutive weeks against Bunratty that seemed to tee up their season in both cup and league competition.

On the march in the cup and their league fate in their own hands with three games in hand on leaders Bun- ratty and only five points adrift.

The gap was expected to be down to two points come lunchtime on Sunday – second from bottom Moher Celtic were not about to spoil The Avenue’s recent spurt of form.

However, no one told the mercu- rial Dessie Molohan about the script prepared beforehand, or maybe they did.

Regardless, the Miltown man just tore it up thanks to a stunning hat- trick that has finally kick-started Mo- her’s league season.

And, Molohon’s influence was such that he had a notable assist in Mo- her’s fourth goal too, for it was his free kick that was turned into his own net by Avenue midfielder An- thony Whyte.

The biggest talking point, however, was Molohan’s winner in the second minute of injury time. It provoked a welter of controversy when he beat the offside trap, lobbed the advanc- ing Avenue keeper Shane O’Connell from outside the area and then fol- lowed up to slam the ball to the net from three yards.

Avenue screamed offside and had a case, but only a minute earlier were charmed when Killian Malone was harshly blown up for offside when clean through on O’Connell’s goal.

The moral of the story is an old cli- ché, but one that certainly held true for this dramatic finale – you win some and you lose some.

And, in truth this was a victory that Moher deserved, not only for the bril- liance of Molohan who was giving his second man-of-the-match display

in the space of 24 hours. On Saturday he worked the oracle for St Joseph’s Miltown Malbay in the Cusack Cup – this time his three goal salvo gave a new purpose to Moher’s season that looked to have reached an endgame when they were whipped 5-1 by Lif- ford in the cup the previous Sunday.

There was a dour opening to this one, and little by way of a hint to- wards the dramatic second half that EM AUIS Ke) ues

Avenue had the better of the early

exchanges, albeit they didn’t threaten Conor O’Loughlin’s goal. But the big breakthrough came 20 minutes in when Anthony Whyte’s through ball was clipped invitingly into the path of Davide Ghilardi by Mikey Mahony – the Frenchman did the rest when sidefooting the ball home from seven yards.

With Eoin Glynn and Gary Flynn industrious in midfield and Mahony buzzing up front, Avenue should have built on this start but gradually

allowed Moher gain a foothold.

Alan Clohessy’s free from outside the area forced Shane O’Connell into a fine fingertip save in the 35th minute, but five minutes later O’Connell was left stranded when Whyte headed Molohan’s inswing- ing free from just outside the area into his own net.

Moher were back in the ball game but 40 seconds into the second half gifted Avenue the lead once more when Conor O’Loughlin allowed

Eoin Glynn’s speculative toe-poke from outside the area go through his as

It looked like being the decisive blow of the second half before the game came alive in the final 20. Im- pressive substitute Killian Malone whipped in across 1n the 72nd minute and Molohan headed home.

Ten minutes later Diarmuid Daly threaded a ball through Avenue’s de- fence and into Molohan’s path – he was coolness personified in rounding O’Connell and rolling home the lead goal.

Avenue were now desperate to save the game and threw everything at Moher. They were rewarded in the 88th minute when David Herlihy’s cross from the byline was turned into his own net by Dara Blake.

Now Avenue hunted down the win- ner and substitute David Smith came close in the 89th minute when firing over the top from outside the area.

A share of the spoils seemed in store until Molohan stepped up to win the day for Moher.

Don’t know if he did try to keep the match ball for himself.

THE county’s roads have claimed their first life of 2009, as a 35-year- old man was killed when his motor- bike collided with a ditch on the out- skirts of Ennis at the weekend.

Michael McInerney, a native of Caher in east Clare, was killed in a single vehicle accident, on the Kildysart road, just two miles from Ennis, shortly before lunchtime on Saturday.

He was pronounced dead at Ennis General Hospital at 1.55pm.

It is understood that the driver lost control of the vehicle, before hitting the ditch. He had been travelling to- wards Kildysart at the time of the crash.

Mr McInerney, a_ father-of-one, lived in the Cahercalla area of En- nis. He hailed from a much respected family in Caher.

A tradesman by profession, he had an extensive interest in motorbikes. He will be laid to rest tomorrow.

Mr McInerney was one of four peo- ple to loose their lives on the coun- try’s roads at the weekend.

Three people died in two separate road accidents in County Tipperary Oye LUN ACer-NA

A GROUP of five councillors are de- ciding the future of 25,000 people in Ennis, a local protest has heard.

Fine Gael councillor and local businessman Johnny Flynn hit out at a party colleague and four other En- nis councillors at yesterday’s march organised by the Ennis Forum.

He alleged that Tommy Brennan (Ind), Peter Considine (FF), Joe Rei- dy (FF), Mary Coote Ryan (FG) and Frankie Neylon (Ind), are controlling policies that are “anti business and anti-jobs”.

“T’m four and a half years over in that chamber. I’m sick to the teeth of listening to five people who are running this town,’ Cllr Flynn told protestors outside the offices of En- nis Town Council.

“A group of five people are deciding the future of 25,000 people. There are nine councillors, five of them hold power. They are Tommy Bren- nan, Frankie Neylon, Mary Coote Ryan, Joe Reidy and Peter Consid- ine. Those five people are deciding on policies for the last four and a half years of my experience in the cham- ber. Five people are voting and con- trolling the policies of this town.”

Cllr Flynn, a member of the Ennis

Forum, addressed representatives from 150 businesses.

Architect and Ennis Forum com- mittee member Michael Leahy told the crowd that the protest was taking place because “businesses in Ennis are tired of not being listened to”.

He said the forum was established in response to the perception that En- nis 1s “losing its status as a county town”.

Mr Leahy said increases in com- mercial rates put forward by the council in its 2009 budget were “un-

acceptable”.