Shine shows the way as clinical Clann sink wasteful Elphin side

After a battle that went to the final minutes in Hyde Park a week ago, Clann na nGael and Elphin met once again, this time in Kiltoom, to decide the final place in the Roscommon Championship semi-finals. Minutes before the teams took to the pitch, Padraig Pearses edged past Kilmore to snatch their place in the semi-finals. Of course, the Pearses men gathered in the stand at Kiltoom to get a look at their potential opponents in the next round. The Pearses team and the large crowd that gathered were treated to a fast and exciting display of football as Clann na nGael secured their most Senior Championship victory in the knockout stages in five years. Conditions on Saturday evening in Kiltoom can only be described as perfect as the rain held off for once. Clann knew they would have to keep an eye on Elphin forwards Colm Rock and Fintan Cregg, who were the sources for many of Clann"s problems in Hyde Park. Rock"s efforts were dampened apart from some sparse flourishes in front of the post, but Fintan Cregg was yet again Elphin"s main instigator in the forward line. For Clann"s part, practically every player showed improvement in performance from that of the game in the Hyde. Brian Goode, in the centre of the pitch, involved himself in a much bigger way on a narrower Kiltoom pitch, whilst David Flynn raised his game even further than last week. Along with Flynn in the backline, Niall McManus made it very difficult for Elphin"s forwards. Elphin"s failings combined with Clann"s efficiency can be obviously seen in the statistics as Clann only registered one wide from the entire 60 minutes. This was in stark contrast to Elphin"s 14 wides. Those statistics are a strong indication of the free-taking abilities of Donal Shine, whose performance can only be described as immaculate. Shine pointed every free he took and when moved to midfield by Enon Gavin, his contribution became even more effective. In the Clann forward line, Matt Scally picked up where he left off in the Hyde giving the Elphin defence plenty of trouble. Once again the teams swapped scores for the opening half of the game, although it was Elphin who grabbed the first point as Kevin Brady found Brian Higgins in space. Higgins made no mistake, pointing from 40 yards. Cathal Shine, rewarded for his excellent performance in the first tie with a starting place, made an immediate impact as he found the on-rushing Niall McManus with a hand-pass. McManus was fouled on his path to goal, giving Donal Shine the opportunity for his first point of the game. The classy forward obliged, opening his account for the game. Fintan Cregg announced his presence with an excellent point just eight minutes into the game, beating four Clann players, before dropping the ball over the bar. Both Matt Scally and Enda Kenny got their names on the scoreboard early in the first half, taking the point-scoring pressure of Donal Shine, an indication of how much Clann had raised their game, sharing the scores out among their forwards. For the first time over the two games, Clann took control just before half-time as Donal Shine added a further two frees to his tally, leaving Clann two points to the good at the break. Just before the interval, however, Elphin should have found the net. Clann were left to thank Ronan O"Reilly, who raced out of his goal to deflect a low shot from Eanna Tiernan. Elphin came out in buoyant mood for the second half, but it was their lack of precision which would let them down. The difference in Clann"s performance was that this time the south Roscommon side responded each time Elphin tried to lift their game. Two Donal Shine scores, one on his left boot from play and another from yet another free, restored Clann"s lead. Clann were not in the business of wasting opportunities in this tie as they ruthlessly snatched every opportunity given to them. Mid-way through the half, Clann were very lucky to keep all 15 men on the field as David Kelly blatantly charged into Elphin midfielder Brian Higgins as he raced through the middle of the park. Kelly received a yellow card for the challenge. For the first time in the tie, Elphin"s John Collins answered the cry of the Elphin faithful as he began to make his mark on the game, keeping Elphin in touch with Clann. However, it was substitute Darragh Lennon who grabbed a crucial Clann score with just seven minutes remaining, maintaining the two point advantage. Lennon from 40 yards squeezed his effort over the bar and just inside the near post; it was an inspiring point from Clann"s minor star who made a great impact on the game. The tie was set up for a dramatic home stretch. With over five minutes of injury time to play, the north Roscommon side made one last dash for a win, and they came extremely close. John Collins found the on-rushing substitute Frankie Cregg with an excellent pass after a swift move down the right wing. Clann can once again thank Ronan O"Reilly who charged out of his goal to parry Cregg"s shot away safely. From the resulting save, Clann moved quickly up the pitch where David Kelly made no mistake with a most gratifying score, as the Clann staff and substitutes burst out of their dugout in joy. This was a famous victory for Clan and credit must go to Enon Gavin. The Clann manager seems to have put Clann on the right track after many years of disappointment. His decision to include a more effective Enda Kenny and Cathal Shine proved the correct one as this added spice to a Clann forward line that had looked lacklustre at times during the previous tie. Clann will be hard to beat this year, especially after securing a victory, which had been sought after for so long in Johnstown. Clann na nGael: 1.Ronan O"Reilly, 2.Kenneth Dowling, 3.Denis Gavin, 4.Ray Fallon, 17.Ollie Harney, 6.David Flynn, 7. Niall McManus, 8.Gary Shine, 9.Brian Goode, 10.Enda Kenny (0-1), 11.Matt Scally (0-1), 20.Cathal Shine, 13.Donal Shine (0-7, 6f), 14.Jonathan Dunning, 15.David Kelly (0-1). Subs used: 23. Sean Walshe (30mins), Paul Bruce (54mins), 22. Darragh Lennon (30mins) (0-1), 12. Mark Shine (38mins). Elphin: 1.Shane Reynolds, 17.Daire Neary, 3.Ronan Brady, 4.Brendan Neary, 5.Michael Clancy, 6.Paddy O"Connor, 7.Gerard Brady, 8.Brian Higgins (0-1), 9.Shane Tiernan, 10.Niall Travers, 11.John Collins (0-3, 2f), 12.Kevin Brady, 13.Fintan Cregg (0-3, 1f), 14.Colm Rock (0-1), 15.Eanna Tiernan. Subs used: Martin Travers (47mins), Shane Beirne (41mins), Frankie Cregg (53mins). Referee: Vivian Hardiman.