Rosemount face relegation decider as Tubberclair maintain winning ways

ROSEMOUNT must do battle with near neighbours Caulry in this year"s intermediate relegation play-off after suffering a single point defeat at the hands of table toppers Tubberclair at Lakepoint Park, Mullingar, last Friday. Rosemount required victory in this their final group match to stand any chance of avoiding a relegation decider but despite producing arguably their best football of this year"s campaign - and leading by three points at the interval - Tubberclair eventually proved marginally too strong on this occasion. The stakes will now be very high when Rosemount meet Caulry in a relegation dogfight, with the losers dropping into junior football for next year"s campaign. Tubberclair were still without the injured Fergal Wilson while Ian Coffey was named at left full-forward, taking over from Daniel Sammon, who started last time out against Shandonagh. Robert Buckley was named at full-back with Enda Dooley starting at right full-back and Michael Healion losing out. Liam Doogan started at left full-back in place of David O"Brien. John Keane was back in his full-back role, while Patrick Boland, centre-back Tom King, David Malynn and full-forward Martin Loddick were in for Stephen Darcy, Anthony Kelly, Shane Tone and Cyril Elliffe. Rosemount needed just eleven seconds to open their account when Donal Boland won the ball from the throw-in and Danny Fielding sent the ball between the posts. David Tone set up Fielding for a second but his shot dropped short and was caught by Gary Connaughton. Fielding then converted a well taken free after David Tone was fouled. Donal Boland went close to finding a third before Tubberclair got to grips with the situation and scored three unanswered points. All three came in quick succession with James Martin sending over a "45 after the Rosemount goalkeeper failed to keep the ball in play. John Reid then played a major role in setting up Francis Spollen to split the posts. And Paul O"Brien would soon work some space on the left wing before setting up Ian Coffey to score. Rosemount came back strongly, though. Indeed, they registered five points without reply and looked on course for a positive outcome. David Tone pointed from play, Danny Fielding sent over a free after being fouled, and he added another after Cathal Keane was pulled down. Cathal Keane added another point from play before Fielding brought his side"s tally to seven. A Jeffrey Farrell free a minute before half-time left the scoreboard reading 0-7 to 0-4 in Rosemount"s favour at the interval. However, Rosemount would fail to score again until the last five minutes of the game. John Reid and Jeffrey Farrell quickly reduced the margin for Tubberclair, before a Niall Walker point from the left wing had the sides level. A goal from Francis Spollen with six minutes remaining dealt a major body blow to Rosemount"s ambitions, but last year"s junior champions refused to back down. Cathal Keane sent over a free and also contributed another from play. A dangerous free kick position offered itself for Rosemount in the dying moments when Declan Mullen was fouled just inches outside the square, but Keane settled for a point with two minutes of injury time already played. Scorers: Tubberclair - F Spollen 1-1, J Farrell 0-2 (1f), J Martin 0-1 (45"), N Walker, D Cassells, J Reid and I Coffey 0-1 each. Rosemount - D Fielding 0-5 (4f), C Keane 0-4 (2f), D Tone 0-1. Tubberclair: Gary Connaughton; Enda Dooley; Robert Buckley; Liam Doogan; Bernard Cassells; James Martin; Niall Walker; Thomas Doogan; Jeffrey Farrell; Rory Walsh; John Reid; Michael Hopkins; Paul O"Brien; Francis Spollen; Ian Coffey. Subs: Stephen Fagan for Dooley (38 mins), Danny Sammon for O"Brien (39), David Cassells for Walsh (49), Conor Elliott for Hopkins (54). Rosemount: Richie O"Brien; Peter Keenan; John Keane; Paddy Wade; Patrick Boland; Tom King; Ronald Mullen; Donal Boland; Declan Keane; David Malynn; Cathal Keane; Danny Fielding; Declan Mullen; Martin Loddick; David Tone. Subs: Shane Tone for Keenan (30 mins), James Geoghegan for Fielding (44), Cyril Elliffe for D Tone (56), Stephen Doran for Boland (58). Referee: Robert Cornally.