First Half power show from Clyda ends our hurling aspirations
August 23, 2019
A power show from Clyda Rovers in the 1st period put paid to our aspirations for Junior Hurling honours in this year’s Avondhu Junior A championship when they blitzed us in the first half, and built up an unassailable lead that we could not recover from thereafter.
Clyda were first to score in the very first minute and got their second point immediately afterwards. Mikey O Connor, who went on to have a very fine game, got our opening score from a free in the 4th minute before Clyda got their 3rd point from a free in the 5th minute. Eddie Cotter was foiled as he raced in on goal with a last gasp hook as Eddie sought an early goal, but he shot was parried out for a 65, which Liam Cronin converted The game was even in the 9th minute when Liam converted a free. Padraig Looney saw a fine shot of his produce a good save from the Clyda Rovers custodian and Clyda went up the field to score a point, in the 13th minute, which was a big swing. Every ruck situation now, and in and around midfield, the physicality of the Clyda players was very important, and time after time, they came out with the ball. That was their platform for pin point passes into their full forward line in particular where they wreaked havoc with their power and movement. They scored their fifth point in the 16th minute and their sixth from a free in the 20th.
The 10 minute period before the break is when the Killavullen season unravelled. Clyda hit us for points in the 21st minute, from a free in the 22nd and then, they intercepted a mis-hit puck out, and despite a valiant attempt by Mick in our goals, the ball crept over the line. This was in the 23rd minute, and now we were down, 1-08 to 0-03 and Clyda were dominating in a lot of areas of the field. They rattled off 4 more points in the next four minutes, 3 from play, with the pick of these being a point from Seamus Roynane from distance. Shell shocked, we conceded two more points before the interval to trail badly at the break on a score of 1-14 to 0-03 and all we could hope for was a fighting response in the second half.
We missed 3 scoring chances right at the start of the second half, and Clyda were first to score in the 5th minute to further extend their lead. Mikey O Connor started the fight back with point from a dead ball situation in the 9th minute but Clyda with a lot of people behind the ball now, were hard to break down, and willingly created ruck situations, where, with their strength, they invariably came out with the ball. The scored again before Jack O Connor put a ball between the posts for us in the 16th minute, and followed up with a similar score in the 17th minute. Mikey, his brother lofted a point over for us in the 19th minute and we also got the next two points from Liam Cronin and Eoin Buckley. We were now started to play the way we can, and looked good, but Clyda are a wily experienced team, and never left us get near their goal to threaten for a green flag. Clyda scored in the 27th minute but Ian O Gorman scored a free for us, which he earned for himself. Mikey O Connor scored another free in the 32nd minute that Clyda answered before we had the final score of the game from Liam Cronin, from another free. So our goose was cooked for 2019 and in a year where we made considerable progress in the Junior A ranks, Clyda showed what a formidable side they are, what the standard to seek is, and why they will take a seriously good team to stop them in the final.
The team and those that scored were;
- Michael Cronin
- Pa Sheahan
- Kevin Fox
- Fionn Magner
- Sean O Regan
- Eoghan Buckley (0-01)
- Mike Fresh
- Liam Cronin (0-04, 0-03F)
- Eddie Cotter
- Paul O Sullivan
- Billy Norris
- Jack O Connor (0-02)
- Mikey O Connor (0-04, 0-03F)
- Ian O Gorman (0-01F)
- Padraig Looney
Substitutes;
- Seamus Fox for Mike Fresh
- Liam Fox for Fionn Magner
- Gary Lane for Paul O Sullivan
Before the game, there was a perfectly observed minutes silence for the late Billy Bohan.