Rearcross 3 - Nenagh AFC 'B' 3
"Diligence is the mother of good luck"....Benjamin Franklin
Two goals in the final minutes of an exhilarating game secured an invaluable point for Rearcross FC in a top of the table clash played under lights against a lively Nenagh B side at Rearcross FC grounds last Friday night. The draw - which keeps Rearcross top of the NT&DL division league by three points - came mainly due to a sturdy first half defensive performance by goalkeeper Jim Caplis and his back four, and the timely introduction of Liam Ryan (R), who changed the course of the game with one goal and one assist, with ten minutes remaining. The first quarter of the game saw three dangerous attacks from Nenagh – Willie Darcy drilling over the cross bar in the 8th minute, Tommy Mitchell firing over from the edge of the box soon after and JoJo Danagher then driving a shot left of the Rearcross goals in the 14th minute. Rearcross, however, used their possession wisely in the opening minutes and a fine delivery from Diarmuid Sheehy out on the left in the 10th minute was met by Derek O’Toole who climbed high but couldn’t steer the ball on target. This was followed by a good spell of possession for Rearcross, culminating in a goal for Declan O’ Toole who paced through the centre before sending a well-directed low shot to the far corner with all of 21 minutes on the clock. Rearcross then almost extended their lead three minutes later when Derek O’ Toole squared to Simon Kennedy whose left footed effort from 20 yards pulled just outside the upright. Nenagh upped the ante after this and had claims for a handball go unheard a minute later, followed by the save of the tie when Jim Caplis used all of his reflex ability to make a brilliant one handed save from Jordan Lewis in the 36th minute. Three minutes later Alan Kelly set up Willie Darcy but Jim Caplis was equal to the move with a good block on the second attempt, the last real action of the first half. It took a full fifteen minutes of the second half before the first shot on goal was taken – Simon Kennedy’s shot from outside the box dragging wide on this occasion. With the lion’s share of the possession now with the visiting side it was no surprise to see the equalizer in the 68th minute when Willie Darcy finished to the corner of the net with a clinical finish after pulling the ball back in from the by line. Four minutes later and Kieran Devitt’s penalty claims were waved away when he hit the deck following a good Simon Kennedy cross on the right which was headed back into the box by Declan O’ Toole. Jim Caplis then produced two magnificent saves at the other end to keep Rearcross in the game – jumping high to punch clear from a corner kick in the 74th minute and saving well from no.12 a minute later. With twelve minutes remaining on the clock Derek O’Toole’s copycat corner kicks, a mere couple of seconds apart, saw the latter delivery crashing against the underside of the crossbar with the visiting custodian under pressure, however the ball was adjudged fairly not to have cross the line. Disaster then struck for Rearcross with ten minutes remaining when a Gary Kevin free kick from out of the left was cheekily dinked past a faultless Jim Caplis by Tommy Mitchell. Although Diamuid Sheehy’s shot from distance in the 83rd minute signaled there was fight left in the Rea’ men yet, it was beginning to look more and more like it was going to be Nenagh’s day and in the 84th minute they deservedly stretched their lead further when Willie Darcy turned inside the box before crashing the ball to the roof of the net for his second of the game. Enter Liam Ryan (R), who had just come on as a substitute, to step up and produce one of the most extraordinary impacts on a game ever seen at Rearcross FC grounds. Ryan first came close with four minutes remaining when his strong shot was blocked by a Nenagh defender with Simon Kennedy missing the rebound when perhaps he should have done better. The mercurial Ryan then notched a goal back for his side with two minutes remaining via bundling the ball to the net from close range following a Liam O’ Toole header from a Greg Kennedy free kick. But the Garravane maestro was not finished just yet as, with one minute of injury time already played, Ryan trickled past a number of defenders on the left before spraying the ball across the danger area, catching a luckless Nenagh defender who handled in the area unaware leaving the ref with no option but to point to the penalty spot. Up stepped the evergreen Derek O’Toole to rifle to the back of net to secure a crucial point for the home side in a game which looked like it had all but gone from their grasp only a few minutes beforehand.
Rearcross: Jim Caplis, Robert Harrington, Greg Kennedy, Eamon Devitt, Eamon Wade, Liam O’Toole, Simon Kennedy, Diarmuid Sheehy, Declan O’Toole, Derek O’Toole, Kieran Devitt
Sub Used: Liam Ryan for Kieran Devitt (82nd minute)
Subs Not Used: Tommy Ryan Luke, James Deegan, Darren Quigley
Nenagh AFC 'B':
Referee: Jimmy McCarthy
Report compiled by Simon Kennedy