Thurles Town 4 - Rearcross 'A' 5
“I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never going to keep me down” - Chumbawamba
Rearcross upset the odds at high flying Thurles Town on Sunday morning when they came out on top after a nine goal thriller in a game played at the Greyhound Stadium. Thurles, who had beaten Rearcross in their previous league encounter earlier this season 8-1, got off to a flier with Tom Brophy breezing through on the left to open the scoring. Rearcross were handed a lifeline five minutes later however when Tommy Ryan (L) got a flight of fancy and went for a jaunt up the left wing, eluding two Thurles defenders and setting up Kieran Devitt who was subsequently bundled off the ball. Devitt in turn blasted wide from the spot but then made amends in the 12th minute when he drove to the net from close range to level the scoring. Thurles scored their second of the game four minutes later when Eoin Dorney crossed from the left to Robbie Jordan who headed to the roof of the net. It was ping for pong at this stage and in the 23rd minute Mark Hogan’s menacing delivery deceived the Thurles Town keeper before Evan Gleeson took full advantage to tap the ball to an empty net to make it two all. Rearcross were let off the hook on two occasions over the following minutes – first Eamon Wade’s clinical tackle averted a certain goal when Jamie O’Connor was through on goal and then O’Connor’s free kick was headed on to the cross bar by Robbie Jordan a moment later. Thurles were edging proceedings at this stage and went a goal to the good in the 32nd minute when Robbie Jordan scored with a fine finish from the left. Less than a minute later Thurles had extended their lead when Tommy Brophy gave the hosts a 4-2 advantage with a clinical finish. A new look Rearcross side were not going to give up that easy however and, buoyed by their performance the previous week against Nenagh AFC, pushed for a goal to get them back in the tie. To everyone’s astonishment the boys in green and white managed to pull not one but two goals back in the 37th and 39th minute in the form of Kieran Devitt’s penalty and Mark Hogan’s thirty yard piledriver free kick, both coming from fouls on Evan Gleeson. Half time and the scoreline read 4-4... Blimey! With less than seven minutes gone in the second half Padraig Fogarty was in space in front of goal, however Sean Sheehy harried and forced the Thurles number 8 to drill wide. With 25 minutes left on the clock Rearcross got their all important fifth goal when Robert Harrington’s free kick broke to Darragh Kennedy who sent in a beautiful cross to PJ McLoughlin who did enough to create the space for Kieran Devitt who bundled his third of the day over the line. Sean Sheehy was very much to the fore towards the end of the game with some exceptional handling and saved well from Jamie O’Connor with thirteen minutes remaining. In the 84th minute a Thurles Town free kick finished in the net, however the whistle had blown for a wall break infringement with the second attempt cleared to safety, a series of events which unluckily went against the home side. With four minutes remaining the Thurles Town custodian challenged Evan Gleeson on the edge of the box in a tackle usually reserved for a rugby field, however Mark Hogan’s free kick ended up over the top. A long period of injury time ensued, however Rearcross dug deep to grind out a morale boosting win with four league games remaining. Rearcross were well served on the day by their defence, the promising youngster Evan Gleeson and hat trick hero Kieran Devitt.
Thurles Town: Davy Coppinger, Ian Maher, Morgan Lanigan, Pat Lawlor, Ben Brophy, Jamie O'Connor, Owen Dorney, Padraig Fogarty, Tom Brophy, Robbie Jordan
Stevie Grahan, Tom Dorney, Aidan Croke, Sean O'Connell
Rearcross 'A': Sean Sheehy, Mark Hogan, Eamon Wade, Eamonn Devitt, Greg Kennedy, Darragh Kennedy, Simon Kennedy, Robert Harrington, Tommy Ryan (L), Kieran Devitt, Evan Gleeson
Subs: PJ McLoughlin for Greg Kennedy (59 mins), Darren Quigley for Kieran Devitt (82 mins)
Referee: Tommy Lynch
Report compiled by Simon Kennedy