Colm Fogarty to the rescue as Lorrha snatch a late victory over Gortnahoe Glengoole

FBD Insurance Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship - Group 4 - Round 1

Lorrha 2-14

Gortnahoe Glengoole 0-19

Colm Fogarty was the saviour of Lorrha last Saturday evening as the wing forward scored 1-2 in the final five minutes of play to claim a massive, but largely undeserved late smash-and-grab victory over Gortnahoe Glengoole in an entertaining game in the Premier Intermediate Championship in Moneygall.

Gortnahoe will wonder how they let this game slip from their grasp as they were the more composed, and more fluid team for the vast majority of the game and had put themselves in a winning position by the 45th minute of the game as they held a 0-17 to 0-11 lead.

They had played extremely well in the opening half when playing against the substantial breeze in St Flannan’s Park and had proven to be more composed in front of goal, as Lorrha wasted so many chances in the first half and finished the opening 30 with 9 wides to their name.

However, despite being in control of the first quarter of the second half in which Keane Hayes ran amok with points from play and from frees, Lorrha just never gave in and a fantastic goal-scoring solo run from Darragh Guinan in the 51st minute was the jolt that Lorrha needed.

Trailing 0-19 to 1-12 with three minutes of normal time remaining, Lorrha - without the services of Eoin McIntyre - began to go route one and despite Gortnahoe looking solid, Fogarty tipped over two points to bring it back to a three-point game, and he levelled the game with a 61st-minute goal, before hitting the game-winning free a minute later to complete and unexpected comeback for the North men.

Playing with the aid of the breeze in the first half, Lorrha got off the mark early through a Cian Hogan point from throw-in but the game started at a breakneck pace from both teams as Lorrha led 0-4 to 0-3 by the eight minute with both sets of forwards having the eye in early doors.

Cian Hogan, Niall McIntyre, and Daniel O’Donoghue supplied the Lorrha scores in that time, but Gortnahoe hit some fabulous efforts against the wind through Darragh Maher, Colm Guilfoyle and the lively Damien Corbett and looked dangerous when fed the direct ball inside.

The sides continued to trade scores up to the 18th minutes as Lorrha maintained their one point lead, although some really poor shooting was a hallmark of their first half and was sucking the life out of their play; the breeze worth at least four or five points by many supporters reckoning.

But Gortnahoe look a really well-drilled outfit and hit five points in a row in the five minutes that followed, with Damien Corbett assisting scores for Keane Hayes and Colm Guifoyle along with a score for himself as the mid men took an 0-11 to 0-7 lead by the 23-minute mark; the Lorrha defence looking very frail, as they hit two of the next three points before the break from scores by Colm and David Fogary either side of a Keane Hayes free.

Gortnahoe in pole position ahead of the second half with the elements to come in their favour for the final 30 minutes.

Indeed, Gortnahoe were the sharper team from the restart and even though two Colm Fogarty frees in the opening seven minutes had the deficit back to two points, the players in red hit another scoring spree up to the 43rd minute, with Keane Hayes hitting four points in a row including two class efforts from play as they Lorrha effort was being blunted substantially at the other end and putting pressure on the defence.

In fairness to Lorrha though, they showed their mettle in the recent North final win over Burgess, and have a knack of pulling themselves out of the mire when under the pump, and a moment of magic from Darragh Guinan provided the spark they needed soon after.

The midfielder started a run from midfield and what unfolded was like a biblical scene akin to Moses parting the Red Sea; the Gortnahoe defence opening in front of Guinan who showed real composure to finish to the roof of the net after a powerful run to get his side back into the game against the run of play.

Gortnahoe did take the initial sting off that goal concession with the next two points coming from the in-form Keane Hayes, but Lorrha had their gander up now and relentlessly pumped long ball into the full forward line, with Colm Fogarty pointing from the outside of a crowded defence in the 58th minute to make it a three-point game.

It didn’t feel at the time like Gortnahoe would capitulate from this position, but Lorrha weren’t going to throw in the towel and they found the moment they were looking for a minute into added time, as Patrick Maher somehow found a pass out to Colm Fogarty on the edge of the sea of bodies in the Gortnahoe 21, and the former Tipperary U20 and minor forward finished superbly to tie the match with a few minutes to go.

At this point, Gortnahoe probably would have taken a point as Lorrha were in the ascendancy and the worst happened late on from a Gortnahoe perspective as they conceded a cheap and easy free a minute later close to goal - which Colm Fogarty converted - and despite getting one more play to equalise, Lorrha held out and clinched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Lorrha: Michael Kennedy; Conor Hogan, Denis O’Meara, Tom Duggan; Daniel O’Donoghue (0-1), Michael Dolan, Oisin Guinan; Niall McIntyre (0-1), Darragh Guinan (1-0); Colm Fogarty (1-7, 0-5f), Cian Hogan (0-2), Martin Gorman; Patrick Maher, Christopher Fogarty (0-1), David Fogarty (0-2).

Subs used: Ciaran Haugh for Gorman (21).

Gortnahoe Glengoole: Timmy Dunne; Martin Barnaville, David Nolan, Conor Gleeson; Karl Campion, Liam Hayes, Kevin Slattery (0-1); Brian Maher, Jack Moore; Adrian Maher, Fionn Cleary (0-2), Darragh Maher (0-2); Damien Corbett (0-2), Keane Hayes (0-10, 0-7f), Colm Guilfoyle (0-2).

Subs used: Gearoid Fahey for Guilfoyle (45); Aidan Guilfoyle for A Maher (52); Davy Lanigan for Cleary (59).

Referee: PJ Nolan (Killea)