Late drama as Shandonagh edge out neighbours Milltown

Shandonagh 3-10, Milltown 1-12

By Shane King

The intermediate football championship kicked off in dramatic fashion at Ballymore GAA grounds on Saturday evening as local rivals Milltown and Shandonagh went head-to-head in a hotly anticipated clash.

Relegated from the senior ranks last year, Shandonagh entered the tie as favourites while Milltown, keen to go one better than last year’s final replay heartbreak, looked the sharper side for much of the contest despite missing key man Conor Dillon, ruled out with an ACL injury picked up during Westmeath’s Leinster championship campaigne.

Leading by three points as the clock ticked into the 29th minute, Milltown seemed poised to claim a deserved victory. But in a dramatic late twist, the new FRC rules turned the tide. A quickly taken Shandonagh free led to a goal that drew the sides level before a costly breach of the 4 v 3 defensive setup gifted them a 21-metre free, which was duly converted. From the ensuing kickout, Shandonagh struck with a decisive goal, snatching a four-point win from the jaws of defeat in the dying moments.

The tone was set early with a high-tempo and physical opening period. Ryan Donnelly opened the scoring from a free after Conor McCrossan was pushed in the back. Milltown responded quickly in the third minute through a well-taken score from Jarlaith Boyce.

Shandonagh nearly struck a goal shortly after when Danny Scahill latched onto a well-placed ball from Kevin Boyne, only to see his effort flash wide. Moments later, Brian Kavanagh delivered a good ball to Donnelly who settled for his second point, in a strong start for the men in navy and blue.

Despite enjoying more possession in the early exchanges, Shandonagh were wasteful in front of goal, hitting four wides and dropping another effort into the keeper’s hands in the opening ten minutes.

Milltown gradually took control from here. Conor Gibney fired over after a neat pass from Daire Hynes, who added a score of his own shortly after to give Milltown the lead. Wing-back Matt Gunning was very influential in the Milltown attack throughout the game and set up Conor Lynn for a fisted point in the 16th minute. Jack Murtagh extended the lead with a well-worked point from outside the ‘D’ moments later.

Shandonagh failed to register another score before half-time, with Milltown defending well and disrupting any attacking rhythm. The tight dimensions of the Ballymore pitch made kickouts a battle, with both teams struggling to secure clean primary possession.

Just before the break, Luke Gunning added to Milltown’s tally with a point that bounced on the ground before flying over the black spot, sending his side into the interval with a 0-6 to 0-2 lead.

Shandonagh started the second half brightly, with Brian Kavanagh converting a free in the opening minute. Milltown’s halftime substitution, Jack Duncan, quickly made an impression, splitting the posts after linking up with Tommy Lynn.

Kavanagh responded again from a placed ball, but Milltown looked to have regained control when a slick move involving Duncan and Lynn ended with Dylan Murtagh palming the ball into the net following a precise handpass across the face of the goalposts. That blow was softened for Shandonagh when McCrossan raised the game’s first orange flag with an excellent two-pointer, before Donnelly curled over another free to reduce the gap to three. Conor Lynn pointed at the other end to steady Milltown, but McCrossan struck again with a superb point from the ground while sliding to keep his side in touch.

Milltown continued to look the more fluid side in attack however, as Jack Murtagh restored their cushion with a two-pointer of his own, and Duncan added another from play. Milltown moved six clear here and appeared to be closing in on a vital win.

But Shandonagh had other plans as Darren McWade drove forward and offloaded to Maitiu Scally, who calmly fired the ball to the net to revive Shandonagh’s challenge. Cormac Gordan then added a well-taken point to leave just two between the sides.

Milltown responded by controlling possession deep in their own half, trying to run down the clock. That spell ended with Paddy Somers curling over a composed point to make it a three-point game heading into added time.

However, the game flipped on its head in dramatic fashion. After McWade was fouled, Shandonagh took the free quickly, and corner-back Darren Bitu surged forward with a solo run before laying the ball off to Maitiu Scally, who rifled home his second goal to level the match.

In the preceding attack, Milltown ran into trouble as they pushed beyond the halfway line but left fewer than four defenders behind resulting in a violation of the new 4 v 3 rule. Referee Enda Kenny brought play back, awarding a 20 metre free which Kavanagh converted to give Shandonagh the lead for the first time since early in the match.

Milltown faced further problems as the kickout was collected inside the 40-metre arc, resulting in another free against them, in which Eoin Conlon made full use of the solo and go rule, making a quick run into the open space and blasting to the net to seal a remarkable 3-10 to 1-12 victory.

For Milltown, it was a brutal defeat after a largely disciplined and well-structured performance in which they looked set for a deserved win. For Shandonagh, the victory, albeit snatched in dramatic fashion, could prove crucial as the competitive section ‘A’ group stage unfolds.

Both sides will take plenty from the game, but it's Shandonagh who walk away with the two points and a valuable reminder of just how decisive the new rules can be in tight encounters.

Scorers - Shandonagh: R Donnelly 0-3 (2f), B Kavangh 0-3 (3f), C McCrossan 0-3 (1 2pt), M Scally 2-0, E Conlon 1-0 and C Gordon 0-1.

Milltown: J.Murtagh 0-3 (1 2pt), J Duncan 0-2, C Lynn 0-2, D Murtagh 1-0, J Boyle 0-1, C Gibney 0-1, D. Hynes 0-1, L Gunning 0-1 and P Somers 0-1.

Shandonagh: Cian Molloy, Darren Bitu, Ben Treanor, Brendan Killian, Gareth Carr, Danny Scahill, Daire Conway, Aaron Craig, Caelum Faughnam, Cathal Craig, Kevin Boyne, Luke Tynan, Conor McCrossan, Ryan Donnelly and Brian Kavanagh.

Subs used: Darren McWade (27), Maitiu Scally (38), Cormac Gordan (42), Eoin Conlon (48) and Cormac Coyne (57).

Milltown: Damian Byrne, Diarmuid Maguire, Bernard Kiernan, Sean Dillon, Matt Gunning, Conor Gibney, Tommy Lynn, Dylan Murtagh, Jack Murtagh, Daire Hynes, Paddy Somers, Jarlaith Boyce, Luke Gunning, Conor Lynn and Ben McGauran.

Subs used: Jack Duncan (HT), Peter Ballesty (59) and Sean Somers (61).

Referee: Enda Kenny (Ballinagore).