Tulla picked up a vital three points when they overcame Sporting Ennistymon in an entertaining contest in the Maloney Garden Machinery Premier Division.
By Jamesy Mc Conigley
Tulla United 2
Sporting Ennistymon 1
Venue: The Cragg, Tulla
Ennistymon were coming into this game under strength, missing key players through work commitments and injury, although this didn’t take from a first-class game of soccer.
Tulla United broke the deadlock ten minutes in when Tiao De Silva flicked on Eoin Whelan’s low driven cross into the Sporting Ennistymon goal. Tulla bossed the opening half hour and doubled their lead when Darragh Corry curled his acute effort around the defensive wall and past the helpless David Fitzgerald.
This triggered a switch and Ennistymon established themselves in the game, Ciaran Monaghan and Cathal Mc Conigley endangering the Tulla defence with some treacherous shots on target . Just before the half time whistle sounded, Shane Howard’s delivery was helped on by the on-rushing Jamesy Mc Conigley to haul his side back into the game.
There was a renewed energy in the Sporting outfit and they were unlucky not to be back on level terms when Cathal Mc Conigley’s dead-ball effort smashed off the upright. Both sides ebbed and flowed with Ennistymon creating another opening but Monaghan’s smashed attempt cannoned back off the bar and Denis Murphy hacked the ball to safety.
Tulla could have put the game out of Ennistymon’s reach, Colin Nelson latched onto the end of a united counter-attack but Fitzgerald got down smartly averting any danger. Sporting were on borrowed time and Ciaran Monaghan could have been the North Clare sides hero but his half volley arrowed again off the Tulla crossbar.
The win pushes Tulla to third place in the table while Sporting possess four points from four competitive fixtures this season and sit mid-table.
Tulla United: Sean Cahill; Tom Vaughan, Denis Murphy, Darragh Corry, Gearoid O’Doherty; Eoin Whelan, Paul Dulligan, Johnny O’Brien, Colin Nelson; Niall Whelan, Tiao De Silva. Subs: Hugh Mc Daid for Paul Dulligan, Iago Dionisio for Tom Vaughan.
Sporting Ennistymon: David Fitzgerald; Shane Howard, Michael Leigh, Michael O’Dwyer, Mark Burke; Nathan Garrihy, Jamesy Mc Conigley, Ciaran Monaghan, Kevin Hehir; Cathal Mc Conigley, Paddy Sherlock. Subs: Patrick O’Dwyer for Garrihy
Referee: Shane Hayes