Moyle Rovers beat Tipperary football champions Clonmel Commercials for second time in a month

Moyle Rovers 1-8 Clonmel Commercials 0-9

Just weeks ahead of the start of the county championship, Moyle Rovers got a welcome boost with a hard-earned win over reigning county champions Clonmel Commercials in the Clonmel Oil South Tipperary Senior Football Cup Final at Fethard on Wednesday evening of last week.

Moyle Rovers manager John McGrath doesn’t believe that the result will have any major bearing on the county championship, but agrees that any win over fierce town rivals Commercials is one to be celebrated. The 1-8 to 0-9 win follows the Division One League final victory over Commercials last month.

A goal in the first minute of injury time from substitute Luke Delahunty decided the outcome. With the sides deadlocked at 0-8 each – the fifth time they had been level over the hour – Delahunty found himself in acres of space with only one thing on his mind. His first shot was saved by Commercials goalkeeper Shane Ryan but he followed up to tap the rebound to the net to the delight of the Rovers support.

Commercials came back upfield looking for an immediate response but all they could manage before time ran out was a late point from Ciaran Cannon.

Both sides were understrength before the start, and both suffered further setbacks during the course of the game.

Commercials were without the suspended Michael Quinlivan, the injured Seamus Kennedy and James Morris, as well as Kevin Fahey, Colman Kennedy and Cathal Deely, while influential midfielder Jack Kennedy had to go off injured eight minutes before the break just after pointing his third free.

Moyle Rovers went into the game without Stephen Quirke and Riain Quigley, lost team captain Liam Boland to injury in the pre-match warm-up, and were reduced to fourteen players when Luke Boland received a straight red card from referee Derek O’Mahoney ten minutes into the second half.

However, the Monroe side had a major boost with the availability of Peter Acheson, who was home on holidays from Dubai. Perhaps missing some of the pace of earlier years, he was still a significant presence for Moyle Rovers and was central to many of their more threatening moves.

“It was a great game of football and great to have Peter Acheson back for us,” said Moyle Rovers manager John McGrath.

“He has been one of the best footballers in Tipperary for the past fifteen years, and it’s a pity that we lost him to emigration. Tipperary needs all the best footballers they have, the Michael Quinlivans and Peter Achesons, and we want to see them on the field as much as we can”.

McGrath relishes the clashes between his side and Commercials, the most competitive derby in Tipperary football.
“The Moyle Rovers-Commercials games have been fantastic over the years, but we haven’t held up our end of the bargain over the last five to six years, but tonight we did.

“This is what Tipperary football is about, it needs Moyle Rovers and Commercials going at it hammer and tongs in every final. We held up our end of the bargain here but Commercials have done it before”.

With the league and South cups now safely secure in their trophy cabinet, Moyle Rovers can look ahead to the county campaign and their bid to dethrone champions Commercials, having beaten the town side in two finals in the space of a month.

“This game doesn’t mean anything going into the championship. We have Ballyporeen in our first game. That’s what we have been preparing for all year and that’s what we will prepare for after this. But anytime you beat Commercials you have to celebrate. That’s what sport is about,” added McGrath.

And central to that victory was the contribution of full forward Ger O’Sullivan. From Tarbert, Co Kerry, man-of-the-match O’Sullivan was an imposing presence, hitting six of Rovers’ eight points, four from frees from varying distances.

It was Commercials’ ace free-taker Jack Kennedy who got the scoring underway in the first minute. Sustained Moyle Rovers pressure followed that score and it ended with a good point from O’Sullivan. However, Commercials looked the stronger side in those opening minutes and when Padraig Looram was fouled, Kennedy pointed his second free in the 7th minute.

The lead was stretched to 0-3 to 0-1 four minutes later when Cian Smith was fouled after a patient Commercials build-up, and he pointed the subsequent free himself. Smith was looking very sharp in attack and, along with Ryan Lambe and Peter McGarry, was probing for openings in the Powerstown-Lisronagh team’s defence.

Then three points in a row had Moyle Rovers ahead for the first time by the 20th minute. First, Rory Collins gathered a long ball into the square and shot a fine point. As Rovers continued to press, they won a free when Cian O’Sullivan was heavily tackled and O’Sullivan kicked a super score from distance.

Rovers were well on top at this stage but not taking all their chances. Yet they did take the lead when a foul on Cillian Crowe was punished by another superb O’Sullivan free to make it 0-4 to 0-3.

The town side were level two minutes later but it came at a cost. Sustained possession ended with a foul on Cian Smith, with Jack Kennedy pointing the free.

However, Kennedy, who was returning to the side after he missed both the league final and the south semi-final win over Cahir through injury, left the field immediately after the kick to be replaced by Ross Peters.

As play switched from end to end, a foul on Moyle Rovers midfielder Ben Owens saw the unerring O’Sullivan point the free, and on the stroke of half time he kicked another free for a 0-6 to 0-4 half-time lead, following a foul on Peter Acheson who had a taken a fine pass from Killian Butler. The interval scoreline might have been different but a Cian Smith shot on goal went narrowly wide after a good Commercials build-up.

