Fixtures & Results 2013 - IFC

St Mary’s would enter this fixture as odds on favourites competing in a superior division than their south west counterparts.  The Dreen men also had beaten Tir na nOg earlier in the season in the O’Cahan Cup but all these statistics fade into insignificance in the heat of championship. 

This fixture started with Whitehill in the ascendency, they justifiably lead by two points midway through the half having made best use of possession.  However, St Mary’s finished the first half strongly and scored 2-3 in the closing ten minutes to go in at half time six points clear and almost home and dry.  This may have been their downfall in the second half, as the men from the Hill had other ideas, with the help of three second half goals from Christy Sheerin, Michael Dempsey and Oran McAuley the Tir na nOg side swung round a six point deficit to lead by four with five minutes remaining.  Now full of confidence, Whitehill seemed to be running down the clock as they held possession well in attack until Rasharkin’s Johnny McAleese closed the deficit to three two minutes from time and before Hasson’s last kick of the game ended in the back of the Whitehill onion bag.  St Mary’s, knowing full well that they had got out of jail, grabbed their lifeline and engineered six points during extra time to Whitehill’s solidarity point. 

Tir na nOg came into this championship with high ambitions, hoping to bring their successful league form into this game.  They would want to forget last year’s shock defeat to Glenavy whereas Rasharkin, having took the drop to second division elected to compete for intermediate honours for the second time in four years.  This game was the second of the double header at Clooney as match referee Peter Hughes from Cardinal O’Donnell’s was the man in the middle. 

Rasharkin’s Eamon McNeill started the scoring two minutes into this fixture.  McNeill was fouled thirty yards from goal, Paul Doherty took a quick free to Johnny McAleese who fed the ball cleverly to McNeill who made no mistake from close range.  Whitehill replied two minutes later following a long surging run by Michael Gormley which finished in an impressive forty yard strike.  Gormley’s midfield partner, Malachy Duffin, pushed the Tir na nOg men into the lead minutes later.  Duffin was fortunate to gain possession when his marker Cathal Mooney slipped at the most crucial time.  St Mary’s Johnny McAleese levelled matters once again after eleven minutes, he carved his way through the Whitehill rearguard and fired over a tidy left foot effort.

Tir na nOg began to move the ball well around the middle sector with Colm Duffin taking up a supporting role.  This had great effect midway through the half when Oran McAuley landed a long range left foot shot.  A minute later, Sean Redmond, who worked tirelessly throughout the sixty minutes, nipped in to split the posts, controversy followed this effort as match referee Hughes signalled a wide but changed his decision after consulting his umpires, much to the applause of the vocal Whitehill crowd. 

The Dreen men found the going difficult and had only two points to show for the opening twenty minutes, they seemed to be trying hard, but always took the wrong option as the Tir na nOg defence got to grips with the on slot.  It wasn’t until the twentieth minute that McAleese proved the provider once more.  He had a simple tap over to reduce the tie to the minimum when Benny Hasson was deemed to have been fouled making his way goalward.  The big half forward was instrumental in Rasharkin’s next score which would see the first green flag of the evening.  Paul Doherty took a quick forty five yard free to Johnny McAleese who then floated an inviting ball into the Randalstown square where Hasson was on hand to push the ball beyond Brendan Burns on the Tir na nOg line to give Rasharkin a two point grip.  Paul Doherty turned the screw further with another point from the resultant kickout with good support work from Thomas Doherty.  McAleese added his third point of the half to put further daylight between the teams. Tir na nOg’s response came by way of a free when Rasharkin defender Adrian Scullion was adjudged to have over carried.  This left the goal the difference on the stroke of half time, however, McAleese heaped further misery onto the Whitehill men when he lifted the net two minutes into added time with vital support play from Ryan Lynch and Eamon McNeill and give his side a healthy six point advantage.  Half time score Tir na nOg 0-5 - St Marys Rasharkin 2-5.

