Second half goals the crucial scores in Aherlow Gaels' Under 21 B victory

Aherlow Gaels 2-11 Knockmealdown Gaels 0-12

Aherlow Gaels are the FBD Insurance County Under 21 B football champions for the first time, following their five-point winning margin over the south combination of Fr Sheehy’s and Ballylooby Castlegrace in the final played at Fethard Town Park’s 4G pitch on St Stephen’s Day.

This game ebbed and flowed throughout, with two second half goals from the Aherlow and Lattin Cullen combination eventually proving the difference between the sides.

Knockmealdown Gaels made the running early on and led by three, 0-7 to 0-4, at the end of the opening quarter, but didn’t register another score again until the 37th minute. They were reduced to fourteen players for a ten-minute spell during the third quarter following the dismissal of midfielder Cathal English to a black card, four minutes into the second half.

The game’s opening goal came after a 45 from Aherlow Gaels dropped short and Mark Flanagan was first to react before slotting home on 44 minutes. This gave the west champions a five-point advantage and while the south combination reduced the deficit to three, a goal and a point in the space of sixty seconds around the 56th minute put paid to their comeback.
Aherlow Gaels finished the game with fourteen players, following the dismissal of their midfielder Stephen Carew in added time.

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Knockmealdown Gaels were quickly off the mark, winning possession from the throw-in and retaining the ball until Dan Burke opened the scoring after 90 seconds. Burke doubled his tally 60 seconds later before Aaron Brazil, on their first attack, converted a placed ball at the other end for the west side. Two further minors, in as many minutes, from Filip Miklaszewshi and Jack Owens eased the south men into a three-point advantage.

Pauric O’Brien and Stephen Carew interchanged for the latter to slot over before Sean Bourke finished a run down the open side to cut the deficit to the minimum after ten minutes. Chris O’Donnell doubled the Knockmealdown advantage after getting on the end of a good passing movement from midfield by Ben Carey and Miklaszewski.

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The game picked up in pace with some wonderful interchange play from both sides. Liam Carew and Sean Bourke, who was attacking out of defence, linked well to set up Aaron Brazil for his second minor. Brazil, a member of the Tipperary minor squad, was beginning to cause problems for the Knockmealdown defence, when linking up with Liam Carew.

At the other end Ben Carey finished a team move with a minor before Daire English put three between the sides, when he latched onto an over-the-top fisted pass from Dan Burke.

This put the south champions three up after fourteen minutes, but it was the west side who took the initiative and played some of their best football over the next fifteen minutes.

They set up some lovely fluid passing movements at pace and forced the opposition into conceding frees, which were punished by Brazil. He kicked three in a five-minute spell, the third following a raid down the wing from Sean Bourke, while also kicking one from o from open play. Also, his two- point attempted free drifted to the left and wide on the stroke of half-time, with Aherlow Gaels leading by the minimum, 0-8 to 0-7.

The south champions needed to get back quickly into the game after the restart, but it was Liam Carew who got the opening score after two minutes, as Aherlow went two up.

Two minutes later Knockmealdown were dealt a huge blow when their influential midfielder, Cathal English, was sidelined on a black card for ten minutes. Ben Carey pulled one back on 37 minutes, but it was Aherlow who pushed on.

Aaron Brazil kicked his seventh point from a placed ball, before Mark Flanagan got in for the game’s opening goal after 44 minutes. An Aaron Brazil 45 dropped short of the mark and Flanagan was first to react, beating Joseph O’Brien with a low shot. This gave the west men a five-point advantage as numerical parity was restored, following Cathal English’s return to the field of play.

Daire English reduced the deficit when he intercepted a wayward clearance from the Aherlow defence and Ben Carey followed up with a minor, from a placed ball, with eight minutes of normal time remaining.

Again, Aherlow lifted their game, with Liam Carew to the fore. He kicked over a point and then struck for goal number two, following a good attacking, defence-splitting run by Paddy Chapman from midfield before linking up with Aaron Brazil, who supplied the final pass.

There was no way back for Knockmealdown, with Aherlow putting up the shutters in those closing minutes. Filip Miklaszewski kicked a minor, before Stephen Carew was dismissed on a black card. In one last attack, John English got his fist to a dropping ball, but his attempt went over the crossbar to close out the scoring in added time.

This was a good all-round performance from the west men. Darragh O’Brien and Paddy Chapman manned the centre of their defence, with Sean Bourke attacking from the back at every opportunity.

The middle third was evenly contested, while their attack came to the fore during the second quarter, with Liam Carew and Aaron Brazil real leaders, and Mark Flanagan took his goal well at a vital time to put them five to the good.

Knockmealdown Gaels were disappointed, especially with their failure to score for a 23-minute spell either side of half-time. In the end, it was the concession of the two second half goals that decided the destination of the Sean Mockler Cup, which was presented to joint captains Gary Quirke and Liam Carew by Tommy Sheehan, on behalf of the County Board.

Scorers: Aherlow Gaels: Aaron Brazil (0-7, 5f), Liam Carew (1-2), Mark Flanagan (1-0), Seán Bourke (0-1), Stephen Carew (0-1).
Knockmealdown Gaels: Ben Carey (0-3, 2f), Daire English (0-2), Dan Burke (0-2), Filip Miklaszewski (0-2), John English (0-1), Chris O’Donnell (0-1), Jack Owens (0-1).

Aherlow Gaels: Shane O’Brien, Michael Russell, Darragh O’Brien, Adam Lohan, Seán Bourke, Paddy Chapman, Pauric O’Brien, Gary Quirke (joint captain), Stephen Carey, Max Reardon, Liam Carew (joint captain), Mark Flanagan, Tom Bradshaw, Aaron Brazil, Cillian Barlow.
Subs: Anthony Murphy for Tom Bradshaw (51), Tadhg O’Brien for Cillian Barlow (54), Niall O’Shea for Mark Flanagan (60+2).

Knockmealdown Gaels: Joseph O’Brien (captain), Dylan Morrissey, John English, Gearoid Hurley, Greg Nugent, Cian O’Brien, Daire English, Filip Miklaszewski, Cathal English, Jack Owens, Chris O’Donnell, Dan Burke, Paul Murphy, Ben Carey, Evan Hyland.
Subs: Ben Doyle for Evan Hyland (51), Donncha Reidy for Paul Murphy (54).

Referee: Donie Horan (Éire Óg Annacarty Donohill).