Boherlahan Dualla squeeze past Shannon Rovers to book county final date

FBD Insurance Junior B County Football Championship Semi Final

BOHERLAHAN DUALLA 0-7

SHANNON ROVERS 1-3

Eoin MoLoughney’s 60th minute point helped Boherlahan through to the final of this years FBD County Junior B Football championship when they defeated fourteen man Shannon Rovers at sunny Templederry last Saturday.

In a game of very poor standard, the art of kicking from the hand appears to a dying art and the only positive from the game was MoLoughney’s three scores after the Boherlahan attacker arrived on the scene in the 43rd minute. On the balance of time, Boherlahan deserved the win which could have been won with more ease due it the number of guilt edge chances missed from close to goal especially in the second half.

But then Shannon Rovers followers will admit they had their chances too especially when they dominated the opening quarter when leading by five points at 1-2 to 0-1.

Conal Moran opened the scoring for Rovers with a third minute free and one minute later Oisin McMahon had the ball in the Boherlahan net. With continued pressure, Rovers increased their lead to five after Eamon Hough kicked over the bar.

Boherlahan had moments but had to wait until the ninth minute before they opened their account with a Colm O’Dwyer free. Paddy Heenan replied with a well taken score before Colm O’Dwyer doubled his tally with another free in the 17th minute.
Scoring opportunities were very rare except for two guilt edge chances produced by Boherlahan’s Mark Downey who replaced James Murphy in the 24 th minute and at half time it was 1-3 to 0-2.

When play resumed for the second half it was Boherlahan who looked the more dangerous with Tomas Ryan pushing Rovers keeper Niall Cahalan to make a great save in the 31st minute.

Five minutes late Colm O’Dwyer cut the margin to three with his third pointed free. The scoring ended momentarily as both defences held sway before Boherlahan closed the gap with a brace of scores in the 49th and 50th minute through Eoin Moloughney (free) and John Ryan. Tipperary star George Hannigan didn’t start but he came on in the 43rd minute and eight minutes later he received a red card.

He was a loss and two minutes later the sides were level through Moloughney. Numerical advantage was a help to Boherlahan and they came in waves for the match winning score before Moloughney grabbed the match winner on the hour which put them into the final against the winners of Kilruane MacDonaghs or Cappawhite.

Teams & Scorers: Boherlahan Dualla: E Moloughney 0-3 (0-1f); C O’Dwyer 0-3 (0-3f); J Ryan 0-1.

Shannon Rovers: Oisin McMahon 1-0; C Moran 0-1 (free); E Hough and P Heenan 0-1 each.

Boherlahan Dualla: Darragh Lacy; Ned Ryan, Tomas Bourke (capt), Laurance Devane; John Ryan, Brian Carrig, Euan Ryan; Martin Paul O’Dwyer, Colm O’Dwyer 0-3 (0-3f), James Kirby; Thomas Ryan, Seamus Leahy, Cathal Darcy. Subs: Mark Downey for Downey (24); Eoin Moloughney for Kirby (43); Padraic O’Connor for E Ryan (53).

Shannon Rovers: Niall Cahalan; Kieran O’Sullivan (Capt), Matt Tierney, James O’Sullivan; Oisin McMahon, Padraig O’Meara, Emmett Moran; Austin Tierney, Andrew Byrnes; Marcus Esmonde, Eamon Hough, John O’Meara; Alan Hannigan, Conal Moran, Paddy Heenan.
Subs: George Hannigan for Heenan (43); Sean Moran for McMahon (53); Vincent Mulvihill for J O’Meara 53).

Referee: David Grogan (Aherlow)