This article is from page 79 of the 2011-09-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 79 JPG
Newmarket-on-Fergus 2-17 – Clooney/Quin 1-09 at O’Garney Park, Sixmilebridge
DESPITE keeping up their end of the bargain, Newmarket missed out on the knock-out stages for the first time in seven years on Sunday. However, what they need to learn, ahead of their last hope of silverware in the Clare Cup semi-finals, could all be taken from this latest championship offering.
At their ruthless best, as witnessed in the final quarter when outscoring Clooney/Quin by 1-7 to 0-1, there are few teams with the pace and power of the Blues. However, there were also large traces of their wasteful deficiencies this season in O’Garney Park on Sunday as they hit 15 wides over the hour and should have put the game beyond any doubt much earlier in the contest when squandering at least seven clearcut goal chances.
Clooney/Quin for their part, ap- peared a beaten side following their disappointing championship exit to Kilmaley last time out and while they were competitive for the opening 45 minutes, they lacked any conviction apart from Peter Duggan and Fergal Lynch.
The opening half was a relatively even affair with the sides level on six occasions by the 24th minute before Newmarket pushed 1-10 to 1-06 clear by the interval. However, inbetween Fergal Lynch’s seventh minute goal after cutting in from the right and Colin Ryan’s immediate reply from a 20 metre free, the Blues also had four glorious goal opportunities to stamp their mark on proceedings. Goalkeeper Damien O’Halloran was the Clooney/Quin hero for the first two when denying Anthony Kilmartin with first, his hurley and minutes later, with his feet. However there were also chances for Eoin Hayes who shot wide while a Shane O’Brien run that opened up the defence was wasted by a poor handpass behind the waiting Kilmartin.
Fortunately, they had county senior Colin Ryan to take up the slack as he converted all of Newmarket’s 1-4 total by the 18th minute. Inevitably Ryan was also instrumental in pushing his side four points clear by half-time when picking off the last two points of the half while setting up another for Eoin Hayes.
Clooney/Quin had their chances to wipe out the deficit on the restart as the Blues found it difficult to refocus their shooting radar. Peter Duggan and Fergal Lynch chipped away with points but they were also denied a much needed goal when Adrian Fleming was hauled down for a 35th minute penalty that was saved by goalkeeper Kieran Devitt from a rasping Duggan effort.
Meanwhile, Newmarket’s woes in front of goal continued. Shane O’Brien fell when racing through on goal, Eoin Hayes found Kilmartin once more but he dropped the ball under pressure at the vital moment while late on, substitute Jim McInerney pulled wide from close range.
However, as the game progressed, Newmarket totally regained control and after three Colin Ryan frees, the county senior also set up his side’s long awaited second goal in the 51st minute when his lineball broke to Shane O’Brien to pull to the net.
That was the start of a 1-6 unanswered haul that cemented the points long before the final whistle but as news filtered through of Kilmaley’s comeback against Ballyea, in the end it was all in vain.
Newmarket- on- Fergus
Kieran Devitt (7), Shane O’Brien Jnr (7), Stephen Kelly (6), Padraig Kilmartin (8), Darren O’Connor (7), James McInerney (7), Enda Barrett (7), Martin O’Hanlon (7) (0-1), Eoin O’Brien (7), Enda Kelly (6) (0-1), Shane O’Brien (7) (1-0), David Barrett (7), Eoin Hayes (8) (0-2),Anthony Kilmartin (7) (0-2), Colin Ryan (8) (1-9 1-7f, 1’65)
Subs
Sean O’Connor (0-1) for E. Kelly (50 mins), James Liddy for Hayes (56 mins), JimMcInerney for A. Kilmartin (56 mins),Alan Barrett for D. O’Connor (58 mins)
Clooney/ Quin
Damien O’Halloran (8), Joe O’Loughlin (6), Shane McNamara (7),Tony McMahon (6), Donncha Murphy (6), Cillian Duggan (6), Enda Harrison (7), John Earls (6) (0-1), Mike McNamara (7), Martin Duggan (6) (0-1), Cathal Egan (6) (0-2 1f), Seamus Conroy (6) (0-1), Peter Duggan (8) (0-3 2f), Fergal Lynch (8) (1-1), Mike Daffy (6)
Subs
Adrian Fleming (7) for Daffy (HT), Brian McInerney (6) for O’Loughlin (HT), Ruaidhrí McNamara for Conroy (50 mins), Padraig Ward for Earls (53 mins), Derek Ryan for M. Duggan (58 mins)
Man of the Match
Colin Ryan (Newmarket- on- Fergus) Referee KevinWalsh (WolfeTones)