MFC: Rostrevor Survive in Minor Classic
Burren 1-16 Rostrevor 3-10
This marvellous game had gone five
minutes into added time before Ryan
McGovern and Mark McDowell snapped up
the two late points that set up a replay
for Pettit park next week. Nobody
complained. Certainly not the neutrals,
who included County minor selectors Des
Kennedy and John Morgan, both of whom
must have been delighted by the prospect
of watching these two sides again in the
course of their duties. For whatever
else we have to be despondent about
regarding the state of \Down football, a
system which produces teenage football
of this quality must be doing something
right.
QUALITY
It really was that good. It was played
from start to finish with pace and
passion. Some of the high fielding was
exceptional, especially from Burrens
Cathal Murdock and Alan Higgins, and
from Rostrevors Conor Magee. And if
Magee and Murdock, unfortunately, are no
longer eligible next season, it must
have done the selectors hearts good to
have witnessed the attacking genius on
show from lads like Sean Murdock and
Sean Mackin, both of whom can come into
their plans for 2007
START
Mackin was the first to grab their
attention. He floated over two
effortless points , then smartly put
Anthony Donnan through for a goal in the
tenth minute which gave the visitors a
1-2 to 0-2 lead. And Reds looked well on
course for their fourth successive minor
title eleven minutes later when a great
piece of fielding by Conor Magee
launched Anthony Donnan through the
middle again. This time the Rostrevor
man was stopped in his stride by an
uncompromising, but fair challenge on
the 20 meter line, but retained his
balance [ and his presence of mind] to
lash the ball low to the Burren net from
a standing position.
RALLY
That left Rostrevor 2-3 to 0-4 up, but
the match swung decidedly in Burrens
favour for the next twenty five minutes.
Burren were so strong and competitive
around the middle of the field, allowing
the dangerous Burren full forwards, Sean
Murdock, Mark McDowell and Colm McGovern
to wreak some havoc with the struggling
Rostrevor defence. Reds were lucky to be
still 2-3 to 0-7 up at the break, for
Sean Murdock had had one shot
brilliantly saved by Padraig Mulholland,
and had suffered the frustration of
scuffing a penalty wide of the post
after Colm McGovern had been brought
down in the square.
BURREN GO CLEAR
Burren recovered quickly from that
set-back. Within two minutes of the
start of the second half, points from
Sean Murdock and Eamon Toner had the
sides level.Twice Sean Mackin restored
Rostrevors lead, and twice Ryan Mcgovern
and Mark McDowell equalised for Burren.
Then, in the 41st minute came
what looked like the tipping point. The
ever-elusive Sean Murdock cut through
from the left, and, though Padraig
Mulholland got down to save his initial
shot, Murdock followed up to fist the
rebound to the Rostrevor net!
IN TROUBLE
Murdock added a point, and with fifteen
minutes remaining , Reds were in serious
trouble, down four points and struggling
to get the ball out of their own half of
the field.
Something special was required, and
something special was provided, in the
shape of Conor Magees move to midfield
for the final quarter. The response was
immediate. Anthony Donnan pointed from a
difficult angle and Colm Murney
thundered through the middle for
another. Anthony Donnan pointed again,
but Sean Murdock replied to leave Burren
still two points clear with just five
minutes remaining. Murdock, indeed, had
the chance to wrap it up for Burren,
cutting in from the left, but when his
low shot was well-saved by Mulholland,
Rostrevor struck quickly on the counter.
Sean Mackin gliding through the middle
to fire the ball to the Burren net! Back
came Burren to equalise with a point
from Colm Mcgovern, but as that point
sailed over the bar, the sight of the
injured Sean Murdock making his way to
the Burren dugout made home fans
radically revise their expectations. So
it almost proved, for Sean Mackin
restored Rostrevors lead in the 59th
minute, and Anthony Donnan increased it
to two a minute into added time. Justice
was done, however. Five minutes into
injury time Ryan Mcgovern reduced the
deficit to a point, and in the very last
attack of the game, Mark McDowell chased
a lost cause right to the end line, and
somehow smuggled the ball over the bar
from an unlikely angle to earn the
replay.
DESERVED
Burren certainly deserved their second
chance. Alan Higgins and John Kilfedder
stood out in a solid defence, while
Cathal Murdock did some great work
around the middle of the park. Eamon
Toner and Ryan Mcgovern were highly
effective in the half forward line,
while full forwards Sean Murdock, Mark
McDowell and Colm McGovern always looked
capable of unsettling the Reds
rearguard.
Rostrevor will be glad to be left with
another chance also. They needed some
great play by Padraig Mulholland and
Conor Magee to keep Burren at bay, and
were reliant mostly on Colm Murney for
midfield possession before the switch of
Conor Magee tipped the balance in the
final quarter. Where they really
sparkled was up front, where Sean Mackin
and Anthony Donnan accounted for 3-8 of
their total.
Both
sets of players and mentors deserve
credit for the standard of skill,
commitment and sportsmanship on view,
andso too does referee Denis Cotter,
whose control of this fast and
passionately contested game had so much
to do with the emergence of the football
we all enjoyed.
Burren scorers; Sean Murdock [1-5]; Mark
McDowell [0-4]; Ryan McGovern [0-4];
Colm McGovern [0-2]; Eamonn Toner [0-1]
Rostrevor scorers; Anthony Donnan [2-3];
Sean Murdock [1-5]; Richie Reynolds
[0-1]; Colm Murney [0-1]
