Sion deny Passage in a very tight finish
Mount Sion's Austin Gleeson gets away from Passage's Gary Cullinane
With just over three minutes of normal time remaining in this game Mount Sion were looking comfortable, sitting on a seven point lead and looking set for victory over old rivals Passage. In a dramatic finale, Passage came with a late surge, cutting the deficit to a single goal with Mikey Cummins scoring 1-1 from frees and then being denied at least a draw in added time by the brilliance of Ian O’Regan in the Mount Sion goal.
Up to those final minutes the game had been dominated on the score board by the free takers, Austin Gleeson for Mount Sion and teenager Thomas Carey for Passage.
Mount Sion had first call on the stiff breeze blowing into the city end but it was Passage who got off to a flying start with Mikey Cummins opening the scoring with a point inside twenty seconds. Austin Gleeson and Thomas Carey exchanged points from frees before Adam Regan sent over the equaliser for the city side in the 6th minute. Austin Gleeson put his side back into the lead following a foul on Regan but by the 10th minute Passage had regained the lead with points from Carey ( F) and Liam Flynn.
Mount Sion were not making any great headway despite playing with the wind and Passage were more than holding their own when what proved a decisive score came in the 11th minute with Austin Gleeson being fouled breaking forward on goal and shooting the 20 metre free to the net giving his side a lead that would not be relinquished.
Passage kept the scoreboard ticking with three points coming from Kevin Cullinane, Thomas Carey and Mikey Cummins to one in reply from Donal Power to leave just one point between the sides after 20 minutes. Mount Sion appeared set to put daylight between the sides with five unanswered points from Austin Gleeson (3Fs), Alan Kirwan and Jamie Gleeson but Passage stayed in striking range with two points from Carey and Liam Flynn either side of a Sion point from P. J. Fanning that left the halftime score at 1-11 to 0-9 in Mount Sion’s favour.
The four point lead looked vulnerable as Passage reeled off three points in the opening three minutes of the second half from Thomas Carey (F), substitute Owen Connors and Mikey Cummins. Mount Sion hit back with a point from an Austin Gleeson free and another from play by Adam Regan. Carey replied with another Passage point but Regan was continuing to cause problems for the Passage defence as he sent over his third score.
Further points by Martin O’Neill and Regan either side of another Carey point had Mount Sion six points clear by the 45th minute. Once again, two Carey points were matched by scores from Jamie and Austin Gleeson before Carey was surprisingly substituted in the 54th minute. When Austin Gleeson sent over a point following another foul on Adam Regan in the 57th minute it seemed Mount Sion were over the line but Passage came alive in the 58th minute with Mikey Cummins sending over a free and suddenly the pressure was all on the Mount Sion defence with Mark Fitzgerald breaking forward and a 20 metre free conceded which Cummins drove to the net.
With Just one goal between the sides and the game going into added time Mount Sion were pinned in their goal area with Ian O’Regan forced to perform acrobatics to deny Passage seemingly certain goals. With Alan Kirwan earning a free for Mount Sion on the break, Austin Gleeson sent over what was the insurance point as the final whistle sounded.
This was not an impressive performance by either side and both will need to show improvement going forward to meet De La Salle in their coming group games. For the winners Austin Gleeson’s tally from frees was vital while the man of the match accolade must go to Adam Regan, just out of minor grade, with four excellent points and as many more earned from being fouled in possession.
For Passage, Thomas Carey’s free taking kept his side in touch while Mikey Cummins was his side’s outstanding player.
Austin Gleeson 1-10 (Fs), Adam Regan 0=4 Jamie Gleeson and Martin O’Neill 0-2 each, Donal Power, Alan Kirwan, P. J. Fanning 0-1 each.
Thomas Carey 0-9 (8FS), Mikey Cummins 1-4 (1-1 Fs), Liam Flynn 0-2, Kevin Cullinane and Owen Connors 0-1 each.
Ian O’Regan, Mikey Daykin, Peter Penkert, Ben Frisby, Martin F. O’Neill, Stephen O’Neill, P. J. Fanning, Donal Power, Jamie Gleeson, Austin Gleeson, Martin O’Neill, Evan Curran, Adam Regan, John Kennedy, Alan Kirwan.
Eddy Lynch, Ciaran O’Neill, Kevin Cullinane, Tom Dalton, Mark Fitzgerald, Gary Cullinane, Calum O’Neill, Darragh Lynch, Mike Hutchinson, Thomas Carey, Pa Walsh, Eoghan Reilly, Mikey Cummins, Dale Cullinane, Liam Flynn.
Conor Drohan for D. Cullinane (41), Eoin Walsh for Hutchinson (44), Stephen Lynch for Carey (54).
Seaghan Walsh (De La Salle)
