Cullen/Lattin and Suirside advance to Tipperary Shield final

Rosegreen Rangers 1 – 2 Cullen Lattin
The visitors were warm favourites in this game as they try to add a Shield victory to their Second Division title won last weekend, but no one loves causing an upset as much as Rosegreen Rangers do, and they made the league champions fight all the way to the end of extra-time before going down by the odd goal in three.
The game was a good hard affair, with both sides happy to stand and trade blows, before the away team were fired to the front courtesy of a smashing effort to the top corner that gave the home keeper no chance.
That was the only goal of the first half, and as the second progressed the Rangers began to make enough headway, so that it wasn’t a surprise when they levelled matters in the 65th minute, when Jack Marshall headed to the net.
The game became tenser in the final twenty minutes as neither side wanted to make a mistake that could be very costly, so when the whistle blew at the end of the 90 minutes there was still nothing between the sides.
Tiring legs and tiring minds saw the teams unable to create a lot in the first half of the extra time period, and it looked very much like it would take penalties to separate the sides before the visitors snatched it at the death with a goal that came from a low shot from the edge of the area.
Rosegreen did try to hit back but the league winners cannily closed out the game and moved on to the final.

Suirside 3 – 2 St Nicholas
Suirside put some poor form of late out of their system with a three goals to nil win against St Nicholas to book a place in this year’s Division Two Shield final.
This was a really good cup tie, despite the final score. The home side were on it right from the first minute, opening the scoring thanks to a David Rencontre free kick that was rifled to the net from all of 30 yards out.
Two minutes later they had doubled that lead when great work by Simon Farrell saw him find Gavin Ryan whose header came back off the post, but was finished to the net from close range by John Darmody.
In complete charge now, the home side made in three goals to nil by the tenth minute when a goal mouth scramble saw the ball fall to Gavin Ryan and he made no mistake.
They were unlucky not to make it four just before the half hour mark when Ryan saw another effort hit the woodwork before being cleared to safety.
That was the last real chance to extend the lead in the first half, but the home side went to the break very satisfied with their performance.
The second half saw the away side start brighter and they created some good early chances. In the 58th minute they pulled a goal back when Aiden O’Riordan slotted home to put the game back into the melting pot.
The home side took control of the game again, but got caught for a second time two minutes from the end, when they conceded a penalty that was converted by O’Riordan to make it 3-2.
The time added on seemed to pass like hours, by a resolute home defence made sure that Suirside would be going to the final, by repelling everything thrown at them in that time.