This article is from page 62 of the 2011-08-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 62 JPG
Broadford 2-15 – Smith O’Brien’s 1-14 at Shannon
BROADFORD’S first competitive victory of the season kept their championship hopes alive while also alleviating the threat of relegation worries in the process on Saturday evening. After nine winless Clare Cup ties, Broadford seemed to have saved their best for championship fare but while they lost a game that arguably they should have won against Clonlara, this time they dug out the result despite a strong second half fightback from Smith O’Brien’s that threatened to usurp the points.
Broadford didn’t make it easy for themselves despite taking the game to their opponents against the breeze when building up an impressive 2-8 to 0-7 half-time advantage. The difference in that first half was the finishing from both sides, with Broadford’s two goal haul from Mark Moloney in stark constrast to Smith O’Brien’s wastefulness in front of Cian O’Brien’s goal, with the shotstopper producing at least four meaningful saves.
Micheál Ryan was by far Smith O’Brien’s most encouraging performer but he had to carry the majority of the scoring responsibilities on his young shoulders as opposed to Broadford’s more balanced attacking unit that saw Paurig Taylor, Declan Teefy, Aonghus O’Brien, Niall Moloney, Mark Moloney and Padraig Hickey to the fore for much of the opening period.
Moloney’s two strikes in particular in the final nine minutes of the half were both assisted by O’Brien, with the first carried by momentum over the line after an initial save by goalkeeper Jonathan Hayes while the second in the 28th minute was as a result of good positioning from the lively forward.
And after Hickey and Teefy extended Broadford’s advantage to nine inside two minutes of the restart, it seemed like game over for the Killaloe based side. However, Smith O’Brien’s somehow found an extra gear and aside from a very dubious Niall Moloney point that even confounded the umpires, Smith O’Brien’s would hit 1-7 in the next 17 minutes to gain parity.
Kevin Walsh, Willie Neary and inevitably Micheál Ryan, who began the fightback in earnest with a 43rd minute 20 metre free to the net, saw Smith O’Brien’s take the reins but just as it seemed that their momentum would carry them over the line, Broadford crucially stopped the rot.
A Padraig Hickey 50th minute free halted the freefall, substitute Kieran O’Connell added another three minutes later and while the Smith O’Brien’s support thought that they had replied with a goal in the 56th minute, Kevin Walsh’s shot had actu- ally hit the sidenetting.
Wiping their brow from that scare, another Hickey free and an excellent Craig Chaplin lineball finished the job for Broadford who will have to build on this victory by taking the scalp of Doora/Barefield in the next round if they are to really compete for a much needed quarter-final spot.