Commercials enjoyed the brighter start to the second half. Ciaran Cannon reduced the margin with a fine point in the second minute, and following a throw-in by the referee thirty seconds later, Cian Smith reacted quickest to kick the equaliser.

Smith thought he had restored the lead soon after when a lofted kick that he, and many of the Clonmel supporters, thought had gone between the uprights was waved wide by the umpire. Instead, it was Moyle Rovers who regained the lead when a quick break saw Dara Ryan shoot over.

What had been a keenly contested, but well-disciplined game until then, suddenly boiled over with a fracas involving players from both sides.

At its conclusion, after over a minute, referee Derek O’Mahoney flashed a straight red card to Moyle Rovers defender Luke Boland for a dangerous tackle on Peter McGarry that was the flashpoint for the row. The temperature rose a few notches after that, with O’Mahoney kept busy with yellow cards.

Down to fourteen players, the dismissal didn’t appear to unduly impact Moyle Rovers and they extended their lead to two points, 0-8 to 0-6, thanks to quick thinking from Peter Acheson. After he had been fouled, he took the free quickly himself to Brian McKeown who continued the move to Ger O’Sullivan, with the Kerry native shooting a great point.

Soon after, a similar move almost produced the same result. Great play from Acheson again sent Ben Owens away but after taking the final pass, O’Sullivan shot wide on this occasion.

Commercials needed a response and they got it when a flowing move from midfield cut through the Rovers defence, and Cian Smith kicked his third point from play. Then five minutes from time, the sides were level again when Smith pointed a free.

The game was in the melting pot now, with extra time looking a real possibility. There were missed chances at both ends, Michael Murphy kicking wide for Commercials and then substitute Luke Delahunty off target when winning possession from a poorly-directed Commercials sideline ball.

But Delahunty was soon to make amends when he probably couldn’t believe the amount of space he found himself in when the clock ticked over the sixty minutes mark.

He didn’t take the easy option of a point but shot low and hard, with ‘keeper Shane Ryan making a fine save. But the rebound fell to Delahunty again and this time he tapped it home for the crucial score in a low-scoring contest.

Commercials knew that they had little time to reply. They quickly won a free that Ciaran Cannon converted but as they pressed for the winning goal, referee Derek O’Mahoney’s long whistle brought an end to their effort.

Significant absentees, as well as Jack Kennedy’s premature departure through injury, reduced Commercials’ impact, but they went toe-to-toe with Rovers for sixty minutes, just one defensive lapse in the 61st minute proving so costly.

Up to that they were strong in defence with Tadhg Condon, Ciaran Cannon and Padraig Looram heavily involved; Conal Kennedy was always busy around midfield, while upfront, Cian Smith was the danger man, with three points from play, with Ryan Lambe and Peter McGarry also impressing. Subs Enda Dunphy and Michael Murphy also showed well when introduced for the second half.

Moyle Rovers will thank the opportunism of substitute Luke Delahunty for the crucial goal, but Ger O’Sullivan was their main man upfront, with all but three of the side’s scores. Conceding frees from anywhere inside their own half proved costly for Commercials, as O’Sullivan was superb from placed kicks.

The return of Peter Acheson was a huge boost for Moyle Rovers, especially in the absence of Riain Quigley, and he was the engine at the heart of the side, with a tireless display. Graham Vaughan, Killian Butler and Brian McKeown were rock solid in defence with big displays also from Rory Collins, Dara Ryan and Shane Foley.

It was Foley who stepped in for injured captain Liam Boland to accept the cup from South Board Chairman, Nicholas Moroney, with Ger O’Sullivan receiving the Man of the Match award from sponsor, John Quirke.

Moyle Rovers: Shane Ryan, Killian Butler, Graham Vaughan, Michael O’Reilly, Cillian Crowe, Luke Boland, Brian McKeown, Ben Owens, Rory Collins 0-1; Cian O’Sullivan, Sean Cotter, Dara Ryan 0-1; Peter Acheson, Ger O’Sullivan 0-6, 4 frees; Shane Foley.

Subs: Luke Delahunty 1-0 for Sean Cotter, Diarmuid Foley for Michael O’Reilly, Anthony Phelan for Cian O’Sullivan, Cian O’Sullivan for Shane Foley.

Clonmel Commercials: Shane Ryan, Thomas Charles, Tadhg Condon, Michael Connellan, Billy Tierney, Ciaran Cannon 0-2, 1 free; Padraic Looram, Conal Kennedy, Jack Kennedy 0-3 frees; Peter McGarry, Cian Smith 0-4, 0-1 free; Ryan Lambe, Sean Kennedy, Darragh O’Connor, Rory O’Dowd.

Subs: Ross Peters for Jack Kennedy, Enda Dunphy for Thomas Charles, Michael Murphy for Darragh O’Connor, Cillian Fahey for Sean Kennedy.

Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Ardfinnan).