Shine strike seals cup win for depleted Clonown side

A 27th minute drive by Niall Shine - which took a slight deflection en route to the roof of the net - proved enough to give a very much depleted Clonown Rovers a somewhat unexpected victory over Offaly"s Cloneygowan Celtic in the opening round of the Combined Counties Cup. Played in wet, windy and cold conditions, the elements perhaps added to the possibility of Division 3B Clonown springing an upset against a team which operates two divisions above, and the Athlone outfit didn"t disappoint, despite having to ride their luck on numerous occasions during a second half completely dominated by the visitors. The opening half had been a far more even contest with Clonown grabbing the game"s only goal moments before the half hour mark. Clonown often relied on resolute defending to cling to their narrow advantage, with defenders like the towering Paul Curley and Gerry Dunning deserving special mention for their solidity on the day. Clonown goalkeeper Colin Dunning was also the fore in the second half, as Clonown were pinned into their own half for long periods and just about managed to escape with a single goal win. Of the other Clonown players, Darren Lennon put in an admirable shift, while Silva also showed some good touches in the middle of the field. A handful of Clonown players had Gaelic football commitments on the day and missed out on this clash. And the loss of several important performers seemed to be affecting Clonown during the early stages. Cloneygowan forced a couple of early corner kicks but Clonown managed to stem the tide and slowly managed to get a foothold in the game. In the fifth minute, Kenny Macken slipped a neat ball through to Damien Heavin. Cloneygowan"s "keeper hesitated slightly and for a minute it looked as though Heavin might score, however, his eventual effort - under pressure from Cloneygowan defender Liam Gorman - dribbled harmlessly wide. Alan Shine then battled his way past several Cloneygowan defenders but his cross-goal effort was easily saved by Padraig Dineen. Damien Heavin then showed some good skill to set up Alan Shine, who was causing a few difficulties for Cloneygowan coming from the left side of midfield, but Shine"s shot was again comfortably gathered by Padraig Dineen. Clonown then felt they should have had a penalty kick when Kenny Macken was taken down from behind by Liam Boland. But referee Adriano Reale ascertained that Boland had won the ball and only awarded a corner kick. Clonown couldn"t believe their luck and to make matters worse, Kenny Macken was soon forced to leave the field injured as a result of Boland"s tough tackle. Up the other end, Boland was then extremely close with a long range effort that flew narrowly wide of Colin Dunning"s goal. The game then entered a very sloppy period with most the encounter taking place in the midfield area. In fairness to the pitch at Tormey Villas, it held up superbly despite some intense rainfall. Clonown then took the lead in the 27th minute. Silva managed to pierce the Cloneygowan defence and send Alan Shine through on goal, but Cloneygowan defender Damien Arnold did well to cover across from right back and clear the ball for a corner. Cloneygowan only managed to clear the corner to the edge of the penalty area where Niall Shine drove a well directed low shot at goal. His strike had plenty of venom but also took a deflection on its way to the roof of the net. The only other chance of a fairly low key first half came when Clonown defender Justin Lennon cleared Liam Boland"s free kick off the home side"s goal line. Cloneygowan set their stall out for the second half straight from the restart and went on to create several good situations throughout the contest. Early in the second half, Cloneygowan"s left back Patrick Rigney - the away side"s best performer - forced Colin Dunning to touch his fine effort over the crossbar. Seconds later, Fionan Dineen crossed from the right and Darren Monagher directed a decent header at the Clonown goal but this time the ball sailed fractionally over the top. Cloneygowan were well in control of proceedings but stout defending by Clonown kept their opponents at bay. To this end, the combination of Paul Curley and Grery Dunning did well, as did the two Clonown full backs, Shane Gavin and Justin Lennon. Cloneygowan made a double substitution on the hour mark as they continued to press forward in search of a crucial equaliser. In the 73rd minute, it almost arrived. The ball dropped invitingly for adventurous full back Patrick Rigney and his well struck drive looked set for the bottom corner of the Clonown goal before veering away from the target at the last minute. Clonown were still ahead and edging closer to a hard fought victory. "Keeper Colin Dunning dealt well with some dangerous balls into his area and also proved comfortable when turning Craig O"Halloran"s 87th minute strike around the post. From the resulting corner, a major scramble ensued inside Clonown"s danger area but the Athlone side produced some more brave defending and remained ahead. Liam Boland had a golden chance to draw Cloneygowan level in the final minute but his header from Craig O"Halloran"s well delivered corner was inches over the bar. It didn"t finish there though, as Clonown also needed a last ditch clearance by the hard working Darren Lennon deep into injury time to deny Cloneygowan"s O"Halloran an almost certain goal. In the end, the home side managed to hold on for a memorable win. Their commitment and defensive bravery got them over the line after Cloneygowan piled on the pressure in the second period. The Offaly men can feel deeply unsatisfied with the result as the very minimum they deserved was a shot at extra-time, however, Clonown (quarter-finalists last season) won"t pay too much attention to Cloneygowan"s grievances as they enter the second round draw. Clonown Rovers: Colin Dunning; Justin Lennon; Shane Gavin; Gerry Dunning; Paul Curley; Niall Shine; Darren Lennon; Kenny Macken; Alan Shine; Damien Heavin; Silva. Subs: Mark Shine for Macken (28 mins); Ger Killian for A. Shine (87). Cloneygowan Celtic: Padraig Dineen; Damien Arnold; Patrick Rigney; Liam Gorman; Dermot Guinan; Liam Boland; David Crombie; Fionan Dineen; Mark Gorman; Darren Monagher; Sean Gorman. Subs: Craig O"Halloran for Monagher (60 mins); Martin Nugent for M. Gorman (60). Referee: Adriano Reale.