Fethard survive almighty scare to edge Ennistymon in dramatic Munster Junior hurling clash

AIB Munster Junior A Hurling Championship Quarter-Final

Fethard 1-13

Ennistymon 2-9

Fethard edged a turgid but hard-fought Munster Junior A Hurling Championship quarter-final by the skin of their teeth in Ennistymon on Saturday afternoon, surviving a spirited second-half revival from the Clare side to book their place in the provincial semi-finals.

In a game desperately lacking in forward quality, played in incessant drizzle in North Clare, the Tipperary champions looked to be cruising towards victory before completely losing their way after the restart.

However, a priceless Ryan Walsh goal in the closing stages ultimately proved decisive, with the Fethard captain finishing from close range after excellent work from Conor Neville to rescue his side from an increasingly precarious position.

Ennistymon came into the provincial competition despite only reaching the quarter-final stage of the Clare Junior A Hurling Championship.

The North Clare outfit earned the right to represent the Banner by virtue of being the only first team to progress that far in the county championship, with the remaining sides at that stage being second-string outfits.

However, they certainly demonstrated plenty of fighting spirit in the second half to push the Tipperary champions all the way.

Ennistymon had fought back from a five-point half-time deficit to draw level, and even after Walsh's intervention, Fethard were left sweating when Macdara O'Keeffe goaled from a close-range free deep into injury time.

Thankfully for the large travelling Fethard support, referee Niall Fahy sounded the final whistle from the resulting puck-out, sparking jubilant celebrations in the stand.

The opening half was a difficult watch, with both sides struggling to cope with the slippery conditions and a succession of poor deliveries and misplaced passes.

Fethard were certainly the more clinical outfit, however, establishing a 0-4 to 0-0 advantage after 22 minutes as Ennistymon struggled badly to manufacture meaningful scoring opportunities.

The Clare side's first score eventually arrived in the 24th minute through an O'Keeffe free, brought forward following Fethard dissent.

Fethard were hardly setting the world alight themselves, but excellent long-range points from Jody Sheahan and Charlie Walsh helped them establish a commanding advantage.

Walsh was particularly impressive from distance, landing two fine efforts as the Tipperary champions gradually stretched their lead.

Ennistymon eventually found some rhythm approaching the interval, with Padraic O'Dwyer and Joshua Vaughan finding the target, but Fethard still held a healthy 0-8 to 0-3 advantage at the break.

The hosts had reached only the quarter-final stage of the Clare Junior A Championship, but qualified to represent the county as the last remaining first team in that competition.

And on the evidence of their first-half display, they appeared unlikely to trouble the Tipperary champions.

Fethard resumed brightly, with Danny Barry converting frees either side of a Liam Cotter point to establish a 0-10 to 0-4 advantage after five second-half minutes.

However, the visitors subsequently retreated into their shell, allowing Ennistymon to gradually wrestle control of proceedings.

O'Keeffe landed a free in the 43rd minute before a disastrous defensive error presented the Clare side with a golden opportunity three minutes later.

Fethard corner-back Liam Kiely gathered a long delivery but, while falling under pressure, attempted to offload possession and inadvertently found substitute Dara McNamara.

Goalkeeper Brian Delahunty was left with little option but to foul the advancing forward, conceding a penalty which O'Keeffe emphatically dispatched into the top corner.

It was the lifeline Ennistymon desperately needed, and suddenly their tails were up.

O'Keeffe followed with an excellent point from play before Padraic O'Dwyer added another to bring the sides level, with all the momentum now firmly behind the hosts.

Fethard desperately needed a response, and their captain duly delivered.

A long delivery from Luke Lacey saw Conor Neville break possession under pressure before gathering and driving towards goal from an acute angle.

With defenders converging, Neville showed tremendous awareness to flick the ball across to Walsh, who made no mistake in batting home from close range.

It was a moment of genuine attacking quality in an otherwise scrappy contest, and one which sent the travelling Fethard supporters into raptures.

Ennistymon refused to go away, however, with O'Keeffe continuing to punish Fethard from placed balls.

Walsh added a clever point from play, whipping an overhead effort between the posts after a Barry free dropped short, but the result remained very much in the balance entering injury time.

Fethard, though, demonstrated the resilience which had carried them to the Tipperary Junior A title.

Lacey landed a magnificent long-range point from the left wing before Barry converted another free to open up a four-point advantage deep into added time.

Still, Ennistymon had one final opportunity. Alex Kelly won a free inside the 21-yard line, and O'Keeffe drilled a low effort towards goal which crept over the line despite a Fethard defender getting a hurley to the ball.

Suddenly, there was just a solitary point between the teams, with nervous Fethard supporters fearing one final twist.

However, Fahy's final whistle brought proceedings to an end, confirming a narrow but hugely important victory for the Tipperary champions.

Fethard will now face Cork champions Kilshannig in the Munster semi-final on Saturday, November 14, with a place in the provincial decider at stake.

They will undoubtedly need a considerably improved performance, but after surviving this difficult assignment, they remain firmly in the hunt for further silverware.

Scorers: Fethard: Danny Barry (0-7, 0-6f), Ryan Walsh (1-2, 0-1 sl-cut), Charlie Walsh 0-2, Jody Sheahan, Luke Lacey 0-1 each.

Ennistymon: Macdara O'Keeffe (2-5, 1-4f, 1-0 pen), Padraic O'Dwyer 0-2, Liam Cotter, Joshua Vaughan 0-1 each.

Fethard: Brian Delahunty; Rory O'Mahoney, Darragh Spillane, Liam Kiely; Jack Quinlan, Noah O’Flynn, Charlie Walsh; Jody Sheahan, Luke Lacey; Gavin Neville, Ryan Walsh, Mark Neville; Conor Neville, Mark Coen, Danny Barry.

Subs used: Keenan Aherne for Coen (46); Michéal Quinlan for C Neville (46); Jack Davey for G Neville (58); Adam Ryan for M Neville (61).

Ennistymon: Oliver Considine; Ciarán McMahon, Ferdie O'Keeffe, Brian McNamara; Christopher Organ, Mark Kelleher, Paudie Considine; Liam Cotter, Joshua Vaughan; Padraic O'Dwyer, Macdara O'Keeffe, Kevin Nunan; Donncha O’Dwyer, Niall Canavan, Alex Kelly.

Subs used: Keenan Aherne for Coen (46); Michéal Quinlan for Sheahan (46); Jack Davey for G Neville (58); Adam Ryan for M Neville (61).

Referee: Niall Fahy (Cork)