Tir na nOg took to the field for the second half with an uphill struggle in front of them facing a six point deficit, however St Mary’s on the other hand must have thought a couple of quick scores would see them through to another day out, but this was not the case.  The Whitehill side reduced the deficit to two points in the opening ten minutes, the first a pointed effort from Niall McCoy after Sean Redmond had been fouled.  Match referee Peter Hughes pointed to the penalty spot after ten minutes for foul play in the Rasharkin defence.  Christy Sheerin, who was having a positive impact on his charges, stepped up and fired an unstoppable left footed effort beyond Ryan Doherty on the Rasharkin line and it was game on.  The influential Paul Doherty steadied the ship for Rasharkin and extended their lead with a great teamwork score involving Johnny McAleese, Eamon McNeill and Brendan Etherson.  But worse was to follow for St Mary’s midway through the half when second half substitute Michael Dempsey got his just rewards following patient build up involving Colm Duffin and Oran McAuley, Dempsey made no mistake in front of goal to raise his sides second green flag and tie the fixture.  Tir na nOg then pushed on to score two further points, the first from the boot of Sean Redmond and the second from Christy Sheerin as their side went in front by two with ten minutes on the clock.  Paul Doherty pulled one back for St Mary’s, he slotted between the sticks from the set piece as Darren McAtamney over carried.  The Whitehill side then remarkably landed another major with five minutes remaining to open up a four point lead.  The Sheerin brothers were heavily involved in this move which resulted in a high ball into the Rasharkin’s square bundled over the line by Oran McAuley as the Tir na nOg faithful made their voices heard.  St Mary’s grabbed what looked to be a consolation score when Johnny McAleese slotted over his fourth point from the set piece.  The final nail looked to be sending off of Brendan Etherson following two yellow cards two minutes from time.

What followed after can only be described as a jailbreak, following a controversial free awarded against Scamper in the fifth minute of added time, Cathal Mooney fed the ball to Joey Quinn who floated a hopeful attempt to the Whitehill square.  The Tir na nOg defender Gerard Martin punched clear only for his clearance to be thwarted by the trailing hand of Benny Hasson.  The ball dropped to the feet of Hasson who buried to the back of the net to complete mission impossible.  Following the resultant kick out match referee indicated twenty minutes of added time.  Full time score Tir na nOg 3-08 - St Mary’s Rasharkin 3-08.

Both teams retreated to their respective camps to regain composure as the lights were switched on at the Crosskeys arena.  Tir na nOg who had fought so hard throughout the sixty minutes must have thought they had done enough to ensure progression but they were to reassemble to gain the final verdict.  St Mary’s, having known they were unbelievably lucky to get a second chance, grabbed the opportunity with both hands to score three unanswered points in the first half of extra time all from the boot of their talisman Johnny McAleese, two from the set piece and one from play.  Conor Gribben and Eamon McNeill were to slot over two further points to give Rasharkin a five point cushion.  Christy Sheerin replied with Whitehill’s only score in added time through a pointed free before Ryan Lynch watched his sublime effort sail over the Randalstown crossbar to ensure his side face the winners of All Saints Ballymena and St Joseph’s Glenavy next month.  Full time score (AET) Tir na nOg 3-09 - St Mary’s 3-14.

St.Mary’s Rasharkin: Ryan Doherty, Mark Hasson, Adrian Scullion, Dominic McFerran, Cahir O’Kane, Thomas Doherty, Patrick Hasson, Paul Doherty and Cathal Mooney, Brendan Etherson, Ryan Lynch, Benny Hasson, Eamon McNeill, Johnny McAleese and Declan McKay.

Subs: Enda McFerran, Joey Quinn, Shane Hasson, Ryan Lynch and Conor Gribben. 

Tir na nOg Randalstown :  Brendan Byrne, Darren McAtamney, Colm Duffin, Gerard Martin, Eoghan McNeill, Caoimhin Duffin, Colm McAuley, Michael Gormley and Malachy Duffin, Kevin Sheerin, Conor Magill, Christy Sheerin, Oran McAuley, Sean Redmond and Niall McCoy.

Subs: Michael Dempsey, Shane Donnelly and Ryan O’Neill

 Referee: Paul Hughes, Cardinal O’Donnell’s