Mikey on a winner
Fogarty seals fourth Anne’s victory
ST. ANNE’S made it four wins out of five ahead of the knockout stages of the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship thanks to a late winner by substitute Mikey Fogarty in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross on Sunday.
David Redmond’s side had created enough scoring opportunities over the hour to win this Group A match. But following a Mark Fanning goal from a 21-yard free in the 59th minute, awarded for a foul on Fionn Cooney, Glynn-Barntown managed to draw level.
On the balance of play, the Rathangan men deserved their victory, but they made hard work of it. They recorded 13 wides, and on four occasions they dropped shots short into Fanning’s hand.
Glynn-Barntown, who were in the relegation final last year, and have lost 16 players from their Senior panel over the course of the last four campaigns, are a team competing very well while still very much in a rebuilding phase.
While Justin Moran proved to be a handful at times, overall, the Glynn-Barntown defence coped well, with Michael Furlong, Ger Dempsey (whose father Tom was watching on from the stands, 28 years to the day and date he scored a goal for Wexford in the All-Ireland final of 1996) and Pádraig Donnelly performing well.
Cormac Cooney, John Leacy and Fionn Cooney were their chief attacking threats on a day when the game never threatened to be a high-scoring affair.
For the Anne’s, Diarmuid O’Keeffe mixed good general play with a few wides, with the aforementioned Moran and Liam Rochford key figures.
Given the distance goalkeeper Andy Kennedy gets from his puckouts, they should be able to gain more of an advantage from this.
Late on, they lost Liam Schokman to a red card, and while this wasn’t their best performance, they won’t be unduly worried with an extended break ahead of the quarter-finals.
The sides were level at 3-3 after ten minutes, with Moran and Leacy (frees) exchanging scores twice.
Moran intercepted a short puckout to level up matters at 6-6 on 23 minutes, before Glynn-Barntown hit back with points from Cormac Cooney following a fine run, and a Leacy ’65.
Darragh Furlong pointed after a pass was intercepted to give Joe Hagan’s side an 8-7 lead at the break. Just before the interval the same player saw an effort from distance for a goal blocked.
The Anne’s found themselves 11-7 behind within three minutes of the restart, with the pick of the scores coming from Cormac Cooney after a powerful, weaving run.
Remarkably, Glynn-Barntown wouldn’t score again for 23 minutes as St. Anne’s restricted possession into their inside line.
Five Kennedy frees, and efforts from play from O’Keeffe, Rochford and Moran, saw the pendulum swing completely.
Surely the Anne’s had done enough. But after being out of the game in terms of scores for so long, a Leacy free on 55 minutes brought his side back to within three.
And though Kennedy tapped over another free, Michael Furlong raced forward, tapping the sliotar off the ground confidently to avoid a third catch, before slotting over to make it a three-point game again.
Then came the 21-yard free, a red card, and the goal from Mark Fanning – draw match.
But St. Anne’s dug deep, and after gathering possession out near the sideline opposite the stand, Mikey Fogarty steered over the winner.
St. Anne’s now sit and wait for their opponents in the quarter-final, while Glynn-Barntown have a battle with Faythe Harriers in the preliminary quarter-final.
St. Anne’s: Andy Kennedy (0-1 free); Liam Schokman, Kevin Breen, Finn Ryan; Liam Rochford (0-1), Eoin Ryan, Páidí Doyle; Cillian Byrne, Andrew Moran; Cathal Murphy, Justin Moran (capt., 0-4), Diarmuid O’Keeffe (0-1); Liam Óg McGovern, Kyle Kennedy (0-8 frees), Darragh Furlong (0-1). Subs. – Mark Furlong for Murphy (41), Mikey Fogarty (0-1) for Byrne (52).
Glynn-Barntown: Mark Fanning (1-0 free); Michael Furlong (0-1), Robbie Hills, Ger Dempsey; Darragh Carley, Pádraig Donnelly, Kevin Crean; Ríoghan Crosbie, John Leacy (0-8, 5 frees, 2 ’65s); Cormac Cooney (0-2), Conor Mahoney, Callum McDonald; Daragh Murphy (0-1), Fionn Cooney (0-1), Patrick Berry. Subs. – Michael O’Regan for McDonald, inj. (23), Michael Laffan for Murphy (47), Murphy for F. Cooney (61).
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).