Goals prove crucial as 14-man Tang triumph

Tang 2-10, Athlone 2-8

Kevin Egan

If you believe in the philosophy that tight games of football swing on a couple of key moments where luck is a big factor, then last Saturday evening’s senior championship match in Moate offered plenty of evidence to back up your theory.

Athlone carved out several goal chances in this game, and a small improvement in handpass accuracy could have seen them come away with five or six green flags. Even outside of that, there was Shane Allen’s late skyscraper kick that could have levelled the game but after much discussion among the officials, was deemed to be wide. Or there was Robert English’s goal for Tang, which required very sharp reflexes but was certainly improvised rather than crafted.

However, if you believe in the idea that a team will be rewarded for doing the right things consistently, and that good players find a way to prevail in tight finishes, then there was plenty of evidence to support that hypothesis in this game, too.

Perhaps – some might say probably – the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Athlone had enough possession and enough chances to win this game, but Tang’s greater sense of self-belief and trust in their system was also evident, and even after they were reduced to 14 men in the final quarter, their bravery and composure in big moments was crucial to their win.

From the start, this was a fascinating contest between two teams with very different styles. While Tang played a much more traditional game, looking to use the kicking game and get the ball into the hands of their shooters, Athlone leaned heavily on their ability to carry the ball into and through the tackle, and that yielded good results too.

Adam Neary set the tone by kicking Tang’s first two points, albeit he missed a couple of chances as well, while at the other end, Athlone caused chaos in the Tang defence and kicked points from close-range through Kian Mitchell and Ray Connellan.

A wonderfully patient Athlone attack hit paydirt when they worked the ball across the pitch, probing and stretching the Tang defence, before Ben Killian and Cillian Lynn injected that burst of pace, beating their men and setting up Kieran Colclough for a tap-in goal.

Playing into the breeze didn’t really discommode Athlone, and while Tang kicked ‘traditionally’ attractive points from John Rock, Shane Hanley and Thomas Lennon to get back in the game, Athlone looked that bit more threatening in front of goal. That was until a straightforward long ball over the top was fielded by Neary and blasted to the net on the run, giving the Longford-border club a 1-6 to 1-4 half-time lead.

It took a while for the game to catch fire after half-time, with a Neary mark the only score in the first ten minutes, but another excellent passing move saw Ben Killian make the net dance with a thunderous shot from a tight angle, and with the wind at their backs, the game was Athlone’s to win. Unfortunately, from their perspective, they never quite figured out how to use it.

Tang, in contrast, modified their play to suit the elements much better. Conall McKiernan and Jack Keenan punctured the Athlone defence with runs leading to a low shot from Keenan that looked set to fly across the goals, only for Robert English to stretch out his toe and divert the ball into the net.

Shane Allen, Mitchell and Donagh Prendergast all pointed to tie the game up at 2-7 apiece, and as the clock moved into the last ten minutes, two yellow cards from Barry Nea were to have a significant bearing. One was shown to English, and as it was his second of the game, it meant Tang finished up with 14 men.

The second was one from the end of the first half, shown to Athlone defender Patrick Ryan. Carrying that yellow took a little bit of edge off his marking, and it showed in the latter stages as Neary kicked two points for Tang either side of a close-range reply from Daniel Reid, before one last lung-bursting run saw Neary set up McKiernan for the final score of the game.

For the second time in this championship, Tang found a way to win a tight game. For Athlone, the need to find a way to engineer some sort of positive result grows greater, as their strong league form fades into memory.

Player of the match: Adam Neary (Tang). There were plenty of battle-hardened warriors on the Tang side that played their part in the victory - Conall McKiernan, Shane Hanley, Jack Keenan and Ronan Hanley all come to mind – but ultimately, the game is about scoring more than your opposition. Neary took on the responsibility of leading the scoring charge for Tang, and he delivered. He continued to chip in late in the game, when the red card for Robert English meant that he was invariably double or even treble marked. Kieran Colclough, Noel Mulligan and Shane Allen were the most impressive performers on the Athlone side.

Talking point: There will be no shortage of regrets on the Athlone side, but when the post mortem on this defeat is completed, the decision to move Ray Connellan from midfield up into the forward line at the start of the second half will make for tough viewing. It wasn’t just that the Westmeath star didn’t make the desired impact up front. His absence from the centre, as well as that of veteran John Stapleton, was a key factor in Tang winning four clean midfield marks in the second half, including big possessions earned by Jack Keenan and Shane Hanley late on.

SCORERS - Tang: A Neary 1-5 (0-2f, 0-1m); R English 1-1; J Rock, S Hanley, T Lennon, C McKiernan 0-1 each. Athlone: K Colclough 1-1; B Killian 1-0; K Mitchell 0-2; S Allen 0-2 (2f); R Connellan, D Prendergast, D Reid 0-1 each.

Tang: Owen Coughlan; Kieran Duncan, Eoghan Bannon, Conall McKiernan; John Rock, Ronan Hanley, Jason Coughlan; Ciarán Clear, Robert English; Jack Keenan, Aidan Burke, Shane Coughlan; Adam Neary, Shane Hanley, Martin Rock. Subs used: Thomas Lennon for S Coughlan (20), Shane Keenan for Clear (41), Ian Coughlan for Burke (57).

Athlone: Darren Costello; Owen McNamara, James Finlass, Patrick Ryan; Shane Allen, Diarmuid Martin, Noel Mulligan; John Stapleton, Ray Connellan; Kieran Colclough, Ben Killian, Conor Rushe; Cillian Lynn, Kian Mitchell, Benny Martin. Subs used: Eamon Martin for Stapleton (h-t), Donagh Prendergast for Rushe (36), Daniel Reid for Killian (41), Seán Dowd for Martin (55).

Referee: Barry Nea.