A late Cathal McInerney goal added a little bit of gloss to the score line for Cratloe in this one because there were by no means six points better than their opponents over the course of 80 minutes of football.
Ryan Corry reports from Gurteen
Cratloe 2-14
Lissycasey 0-14
Venue: Gurteen
Cratloe can consider themselves very fortunate to have forced the game to extra time having underperformed for most of the sixty minutes without being properly penalised by Lissycasey.
In the end, it was the first five minutes of extra time that proved to be most crucial. In that spell, the eventual winners got their first goal and saw their opponents reduced to 14 when Cathal Doohan was shown his second yellow card by Fergal Gray.
Before that though, Cratloe had played out a dull first half with minimal threat on goal from both teams. Lissycasey held on to a point advantage at the break thanks largely to the influence of Niall Kelly in the inside forward line.
Lissycasey started far stronger in the second half and had added three more to their lead within ten minutes but the momentum slowly shifted from there. Despite the cries from the sideline to stay advanced, they sat back and allowed Cratloe at them.
Cratloe were running directly at goal and the introduction of Conor McGrath provided another edge to their attack.
The Collins brothers and Stephen McHugh were on target to bring the game back level before Michael O’Neill got what he thought must have been the winning score. However, Cratloe were able to push on once more and Sean Collins scored a massive point to force it beyond the hour.
Then disaster struck for Lissycasey when Cratloe raided for goals in extra time. A driving run from midfielder Shane Gleeson split the defence and he handed off to David Collins who made no mistake. Francis Hayes tried his utmost to get his team back level but his three points in the second period of extra time were cancelled out by Cathal McInerney’s goal on the counter attack.
A quarter-final awaits Cratloe while Lissycasey still have a chance to make the last eight but they must get through Round Three to get there.
Cratloe: Pierce De Loughery; Sean Chaplin, Barry Duggan, Thomas O’Connor; Oige Murphy, Michael Hawes, Enda Boyce; John Galvin (0-1), Shane Gleeson (0-1); Sean Collins (0-6, 2f), Conor Ryan, Liam Markham (0-1); Stephen McHugh (0-2), Cathal McInerney (1-1 1f), David Collins (1-2). Subs: Conor McGrath for O’Connor (34), Conor Cooney for McHugh (67), Caimin Deegan for Galvin (79).
Lissycasey: Joe Hayes; Martin Moran, Ryan Griffin, Cyril Sheehan; Oisin Hanrahan, Gerry Moran, Seamus Collins; Matt O’Shea (0-1), Niall McCarthy; Kevin Hanrahan, Conor Finnucane (0-1), Michael O’Neill (0-2); Enda Finnucane (0-2, 1f), Francis Hayes (0-5), Niall Kelly (0-3, 2f). Subs: Cathal Doohan for McCarthy (5), Conor Talty for G Moran (43), Paul Nagle for K Hanrahan (46), Mikey Nagle for O Hanrahan (65), Oisin Talty for C Finnucane (70).
Referee: Fergal Gray (Feakle)
All photos by John Meyler
