Monasterevan 2-6
Nurney 1-8
Courtyard Hotel Leixlip IFC round three
Wayne Fitzpatrick stepped forward to kick the match-winning score as 14-man Monasterevan overcame a seven-point deficit to steal a victory over Nurney and march on into quarter-finals of the Intermediate Championship. It was a stunning victory for the blues as they looked a beaten docket less than five minutes into the second half and had failed to score a point from play until 15 minutes before the end, and Fitzpatrick had kicked a large number of wides before eventually showing the nerve to seal the win with a late score.
It was made possible by the introduction of Christy Dempsey five minutes into the second half as the hulking midfielder they affectionately call 'Slugger' down in Monasterevan turned the game by dominating the middle third and using the ball with supreme efficiency.
A first half that was absolutely littered with mistakes and, in general, lacking any real quality will not live too long in the memory. It was 0-6 to 0-2 at the break, and while one might look at that scoreline and think that it was due to some version of defensive football it was anything but. Both teams lined out with a traditional 15 on 15 setup and they were unafraid to commit numbers forward to attack, but once the ball entered the final third it usually swapped hands or ended in a wide, with Monasterevan the most guilty party of the two when it came to passing up chances.
That being said, the midfield battle was quite entertaining as both goalkeepers rained down high balls on top of William Heffernan, Kevin Conway, Lenny Havens and Paul Maloney, with both sets of midfielders winning a healthy share of possession each.
It took less than three minutes for the opening score to arrive as former county man Mickey Conway stroked over a free off the ground- referee Billy O'Connell had shown him how to do it seconds before when he booted an under-inflated ball over the bar from 40 metres out, much to the amusement of the small crowd gathered in Hawkfield.
Darren Byrne then doubled Nurney's lead with a pointed free, but this was cancelled out by Wayne Fitzpatrick at the other end as Monasterevan eventually got up and running in the sixth minute. The next 15 minutes were rather painful as just one point sailed between the posts during that period, coming from the boot of the reliable Conway as he struck another free, but Monasterevan were spurning chance after chance down at the other end as they let the game slip away from them. Fitzpatrick eventually doubled his side's tally when he knocked over another free, but that was their last score of the half as Nurney kicked on with three points before the interval. Byrne got the first of those with a nice curling effort from distance, while Conway got his first from play when he exchanged a one-two with Bryan Cahill before splitting the posts with ease.
Byrne then added a superb point with a booming effort from 50 metres out on the stroke of half-time, ensuring that Nurney went into the break with a four-point lead after Monasterevan had failed to score a point from play in the entire first half.
The south Kildare outfit were in desperate need of a good start to have any chance of coming back into the game, but their fate looked to have been sealed within six minutes of the restart as they conceded a goal and lost a man to a red card early on. The goal came less than 60 seconds into the second half when Conway played a ball towards the lively Cathal Hagney who was hauled down inside the area by Daryl Dunne before the ball arrived. Referee Billy O'Connell stretched out his arms to signal the penalty, and Conway made no mistake as he drove a powerful effort into the left corner of Shaun Conway's net.
A difficult task was made almost impossible four minutes later when Havens was sent off for an off the ball incident that had been pointed out to the referee by one of his umpires. As so often happens when a team is reduced to 14 men, they began to show a serious amount of resolve as they somehow found a way back into the game. They needed to ht the net to do just that, and it was Padraig Nash who delivered the crucial goal as he was left criminally unmarked 20 metres from goal, cut inside and unleashed a powerful shot that took a deflection off a Nurney hand and ended up in the top corner. Nurney then lost Shaun Conway to a black card, and another free from the increasingly influential Fitzpatrick drew Brian Longeran's side to with three points of the leaders.
Nash then dissected the posts to register his side's first point from play in the 45th minute, and shortly after they hit the front for the first time in the game as Fitzpatrick's attempt at scoring a point dropped short at the edge of the square and was fisted into the net by Paul Maloney. Having failed to score for 20 minutes after looking like they were destined to win, Nurney were looking extremely rocky as the game entered the final 10 minutes. Byrne somewhat settled the ship by levelling matters with a point from play and then nudging his side ahead with a point from a free, but Monasterevan's momentum was still strong as they looked the more likely winners in what had become a really absorbing tie.
A patient move eventually ended with full-back David Maher carefully pointing from 35 metres out to level the game, and with 60 minutes on the clock Fitzpatrick strode down the left wing and curled a beautiful effort straight between the posts to win the game.
Heartbreak for Nurney after what promised to be a good day for them, but Monasterevan showed huge heart and grit to push themselves over the line and earn a momentous victory.
Scorers for Monasterevan: W Fitzpatrick 0-4(3f), P Nash 1-1, P Maloney 1-0 and D Maher 0-1.
Scorers for Nurney: M Conway 1-3(2f), D Byrne 0-5(2f).
Monasterevan
C McCabe; J O'Toole, D Dunne(C Dempsey 35mins), D Maher; K Dunne(T Kennedy HT), G Worrell, C Stapleton; L Havens, P Maloney; E Stapleton, W Fitzpatrick, W Sharpe(K Mulpeter 51mins); M Kelly(C Brady HT), R Bannon, P Nash.
Nurney
S Conway; D Conway, J Merrins, R Behan; S Sunderland, C Callan, N Whelan; W Heffernan, K Conway; M Conway, D Byrne, S Conway(N Donnelly BC 43mins); B Cahill, K Callan, C Hagney.
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