CLONDUFF STEAL DRAW WITH ROSTREVOR AT FINISH
ACL 1
TOP FOUR SEMI-FINAL
CLONDUFF STEAL DRAW AT FINISH
Rostrevor 0-10
Clonduff 1-7
Colm Fitzpatrick
With three minutes to
go in Sundays Top Four semi-final,
Clonduff supporters were a glum lot. Not
surprising , that. They had spent the
last fifty seven minutes watching their
team playing second fiddle to Rostrevor,
they were facing the breeze, and it
looked very much as if their season was
at an end, trailing as they did by 0-5
to 0-10. Three minutes later they were
moving back to their cars chuckling! It
wasn’t just that their team had grabbed
a goal and two points in the last three
minutes to earn themselves a replay next
Sunday. It was also the way that it had
happened.
STRANGE
This had always been a strange game of
football, played in a disconcertingly
detatched manner by both sides. Perhaps
this was because neither team saw their
rivals as the real opponent they needed
to overcome. The chief opponent for both
sides was the wind, which came whipping
in across the white-tops, unhindered
even by the wind break of a sheltering
wall. Objective number one for both
teams was thus to keep the ball within
the limits of the pitch. They both
managed to do this quite successfully,
but at a price., play moving crab-like
up and down the field in cautiously
constructed hand-pass moves. Reds were
more at home with this style of play,
and led 0-5 to 0-4 at half time, despite
having played more into the breeze than
their rivals. Their patient play had
been rewarded by some neat finishing
from Lloyd Parr [3], Eddie Magee and ,
just befor half time, Adrian Mackin.
Yellows, on the other hand, did not look
as resourceful in retaininbg possession,
but were more ready to allow the ball do
a bit of the work. With full forwards
John Fegan and Finbar McConville in
enterprising form this was enough to
keep them in touch, but just before half
time they suffered a painful blow.
Midfielder John Morgan misjudged a
tackle, and received a red card, leaving
his side to face the breeze, and a
heartened Rostrevor with only fourteen
men for the second half
INEVITABLE
The outcome looked inevitable after
that. Slowly but surely Rostrevor drew
away. Slowly, because, they missed two
scores for every one they took, but also
surely because, they now enjoyed a near
monopoly of possession. Points from
Martin Cole, Conor Daly and Lloyd Parr
left them 0-8 to 0-4 up by the end of
the third quarter. Finbar McConville
grabbed a difficult angled point to keep
Clonduff’s waning hopes still alive, but
two fine scores by Adrian Mackin and
Lloyd Parr pushed Reds into a 0-10 to
0-5 lead with thirteen minutes
remaining. That looked to be more that
enough, even when Rostrevors numerical
advantage was removed when Lloyd Parr
was shown a second yellow card after 55
minutes.
FICKLE
Then the breeze which had tormented
Clonduff all afternoon, took a skittish
turn-around. It looked unlikely enough
when John Fegan lofted a high wobbly
shot which carried all the way over the
bar in the 57th minute. But
two minutes later it really came to life
as a high and hopeful lob towards the
Rostrevor posts, caught a swirl in the
breeze which brought it down ahead of
schedule between the feet of the
onrunning John Fegan. Without breaking
his stride, john scooped it first time
past the bemused Ciaran Sloan. And
before the fans of either side could
adjust to the new state of affairs,
another speculative kick from Paul
McShane bobbled over the full back line,
hopped on the 14 and caught a ride on
another mischievous little gust which
carried it over the crossbar for the
equaliser!
MEET AGAIN
So the sides must meet again next Sunday
in Warrenpoint. Rostrevor will feel
peeved. They must have thought they had
done enough on Sunday, under difficult
circumstances. Eddie Magee had a busy
hour at wing back. Jarlath Austin was
formidably strong under the dropping
ball, and Lloyd Parr and Adrian Mackin
showed admirable skill in adapting their
shooting to the conditions. But Clonduff
will have been encouraged by the damage
which Finbar McConville and John Fegan
showed themselves capable of in flicting
when the ball came their way, as well as
by the success of the hard-working
Paudie Matthews, Plunkett McConville and
Paul McShane in controlling the play
around them for periods in both halves.
Rostrevor scorers;
Lloyd Parr [0-5] 3 frees; Adrian Mackin
[0-2]; Eddie Magee [0-1]; Martin Cole
[0-1]; Conor Daly [0-1] 1 free;
Clonduff scorers; John Fegan [1-2] 2
frees; Finbar McConville [0-3]; Aidan
Carr [0-1]; Paul McShane [0-1].
Rostrevor team; Ciaran Sloan; Kevin
McGrath, Paul Magee, Jarlath Farrell;
Eddie Magee, Martin Cole, Turlough
Murphy; Fintan McBreen, Jarlath Austin;
Sean Parr, Conor Daly, Martin Sherry;
Lloyd Parr, Martin Doran, Adrian Mackin;
Sub used; Gary Farrell.
Clonduff team; Robbie Wilson; John
McPolin, Paul Shields, Francie Quinn;
Ruari Grant, P.O.McConville,Gary
McDonald; Marty McPolin, John Morgan;
Eugene Brannigan, Plunkett McConville,
Aidan Carr; Paudie Matthews, John Fegan,
Finbarr McConville;
Subs used; Paul McShane; Marty Farnon.
