Two Tipperary sides advance to third round of Munster Shield

Munster Shield (2nd Round)

St Nicholas 1 – 3 Ballingarry Albion

This game started out very evenly with both sides probing the other looking for chinks, but the the first real chance came in the 14th minute when a free kick to the hosts taken by Declan O’Riordan looked like it was heading to the net, only to be clawed away by a brilliant save from the visiting keeper.

Eight minutes later Jamie Buckley fired a pinpoint cross into the area but Paddy Fitzgerald was just inches away from applying the finishing touch as Sologhead looked like they were about to go in front.

This was the last of the clear chances in the first half and the teams went to the break level at 0-0.

It took 13 minutes in the second half for the deadlock to finally be broken, and when it was it was scored by Jason Sutton who gave the hosts the lead their play deserved.

Well in control now, the home side lost the influential Paddy Fitzgerald in the 65thminute to an injury, and this seemed to shift the momentum of the game back towards the visitors. Three minutes later Eoin Burke scored the equalising goal with a good finish from a cross into the area, and ten minutes later they took the lead when Ryan Hicks scored from close in.

The game was nip and tuck after this as St Nicholas’s tried everything to get back level, but in the final minutes they conceded a third goal to Eoin Pollard on a breakaway which ensured that it would be Albion heading into the next round of the competition.

Cahir Park 5 – 0 Two Mile Borris

This started off a very even game with both teams having a number of half chances to score in the first twenty minutes, but a devastating nine minute spell for the home side made sure that they would be going into the draw for the next round of the Shield.

After the initial probing had been done, the Park finally opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, thanks to a brilliant long range effort from David Clifford, that gave the Borris keeper no chance between the posts.

And he was hardly over the concession of that effort when another long range shot, this time from James Darcy doubled the home side’s lead.

Two minutes after the half hour mark, Liam Murphy added a third, to turn what might have been a tight affair for the home side, into a much more comfortable game.

Leading by 3-0 at the break, the home side sat back a little in the early part of the second period, drawing Borris on to them, and almost paid the price on the hour mark, when Oisin Lavin was forced into a brilliant save to preserve his sides advantage.

This stirred the home side again however and they added a fourth when Dean Fitzwater found the net 15 minutes from the end.

A fifth arrived some minutes after to put a gloss on what was a very good performance by Cahir on the day.