Feis Cup final: Donaghmore-Ashbourne deliver in extra time
September 07, 2016
Donaghmore Ashbourne's Andy Tormey with Stephen Moran Simonstown during the Feis Cup final in Dunganny
Donaghmore-Ashbourne claimed the JMB Sportsfield Services Feis Cup with a dramatic extra win over Simonstown Gaels at Dunganny on Tuesday night
Donaghmore-Ashbourne 1-17 Simonstown Gaels 1-14 (after extra time)
Simonstown looked set to claim the premier knockout competition when leading by four points in stoppage time. Top scorer Michael 'Deegan pulled a point back for 14-man Donaghmore-Ashbourne..
Then in the fifth minute of added time Andrew Tormey netted a close range free aided by at least one deflection off a Simonstown defender. That left it 1-13-each after the hour. It tied the scores for the sixth and final time over the course of the night.
Restored to their full-compliment for the additional 20 minutes, Donaghmore-Ashbourne kicked-on to secure the silverware for the fourth time. The previous successes came under the Donaghmore banner with the most recent being in 1945.
Donaghmore Ashbourne - Feis Cup winners
In a game decorated by many brilliant scores, particularly during the opening 30 minutes, two major events occured the 40-minute mark. First, Simonstown captain and top scorer Pauric McKeever punished dithering in the Donaghmore-Ashbourne defence with a goal from close range
That levelled it at 1-7 to 0-10. Moments later Donaghmore-Ashbourne had goalkeeper Jack Hannigan sent-off. Over the next 15 minutes Simonstown outscored their opponents by 0-6 to 0-2 and seemed set to win.
One of Shane O'Rourke's three points from play was the pick of the scores in this phase that included four Simonstown scores on the spin. Two Michael Deegan frees kept the east county side in contention.
Success seemed to have by-passed Donaghmore-Ashbourne as their wide count mounted in the final quarter. It included two close range Deegan frees. That four-point Simonstown surge between the 54th and 58th minutes seemed to have settled matters.
However, numerically deficient Donaghmore-Ashbourne rallied to force extra time during which they outscored Simonstown by 0-4 to 0-1. Playing towards the pavilion end the men in green and white posted three points without reply in the first-half to lead by 1-16 to 1-13.
As the extended evening seemed to take its toll on some of the Simonstown players, Donaghmore-Ashbourne played 'keep-ball' to good effect and prevailed.
There were split loyalties in the Barry household with Sean at the helm of Donaghmore-Ashbourne along with Sean Kelly. Meanwhile his son Shane lined out at midfield for Simonstown.
From one Donaghmore Ashbourne man to another. County Board Chairman Conor Tormey presents the Feis Cup to Bryan Menton
The sides were level three times in the first 10 minutes. Simonstown led twice in the opening quarter, but Donaghmore-Ashbourne, aided by the breeze, upped a gear heading towards the break to lead by four points on two occasions.
Wastefulness and over-elaboration looked likely to prove costly as Simonstown halved the deficit with points from McKeever (free) and O'Rourke. A Deegan free closed the first-half scoring as Donaghmore-Ashbourne reached half-time leading by 0-9 to 0-6.
An Andrew Tormey point (45) improved matters for Donaghmore-Ashbourne within a minute of the restart. Simonstown's spell in the ascendancy that saw then outscore their opponents by 1-7 to 0-2 in 22 minutes began when Conor Nash placed Conor Sheridan for a point.
Donaghmore-Ashbourne - Jack Hannigan; Thomas McGovern, Cormac McGill, Paul Gilligan (0-1); Daragh McGovern (0-1), Shane Melia, Sean Curran; Conor Carey, James Colgan;Cathal Field (0-1), David Morgan (0-1), Bryan Menton (C); Dylan Brady (0-1), Andrew Tormey (1-2, 1-0 f, 0-1 45), Michael Deegan (0-10, 5fs). Subs - Andrew Colgan for Morgan (40), Conor Carton for Field (43), Eoghan Riordan for Carey (52), Ciaran Ellis for Colgan (56). Extra-time - David Morgan returned to restore full compliment, Aidan Hughes for Carey. Subs in extra time - Ciaran Ellis for Colgan (79).
Simonstown - Robert Burlingham; Shane Gallagher, Michael O'Rourke, Stephen Moran (0-1); Brian McGrath, Brian Conlon, Niall Kane; Shane O'Rourke (0-3), Shane Barry; Joe Lyons, Conor Nash (0-1), Mark McCabe (0-1); Pauric McKeever (C) (1-5, 0-3fs), Conor Sheridan (0-3), Eanna Donoghue. Subs - Seamus Kenny for Lyons (ht), Michael Brennan for Barry (40), Niall McMahon for Donoghue (44), Mark Gardiner for Moran (54), Ian O'Rourke for McGrath (60). Subs in extra time - Lyons for Brennan (70), Ben Hoey for McCabe (75).
Referee - Colm McManus (Gaeil Colmcille)
