Michael Lyng Motors Hyundai Carlow S.F.C. semi-final
Tinryland 2-5 Mount Leinster Rangers 0-6
Tinryland senior footballers have reached the summit of Carlow football for the first time since 2011 when they outfoxed a physical MLR side in the semi-final on Sunday.
The men in blue and white will now play our parish neighbours Palatine in a mouth-watering final on Sunday next in Netwatch Cullen park.
To say that this game was one of two halves is an understatement. Playing possession football against a strong breeze Tinryland amazingly failed to score in the opening half but managed to contain a Rangers team that had scored 14 goals to date to 3 points.
It took 16 minutes for the opening score to arrive when Donagh Murphy raised a white flag for the South Carlow outfit. Tinryland did have chances in that opening half from their vast possession, but wides were registered on at least five occasions with Diarmaid Walshes 4th minute effort hitting the uprights. With Tinryland supporters getting anxious through a lack of scores Rangers managed 2 further points from Chris Nolan (free) and full forward Ted Joyce before referee Patrick Murphy sounded the half time whistle. Half Time score Mount Leinster Rangers 0-3, Tinryland 0-0
Steve O’Meara and his management team of Eddie Dowling and Eamonn O’Sullivan then played a double tactical trump card facing into the 2nd half with the strong breeze introducing John Murphy fresh from his success at the ploughing championships and Paul Broderick who looks back to his best. The 2nd half was only seconds old when Rangers added to their tally with a Chris Nolan point from a free but Tinryland then knuckled down to try and eat into the Rangers modest lead. In the 34th minute Diarmaid Walshe got us on the scoresheet and within one-minute Tinryland were level after Paul Broderick was on hand to rattle the Rangers net after a poor kick out from goalkeeper Eoin Fenlon that was gathered by Conor Brennan. Rangers responded with another Ted Joyce point, but it would be 27 minutes before they got their next score as Tinryland growing in confidence settled down to play their best football of the match. After wides from Diarmaid Walshe and Paul Broderick Tinryland did have a let off when a Rangers shot rebounded off the uprights. The men in hoops then took the lead for the first time when the on-song Broderick scored a spectacular point after great play by John Murphy, Jonah Dunne and Cormac Walshe. It got even better then when Paul Broderick repeated his spectacular point scoring in the 44th minute which edged us into a 2 point lead. Two minutes later Danny Moran produced another beauty of a point as MLR replaced their goalkeeper Eoin Fenlon with Dean Grennan. In the 49th minute Paul Broderick cleverly made a mark which he converted to put us 3 points up and containing the Rangers over the next 5 minutes the men in blue and white struck the killer blow when Paddy Regan capped a fine performance when he was on hand to deflect a Paul Broderick super pass to the Rangers net after Broderick had burned the MLR defence with a 60 metre run. With 7 minutes plus five injury time remaining. Tinryland then did what they do best and defended in packs to contain the opposition to a single point deep in stoppage time. The defence led by outstanding goalkeeper Cathal Gaffney were excellent in that phase of play.
Attention now turns to the Co final on Sunday next against Palatine who we last met in the 1950 final 72 years ago when we were successful against the Cnoc Arda men. There were 20 heroes on the pitch for Tinryland on Sunday and hopefully we can now win our 1st Co. senior championship since 1981.
Tinryland: Cathal Gaffney, Danny Moran 0-1, Barry Power, Conor Ryan, Conor O’Toole, Jonah Dunne, Niall Lowry, Shane Redmond, Diarmaid Walshe 0-1, Matthew O’Toole, Cormac Walshe, Conor McGrath, Conor Brennan, Paddy Regan 1-0, Maurice Lawler. Subs: Paul Broderick 1-3, John Murphy, Cian Lawlor, Mark Mullen, Michael Hosey.
