Stryve Under 21 Football (B) Final
Tinryland 2-14 Fighting Cocks 2-7
58 years after the club won its first ever U21 championship back in January 1968 the present crop of Tinryland U21 players tasted victory in the Carlow B final at a bitterly cold Netwatch training centre on Saturday 3rd January against our near neighbours the Fighting Cocks.
This was a game that Tinryland needed to win in a big way having seen results go against the club during 2025. Having despatched Naomh Eoin, St Patricks and Kildavin-Clonegal the boys in blue and white were many peoples favourite to win this match but with injury ruling out influential mid-fielder Tomas Murphy the Cocks supporters also felt that they had a great chance to cap a brilliant year for the club by adding an U21 title to the Junior A championship won in the autumn.
Saturdays game began on a good note for the eventual winners when Callum O’Brien-Murphy and Bobby Doyle slotted over points before Cocks ace Aaron Dowling opened their account. Tinryland got a major boost in the 10th minute when lively corner forward Shay McCullough deflected the ball to the Cocks net after great play by Calum O'Brien Murphy and Bobby Doyle. The Cocks were settling down now and Dowling continued to decorate the scoreboard with another point. Tinryland were then dealt a major blow when senior player Ross Moran was forced to withdraw with a hamstring injury in the 12th minute to be replaced by the youthful Cathal Purcell. Taking cue from this misfortune for Tinryland the Cocks started to turn the screw and they were rewarded with a Darragh Byrne goal mid-way through the half which put them ahead for the first time. Playing their best football of the match Tinryland had to withstand a purple patch for the Rathoe parish team before the Cocks stranglehold was finally broken entering the closing stages of the first half. A brilliant two pointer from Jamie Doyle who had a superb game throughout was the cue for a major Tinryland revival and two further points from Doyle together with a further two from Lorcan O’Connor and Mikey Byrne left Tinryland 4 points ahead when referee Lar Murphy sounded the half time whistle. Half time score Tinryland 1-9 Fighting Cocks 1-5.
The 2nd half was only minutes old when Callum O’Brien-Murphy deflected the ball to the Cocks net after great play by Mikey Byrne, Lorcan O’Connor and Sean Murphy who was having a tremendous game in the Tinryland defence. Tinryland now led by 7 points, but the Cocks tried to stage another mini revival and were rewarded with a penalty which Aaron Dowling duly despatched to the net to keep Tinryland on their toes. To their credit Tinryland began to control the game through intelligent play and hard work and were rewarded with further points from Mikey Byrne in the 44th minute and by influential sub Macdara Deane. The icing was then put on the cake with another brilliant two pointer from Jamie Doyle with the closing point coming from Sean Murphy which was a just reward for his trojan effort in this great win. All 15 players and five subs played their part in Tinryland’s win and it was great to see Conor Carew make an appearance in the 2nd. half after his serious injury which ruled him out for most of last season. Well done to the entire panel and their youthful backroom team of Maurice Lawler, John Dempsey, Paddy Regan, Niall Lowry and Conor Brennan.
Tinryland: Conall McGuire, Cian McGuire, Ross Moran, Paddy Walshe, Lorcan O’Connor (Captain) 0-1, Sean Murphy 0-1, Walter Webb, Mikey Byrne 0-2, Mark Mullen, Callum O’Brien Murphy 1-1, Bobby Doyle 0-2, Jamie Walker, Seamus McCullough 1-0, Luke Broderick, Jamie Doyle 0-6. Subs: Cathal Purcell, Conor Carew, Mcdara Deane 0-1, Liam Ryan, Keelan Quigley.
