This article is from page 119 of the 2009-05-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 119 JPG
SPU OL UNE Sard sloma cham ssbeercmmaeem omelet in the Cusack Cup. Playing only a to- tal of seven games in a league struc- ture will never allow much leeway for manoeuvre, meaning that every two points are potentially crucial. In effect, an extra win could mean the difference between a play-off to make a semi-final spot or a play-off to avoid relegation.
SU elem erulme mnie lomr- Mi NUb(GRUNKomE-Tue questionable and though Liscannor didn’t exactly find themselves in that predicament on Saturday evening, they were lying fifth in the table before the final round of games and now, thanks to a one-point defeat to Shannon Gaels, find themselves in a play-off against the Gaels to find out who will join Kilrush Shamrocks in the Garry Cup next season.
For a while, it looked like Liscan- nor would pull through, though.
Most of the opening half was con- trolled by Liscannor and when the Gaels did aim to build something, their final ball was often laboured and it didn’t help that among the for- wards, space was difficult to locate.
As the half wound down, the Gaels managed to dominate possession — similar to the first five minutes when they blasted four wides — and at last, they got some reward. Declan Power popped over his side’s second score of the game on 24 minutes and three minutes later, he got the final touch on the move that kick-started the Gaels’ revival, not just in this game, but in the league in general.
Having lost their opening five games, it looked like they were des- tined for second tier football in 2010. Their hopes for next season and Cu- sack Cup competition are still alive, though.
David Neylon floated a free kick into the danger zone. It was deflected closer to goal through a crowd of players and Power managed to nudge it to the net.
It provided the Gaels with the lead
for the first time in the game but 1m- mediately after, Kieran Considine slotted over a free kick to tie things up, going into the second-half.
Niall Considine, who started on the half-forward line and kicked two fine points in the opening 30 minutes, was now re-located to his full-back line. In one sense, the move allowed
the Gaels gain a foothold around the middle third of the field.
Neylon tapped over a Gaels free just after the re-start following a foul on Eugene O’Neill and shortly after, Michael O’Donoghue was accurate form 50 yards out with a belting point. The score pushed the Gaels into a two-point lead and suddenly,
Liscannor were on the back-foot.
Neylon then maintained the Gaels lead with a 45, which came about un- necessarily when two Liscannor de- fenders competed for a dropping ball only to knock it out of play.
Liscannor didn’t lie down, though. Ronan Slattery, in particular, began to lead the fightback.
With 15 minutes on the clock, Slat- tery was fouled a distance from the posts. He brushed himself off and floated over a fine left-foot free kick. A minute later, Slattery was once again fouled and once more, he con- verted successfully.
With time running out, Liscannor were still two adrift. A loss meant they were waiting on results else- where to figure out if they were safe from a relegation play-off.
When Slattery converted his fourth free and Ger Considine popped over a crucial score from 30 yards out, it tied things up and a draw, which would have relegated the Gaels, looked likely.
The game wasn’t done with yet, though. With two minutes left, John Paul O’Neill drifted into possession close to goal on the right wing. He turned and curled over the winning point which means that these two must do it all again to maintain their top flight status.