Éire Óg v St Dympnas
20 July 2014
Horspath GAA grounds Oxford
Referee: Mick McCarey St. Vincent’s.
It’s the 20th of July 2014. We are reporting from Horspath GAA grounds, Oxford on a fine clear day! Mcllroy is still leading the British Open! St. Dympnas lost to Championship holders Glen Rovers last week and need a win today to stay in the hunt for the Foley Cup.
Ball spends the first two minutes between both 45s. Hickey is fouled on the 45, McGlynn lines up the resultant free. 10 yards from the llama side! It sails to the right. Scoreless after three minutes. Lavery collects the ball on the Oxford 20. Tries a shot with his left, drifts wide left. Another free to Oxford. Doyle dragged down 45 out. Wide to the right. Poor kickout goes straight to McGlynn on the 20. Pops it straight over the black spot. EO 0-1 SD 0-0. Another poor kickout, Hickey easily pops the ball over from 30 yards. EO 0-02 SD 0-00. Cormac Healy wins a clean ball 20 yards out and strikes it straight over. Luton Strike back. EO 0-02 SD 0-01. Luton getting the upper hand in midfield. Healy solos through to level up. 2 a piece with 12 gone. Beaut of a ball from Flanagan into Lavery who turns and shoots. Davies makes a great save. Lavery picks up the rebound and fists it over the bar. EO 0-02 SD O-03. Oxford backs doing well under immense pressure. OGrady forces McGonagle onto his weaker left and the resultant shot sails wide. EO 0-02 SD 0-03. O Callaghan storms through from midfield like a bull in a China shop to level matters on the 18 minute. 3 a piece. Midfielders putting on a great show here. Healy pops over a free for Dympnas 30 yards out straight in front of the post. Luton by one. Long Diagonal Ball from FitzGerald to Mark Ryan who fists the ball over the bar to level us up. Éire Óg on top but wasteful two quick wides and the score stays 4 a piece with 25 mins played. Mark Ryan with a free from 20 yards gives the Oxford men a one point advantage. Oxford have a Cormac Healy shaped problem. He storms through the half backs to level things up two minutes before half time. EO 0-5 SD 0-5. Healy again on the stroke of half time to give Luton the advantage on the whistle. Halftime EO 0-05 SD 0-06.
Two halftime switches for Oxford. Ralph Jones is on for Paul O Sullivan and Chris Donnellan is on for Mark Hickey. Donnellan catches a ball in from Harte and slots it between the posts. Sides level 6 a piece. Two wides, one from either side as the subs settle into the treacle like tense atmosphere EO 0-06 SD 0-06. Cracking free from Healy grabs the lead back for the visitors! Jones, with some inspired defending, deflects a certain point for Dympnas. Resultant 45 sails wide. EO 0-06 SD 0-07. Free for Dympnas. Lavery converts! EO 0-06 SD 0-08. avery converts another free. This game is drifting away!! Luton by 3. Just when things seem to be slipping away the speedster McGlynn pops up with a wonder point. Even the llamas applauded! Luton by 2. The quiet man Briody pops up for a point. EO 0-08 SD 0-09. Luton, like the Empire, strike back through the boot of Shane Gallagher. Dympnas by two. McGlynn again. Stormed up the left wing, eluded three defenders and popped over a close range point. Liam Reale fields on the forty. Past one defender, through another and blasts the ball over the bar to leave the sides level after 45 mins of play. Gallagher pops over a fine point for Dympnas to give them the slenderest of leads. 14 mins left! Wasteful from Oxford. Three wides in a row in the last four minutes. 10 left, can Oxford save the game? Cometh the hour Cometh McGlynn! Piers levels the game with 8 mins left. EO 0-11 SD 0-11. Donnellan with a belter from 40 yards gives Oxford the lead for the first time since the tenth minute. 5 to go, can we hold on!? Dympnas free from 30 yards – Healy converts. Sides level 12 a piece. Long kick out to midfield. FitzGerald with a fine catch. FitzGerald on the forty passes to the corner, local born player Johnny McMahon thinks quickly and passes the ball soccer style to Liam Reale in a central position, Reale takes a shot…. Off the post! Donnellan collects, and throws a leg at it. It’s sailing, sailing Over the bar!!! John Conway is baying for the final whistle!EO 0-13 SD 0-12. J Conway baying for the final whistle! It’s over! Eire Og win by a point! Eire Og will play in the semi finals of the championship after this win today. Dympnas are out!
Final Score: Éire Óg 0-13 v St Dympnas 0-12
Éire Óg: 1. Ryan Davies 2. Paul O Sullivan 3. John O Brein 4. Eoin O Grady 5. Darren Cuddy 6. Johnny Harte 7. Stephen Mellon 8. Mark O Callaghan 9. Colm FitzGerald 10. Mark Hickey 11. JP Doyle 12. Piers McGlynn 13. Conor Briody 14. Mark Ryan 15. Liam Reale. Ralph Jones for Paul O Sullivan. Chris Donnellan for Mark Hickey.
St. Dympnas: 1. K Berry 2. N Prendergast 3. James McKenzie 4. Micky Nevin 5. Steve Doran 6. Andy Kelly 7. Brendan O Leary 8. Cormac Healy 9. Barry Flanagan 10. Aaron Jarvis 11. Luke Moloney 12. Sean McMonagle 13. Ciaran Gallen 14. Stephen Lavery 15. Shane Gallagher