This one went on all night nearly!
2024 Talbot Hotel Junior A Football Championship Quarter Final
Fighting Cocks 5-7, O’Hanrahan’s 3-9
By Jamie Wall
Quarter final number two in the Talbot Hotel Junior A Football Championship was not short of drama.
O’Hanrahans donning their all-familiar blue and white kit and The Fighting Cocks in their remastered old-style jersey of green and yellow.
This game rocketed into action with the first score coming from a free off the deck off the trusted left boot of Danny Thompson after just two minutes. Two minutes later it was the turn of The Fighting Cocks free taker Ruairi Nevin to convert after Liam Sheppard was fouled from a powering run.
This game was end to end for the first five minutes, with less than a minute after the Nevin point it was Danny Thompson again raising the white flag for the Blues but this time he scores from play.
Goal number one for Glen O’Rourke came after just six minutes when the Cocks man turned on the after burners leaving the blues defenders behind and makes no mistake in raising the green flag.
The next eleven minutes seen no change on the scoreboard but this game was still entertaining as both sides had efforts with the best of them coming from O’Rourke but he got caught in two minds and Aaron Power intercepts the ball.
After waiting the eleven minutes for the next score it was certainly worth the wait. Joe Doran gathers the ball on the twenty one, he sold not one but two beautiful dummies to give himself half a yard and the Dolmen Celtic soccer star showed his class and rifles the ball in off the underside of the crossbar.
The Fighting Cocks reacted well to this goal with a point coming from a punt kicked effort by the experienced Matthew Dowling. Jack McDonald found himself on the end of a good move but Power was a match for the effort reacting well to deny McDonald.
A great ball from Blake Holmes found Joe Doran bearing down on goal, he sold yet another dummy and you think the chance is gone until he makes another sale, this time to the keeper, and tapped into the net with his right boot.
Both sides had their purple patches in the half but it was the men in blue heading into the dressing room 2-2 to 1-2 up.
Joe Doran kept his form from the first half and a fine pass by Keelan Lacey found Doran who converts bringing his tally to 2-1.
Danny Thompson converted another free off the deck with a sweetly stuck effort before he converted from play on the stand side to put 6 between the team.
Matthew Dowling is a name that people will know for the service he’s giving to The Fighting Cocks and he stepped up when needed, converting a free before he turned over a ball and found Sub Emmett Moran with the Curadh Sports man kicking a point just four minutes after his introduction.
Moran was now driving at the blues defence time and time again. He broke the line and found Glen O’Rourke in behind, this time it’s the Fighting Cocks man who sold the dummy on the on rushing keeper and smashes the ball to an empty net bringing it back to a one point game.
A Matthew Dowling mark levelled the game with three to play but Milo Feehan ran direct at the heart of the Fighting Cocks defence and put O’Hanrahan’s one point up.
O’Hanrahan’s had a free on their own 65 in the hands of Ray Walker but he took too long on the ball and referee Johnny Murphy gives a throw ball. Matthew Dowling latched onto the break and found Emmett Moran in space and the sub maked no mistake to level the game and bring us to two periods of extra time.
Doran again off his left boot opens the scoring of extra time before he combines with Keelan Lacey, with the latter kicking into an empty net.
Then great work from Ray Walker found Doran, he passed it to Danny Thompson who was fouled in the box for a penalty. Doran stepped up but raised a white flag instead of green.
Good hands from Glen O’Rourke and Matthew Dowling, saw the latter cooly slot low to the right-hand side of Aaron Power for another goal. Dylan Townsend got on the end of a lovely move and converted on the loop leaving the minimum between these sides again at half time of extra time.
Doran started out of the blocks quickest again and he extends the lead to two with an outside the boot effort from a tight angle.
The Blues tried to keep ball but Emmett Moran stepped in and intercepted. He carried the ball in and fired low and hard to Powers left giving the keeper no chance and also giving his side a one point lead.
O’Hanrahan’s then got caught with a short pass but this time it was O’Rourke in on goal and he finished well giving himself a hattrick and his side the win on a scoreline of 5-7 to 3-9.
A big win for Pascal ‘Bon’ Brennan and a big rematch with Leighlinbridge to come in the Semi Final on Friday night.
O’Hanrahans: Aaron Power; Ciaran Jones, Fergal Donoghue, Thato Rammusi; Jason Kenny, Milo Feehan, Lazzy Meaney; Ray Walker©, Owen O’Gorman; Blake Holmes, John Ryan, Alan Owens; Joe Doran, Danny Thompson, Keelan Lacey.
Subs: Adam Quigley for Jones (23mins), John Nangle for Owens (36mins), Tom Roche for Ryan (60mins),Ciaran Timmons for Feehan (66mins), Conall Ferris for Quigley (73mins).
Scorers: J Doran 2-4 (0-1 pen), D Thompson 0-3 (0-1f), K Lacey 1-1, M Feehan 0-1
Fighting Cocks: Darragh Byrne, Matthew English, Eoin O’Byrne, Conor Ruane; James Hickey, Billy Molloy, Alex Gordon; Jack McDonald, Liam Sheppard ©; Billy Nolan, Glen O’Rourke, Dylan Townsend; DJ Sinnott, Ruairi Nevin, Matty Dowling.
Subs: Aaron Bolger for Nolan (h/t), Trevor Watchorn for Sinnott (h/t), Emmett Moran for Owens (42mins), Jason Kelly for Gordon (42mins), Cian O’Byrne for Nevin (52mins), Billy Nolan for Molloy (66mins), Cathal Gorman for McDonald (70mins).
Scorers: G O’Rourke 3-0, M Dowling 1-3 (1 mark), E Moran 1-2, R Nevin 0-1 (1f), B Nolan 0-1.
Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Naomh Moling)
