This article is from page 83 of the 2011-09-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 83 JPG
Corofin 0-13 – Ruan 1-10 at Shannon
ALL’S WELL that ends well as these neighbours will gladly take a second bite of the cherry to decide who will play Éire Óg in the decider. Both sides could claim to have been unlucky not to win but equally will certainly be relieved that they are still in the championship after a thrilling yet anxious cresendo to this derby.
The sides were level on no fewer than six times over the hour but it was Cillian Ryan’s 56th minute equalising score that stood out from the pack as he took a pass on the run from Darragh Roughan to pick off the score of the game and force a replay.
The Ruan support were overjoyed to see their side gain parity as they had found themselves four points in arrears as late as the 52nd minute and in real trouble in most areas of the field after Corofin had made deci sive match-altering switches.
No better team that Ruan to grind out the result however as despite not playing to the heights of previous performances, still had enough championship experience to maintain their unbeaten run of six games. But while fading late on, Corofin will also be hugely encouraged by their display as this was arguably their most impressive showing of the campaign.
Essentially, both sides had their heroes with centre-backs Gerry Quinn and Jonathan Clohessy to the fore while respective wing (Mikey Vaughan and Neil Killeen) and corner forwards (Brendan Lyons and Cillian Neylon) also playing decisive roles in this derby. However, Darragh Roughan’s leadership in the last ten minutes also has to be noted as the main driving force behind their comeback.
Corofin had the better of the early exchanges when pushing 0-4 to 0-1 clear by the 13th minute with unanswered points from Stephen Heagney (two frees), Declan Lee and Neil Killeen following Mikey Vaughan’s third minute opener. However, they were rocked when Ruan goaled merely seconds later against the run of play through Brendan Lyons who slipped initially before getting up and finishing to the net.
That inspirational score was added to by Vaughan again as Ruan retook the lead but it was Corofin who finished stronger with Killeen, Neylon and Kevin Heagney handing them a 0-8 to 0-6 half-time advantage despite being lucky to keep their full complement of players after a hefty late Declan Lee challenge on Eoin Hanrahan just before the break.
The wet conditions played their part throughout and could have had a decisive impact on the restart when Gerry Quinn’s ’65 slipped out of Jonathan Clohessy’s grasp, only for goalkeeper Packie Roughan to come to his rescue on the line. Ruan used that let-off to their advantage though when pulling level by the 38th minute through points from Brendan Lyons and Aidan Lynch.
Corofin freshened things up with a trio of substitutions and it was the return of Daragh Clancy that really caught the eye as the former county senior went to full-back, releasing Luke O’Loughlin to the wing and Damien Ryan to midfield as they began to seize control once more. A brace of Stephen Heagney frees add ed to points from substitutes Jamie Malone and Diarmuid Daly put Corofin four clear by the 49th minute and with Ruan all at sea, it looked to be Corofin’s day.
However, last year’s finalists dug deep and led by an immense final quarter from Darragh Roughan, they began to chip away at the deficit. Roughan found John Punch for their first score in 12 minutes; Cillian Ryan and Aidan Lynch combined to release Vaughan for his third of the game and Punch converted a 55th minute free before Ryan put over a crucial 56th minute equaliser.
With momentum on their side, Ruan had chances to win it but ultimately failed to capitalise and in the end, a draw was the fairest result for both sides’ endeavours.