Slick Sars end ten-year wait
First opening round success for the Butters since 2014
THE SARSFIELDS contingent were smiling broadly in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross on Friday, and with good reason too as they recorded an opening round victory in the Dominic Smith Electrical Senior football championship for the first time since 2014.
HWH-Bunclody were their victims in this Group A clash, and it was fitting that one of just two survivors from that success against St. Fintan’s in Taghmon ten years ago should play a vital role in this deserved success.
Eoin Roche – along with Seán Ó Corcora – bridged that decade-long gap, and his powerful start to the second-half that produced a point followed by a spectacular goal paved the way for the town team’s win.
Roche had already contributed a point in the opening half, but the concession of a goal that could have been avoided meant that the sides went in for the break on level terms (1-4 to 0-7), as the new electronic scoreboard at the venue was unveiled.
What the teams had missed – rather than what they had registered – presented a better picture of the exchanges at that stage, because Sarsfields had nine wides before the break compared to just one at the other end.
However, any fears that such wastage might come back to haunt them were quickly forgotten in a very impressive display of controlled football after the interval, and it was Eoin Roche who set the tone.
He restored their lead with a point from a Darby Purcell pass 74 seconds in before even better followed in the 32nd minute.
Ryan Furlong and Cathal Kirwan featured in a flowing move that culminated with Roche driving in from the left and planting a beautiful finish into the far top corner of the net, with the ball rebounding out off the back staunchion as the Sars moved into a 1-8 to 1-4 lead.
Kirwan – whose kicking of deadballs off the ground was exceptional all evening – extended the gap to five points from just inside the 45-metre line after one of several marauding runs by captain Dylan
Furlong, who was at full-forward for both throw-ins but quickly ventured outfield.
Scoring dried up for the rest of the third quarter, apart from swapped points from John Dunne and Furlong that left the Butters ahead by 1-10 to 1-5 and playing well enough to suggest that this long-overdue win was well within their grasp.
Still, when Aidan Nolan – another quality exponent of free-taking off the turf – pulled back a brace after fouls on Dunne and Ciarán Regan respectively, bitter past experience of similar situations when leads were squandered ensured that some Sarsfields supporters were growing a little anxious.
It was left to Luke Murphy to erase their fears, and he did it in style with a composed finish low to the right corner of the net at the Bawnmore end after Ryan Furlong and Darby Purcell worked the opening for the lively attacker – who had joined the fray just before the break after Colm Browne sustained a cut to his head.
Sarsfields played with freedom after that second goal, and another converted Cathal Kirwan free was followed by his assist for Murphy to kick a point after a flowing move from right to left (2-12 to 1-7).
HWH-Bunclody did try to rally as Nolan scored from another pair of frees, but the Sars should have added a third goal 55 seconds into additional time.
After those nine first-half misses, their sole wide of the second period was a wild miscue by goalscorer Murphy after Dylan Furlong passed to Darby Purcell, whose deft flick over his head had left his team-mate in the clear.
A fifth Kirwan free was followed by a late consolation from John Dunne on a night when Martin O’Connor made a welcome re-appearance in the HWH-Bunclody colours.
The man wearing number 30 is based in Germany nowadays and it is understood that this was just a fleeting return, but he certainly made an impact from his centre-forward berth as he top-scored for the losers with 1-2.
That goal arrived 28 seconds into additional time at the end of the first-half, when a Cathal Doyle handpass could have been claimed by two Sarsfields players before O’Connor tussled with new netminder Ciarán Byrne and forced the ball home.
It pushed HWH-Bunclody ahead by 1-4 to 0-5, but their rivals responded with late points from Cathal Kirwan (play and free) to restore parity for the fourth time.
That, in itself, suggested that the Michael Hanrahan-managed side weren’t going to let anything derail them on this occasion, and so it proved after the interval as onlookers witnessed the best 30 minutes of football crafted by the Wexford town men for quite some time.
The Sars had led by 0-3 to 0-1 after 16 minutes, with their third point the pick of the bunch as Conor Kehoe did well to keep a wayward Dylan Furlong kick in play on the endline before making a better angle for himself to slot over.
HWH-Bunclody – who had opened the scoring through O’Connor in the seventh minute – hit an early second quarter purple patch that produced three points on the trot from Jamie John Murphy (free), a fisted Ciarán Regan effort, and O’Connor.
That moved them 0-4 to 0-3 ahead, but the impressive Cathal Kirwan levelled with a solo strike off his left before nailing the first of those five successful frees prior to O’Connor’s goal.
Both sides return to action on Saturday, with Sarsfields facing Gusserane in McCauley Park, Bellefield at 5 p.m., while HWH-Bunclody will take on Shelmaliers in Blackwater half an hour later.
Sarsfields: Ciarán Byrne; Cillian Lawlor, Alex Kirby, Eoin Doyle; Colm Browne, Shane Hall, Danny Walsh; Cathal Kirwan (0-7, 5 frees), Seán Ó Corcora; Ryan Furlong, Darby Purcell, Shane Bergin; Conor Kehoe (0-1), Dylan Furlong (capt., 0-2), Eoin Roche (1-2). Subs. – Luke Murphy (1-1) for Browne, inj. (30+2), Seán Kelly for Ó Corcora (45), Ciarán Kirwan for Roche, temp. (46-48), Kirwan for Bergin (49), Bergin for Roche, temp. (58-FT), Browne for R. Furlong (59).
HWH-Bunclody: Enda Murphy; Tadhg Ó Ceallaigh, Adam Hogan, Faolán Ó Ceallaigh; Ciarán Kavanagh, Jamie John Murphy (0-1 free), Oisín Ó Ceallaigh; Seán Kenny, Aidan Nolan (0-4 frees); Cathal Doyle, Martin O’Connor (1-2), Keith O’Hara (capt.); Edward Dunbar, John Dunne (0-2), Ciarán Regan (0-1). Subs. – Colm Farrell for Kavanagh (45), Páraic Sinnott for F. Ó Ceallaigh (47), Conor Crean for Doyle (57).
Referee: James Owens (Kilrush).