JUST what the doctor ordered after two depressing defeats on the trot. Agutsy and committed display saw off our bitter rivals of recent years in the sunshine of Walsh Park last Saturday, and while the win of itself wasn’t enough to retain direct interest in the destination of the league title our deserved 2-18 to 2-15 victory over the Banner could hardly have come at a more appropriate time.
This, believe me, was much more than an ordinary run of the mill league game. From the opening whistle the frenetic pace reminded one of a championship Sunday in June or July, and the no nonsense approach of the two teams left no one in any doubt about how important they regarded victory.
As a consequence the exchanges were uncompromising in the extreme. All the fire and brimstone of a big match championship day. All the passion one could ever want from two teams in pursuit of a common objective.
For a variety of reasons we were again forced to field below full strength, with the absentees including Ken McGrath, John Mullane, Seamas Prendergast, and Eoin Kelly.
Selectorial deliberations ordained that two of our most experienced defenders, Tom Feeney and Brian Flannery, would also sit it out on the subs bench, leaving a side much changed from that which celebrated in Munster final glory on the banks of the Lee nine months ago.
Clare in contrast were minus just one of their big name regular, Jamsie O’Connor, an indicator in itself of just how badly they wanted to depart Walsh Park with another brace of league points safely in the bag.
In the end however they returned home empty handed, and while they were just three points adrift at the end of the seventy minutes I’m certain they’ll be the first to acknowledge that the spoils of victory were garnered by the better team.
Our first half performance was probably the best we’ve produced since that epic win again Tipp last summer. Brian Greene led the way with a marvellous display at right full back, and the confidence that perculated right through the team had Clare on the rack for much of those opening thirty five minutes.
There was little separating the sides for a quarter of an hour at the end of which they shared a dozen points in equal measure. But once Michael Walsh smashed home our first goal on seventeen minutes after goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald had denied Paul Flynn with a breathtaking save, we proceeded to run the show right through the field.
Five minutes later Flynn turned from provider to executioner, smashing home a semi-penalty after Dan Shanahan had been fouled as he bore down menacingly on the Clare citadel.
That goal opened up a seven point gap which had stretched to nine by the time the interval came and brought with it a much needed reprieve for the visitors.
