Late Nolan Goal Rescues Plunketts As Relegation Replay With O’Mahonys Beckons
CTI Business Solutions Intermediate Football Championship
Relegation Playoff Semi Final
At Cullen Autoparts Louth GAA Training Centre, Darver
Oliver Plunketts 2-6 Sean O’Mahonys 1-9
Oliver Plunketts and Sean O’Mahonys will have to meet again after a dramatic 2-6 to 1-9 draw in Friday evening’s CTI Business Solutions Intermediate Football Championship relegation play-off semi-final at Darver.
The Plunketts, last year’s Junior champions, were the more threatening side in attack for long periods but were left to rue a number of missed opportunities before Kristian Nolan’s late goal rescued a replay.
Stephen Keeley opened the scoring for Oliver Plunketts before Eddie Maguire responded for Sean O’Mahonys from a ’45. Adam Smith and Robbie Brodigan then found the target to put the Plunketts 0-3 to 0-1 ahead.
Thomas Rice soon took control of the game for O’Mahonys, hitting two frees before finding the net to turn the contest in his side’s favour.
Adam Smith and Stephen Kilcoyne exchanged frees before the interval, with Sean O’Mahonys taking a 1-4 to 0-4 lead into the break.
Keeley reduced the deficit immediately after the restart, but substitute Aaron Mackin responded for O’Mahonys following a mazy run. Kilcoyne added another free before Keeley struck for the Plunketts’ first goal in the 40th minute, leaving just a point between the teams.
Sean Cassidy restored O’Mahonys’ two-point advantage with 15 minutes remaining before Maguire produced a crucial two-point free to put Sean O’Mahonys four ahead with seven minutes left.
The Plunketts needed a response and Adam Smith provided it from a free, before Nolan delivered the decisive moment late on, keeping his composure to find the net and level the contest.
Neither side could find a winner in the five minute of additional time, meaning the relegation play-off semi-final will have to be settled in a replay.
Full Time – Oliver Plunketts 2-6 Sean O’Mahonys 1-9
Man of the Match – Barry Reynolds (Oliver Plunketts)
Oliver Plunketts team: Colum Duffy; Adam O’Connor, David McTaggert, Cillian Smith; Barry Reynolds, Jamie Byrne, Adam Lambe; Shaun Smith, Adam Smith (0-3, 2f); Niall Murtagh, Kristian Nolan (1-0), Killian Nolan; Ben Boyce, Robbie Brodigan (0-1), Stephen Keeley (1-2).
Subs: Dean Carolan for Niall Murtagh 40 mins, Jack Taaffe for Ben Boyce 54 mins, Gary Keogh for Jamie Byrne 61 mins.
Sean O’Mahonys team: Eddie Maguire (0-3, 1’45’, 1tpf); Ciaran Redmond, Gary Crawley, Kian McEvoy; Conor Finnegan, Robert Galligan, Oisin Breen; Gareth Hall, Tiernan Cassidy; Dauda JR Shotayo, Sean Cassidy (0-1), Brian McGuirk; Thomas Rice (1-2, 2f), Stephen Kilcoyne (0-2, 2f), Daniel Crawley.
Subs: Aaron Mackin (0-1) for Brian McGuirk 22 mins, Conor Martin for Tiernan Cassidy 44 mins, Stephen Kettle for Sean Cassidy 44 mins, Cillian Lavery for Aaron Mackin 56 mins.
Referee: Declan Dunne (Lannléire)
