This article is from page 68 of the 2011-06-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 68 JPG
St Breckan’s 3-11 – Éire Óg 1-10 at Páirc Finne, Corofin
THE biggest score of the opening weekend of the championship; the biggest winning margin; the biggest shock.
All combined to make this a glorious return to the ranks of senior football for the men from Lisdoonvarna and Doolin as they dished out a thoroughly deserved seven-point beating to an Éire Óg team that’s already fighting for survival in the 2011 championship.
Where to start for Breckan’s.
The all action display of the likes of Stephen Tierney who started running when the ball was thrown in and didn’t stop until the end in a performance highlighted by his brilliant 55th minute goal that finally the game and put his side seven points clear.
Sean Cormican’s two-goal blast in the first half that put Breckan’s on the road to victory – the industry of everyone wearing maroon, whether snaffling up 90 per cent of the breaks around midfield, Dinny O’Driscoll pulling the strings, Greg O’Leary coming out of retirement.
All this and much more conspired to bring Breckan’s alive against an Éire Óg team that was flat-footed and consequently overrun for the 60 minutes and lucky to be within seven points at the end.
The writing was on the wall for the Townies are early as the 11th minute when a quick free-kick from Pat Nagle on the 21-yard line was finished to the net by Sean Cormican before anyone in red knew what was happening.
It put St Breckan’s 1-4 to 0-3 clear against the breeze, bookending a bright start that saw them hit early points through Denis O’Driscoll (2), Donal Howley and Pat Nagle to replies from Stephen Hickey (2) and Eoin Glynn.
Éire Og did bounce back from the goal with points by Hickey and Nicky Hogan by the 19th minute, but a sweeping move in the 21st minute, started by the impressive Raphael Considine, carried on by fellow wing-back Stephen Tierney and then blasted to the net by Sean Cormican from 12 yards showed up the gulf between the sides – Breckan’s had energy, support play and killer instinct, the Townies didn’t. That said, another rally that yield- ed 1-2 in the closing minutes of the half – Hickey pointing on either side of Nicky Hogan’s scrambled goal brought the sides level at the break. It was a very false reflection, how- ever, something that was hammered home by a rampant St Breckan’s side in between hitting seven second half wides. Éire Óg were restricted to just three points from frees in the half – Breckan’s hit 1-7 to cruise to victory. They were on their way thanks to points by the Cormican brothers and Pat Nagle as they moved three clear and they never looked back. They toyed with the Townies at times before points by Nagle (2), Shane O’Connor from distance in response to token points from two Shane Daniels frees and finally Stephen Tierney’s brilliant goal settled the issue. Not even the sending off of captain Conor Howley near the end could spoil St Breckans’ party. A second Nicky Hogan goal was disallowed in the 60th minute for a square ball, but even if it had been allowed, it wouldn’t have made any difference.