Twilight robbery in Quilty at Munster Under 20 Football Championship
The Waterford MFC will have been devastated with the manner of the defeat in Clare but hugely proud of their players. Photo: Waterford GAA.
The allotted two minutes of added time had been played and Waterford had moved two points clear again having had a three point lead reeled in. A first minor win in five years seemed a formality for Paul Power’s Déise side who had but to retain possession in the dying seconds. From somewhere, the referee found an extra minute to add on and as Waterford moved forward a pass was blocked down and Clare regained possession with a fast ball forward to danger man Conor Burke who sent wide to Shane O’Connell. His deliver across the face of goal was met by the incoming Burke to finish to the net.
The final whistle sounded on the kick out and disbelieving Waterford players sank to their knees in devastating heartbreak.
There could be no denying that Waterford were the better team over the hour here. Going in as rank outsiders they took the game to the home side from the start and after falling behind in the third minute to a Conor Burke point from a free had moved two points clear by the 12th minute with points from play by Joe Brennan and Ciaran Power followed by another from a free by Brennan. In between those last two scores Waterford had a great chance of a goal with Paddy McCarthy breaking through for a one on one with Clare goalie Eoin Byrne who advanced to make a great save.
Waterford were enjoying the greater part of possession but Clare were back in front by the 18th minute with three points from frees by Sean Fennell and Conor Burke (2). Waterford levelled with another point from Brennan and though they had more of the ball in the closing ten minutes of the half they could add just one further point from play by Liam Kavanagh between two more from frees by Conor Burke for Clare that gave the home side a 0-6 to 0-5 halftime lead with all of Clare’s scores having come from frees.
A Paddy McCarthy point from a free had Waterford level after four minutes on the resumption before Conor Burke edged Clare back into the lead with his first point from play. Between the 37th and 46th minutes Waterford dominated possession, adding points from Billy Drohan and three from Joe Brennan (2Fs) with nothing coming back from a Clare side hitting four wides on the bounce before sub Shane O’Connell had his side’s second point of the half in the 50th minute.
Waterford hit back with a Paddy McCarthy point to retain a three point lead and should have been further ahead but between the 56th and 58th minutes Clare regained a foothold in the game with two points from Burke (1f) and one from O’Connell to level the tie. It seemed that the momentum was now shifting in favour of the home side but Waterford were not going to concede so easily and with sub Tom Lynch on the receiving end of a well constructed attack to fist over the lead point in the 60th minute victory was again in sight. It got even better for Waterford when the Clare goalkeeper sent his kick out directly to Lynch who was fouled going forward for McCarthy to give Waterford a two point lead from the free.
The final whistle might have sounded seconds after that score but play went on. The game was still Waterford’s to lose but then came the crucial error that saw possession turned over and Clare using the open space in the Waterford half to send Burke and O’Connell clear with Burke setting up the move and taking the return from O’Connell to fist to the net in the final action of the game.
It was a great effort by a Waterford side playing with total confidence and self belief throughout and deserving much more than they got at the final whistle.
Substitute Shane O’Connell and Conor Burke were the Clare heroes while Paddy McCarthy and Joe Brennan were the big men for Waterford supported by Dylan Braxon, Ciaran Power and Luke Hennessy.
For Paul Power and his players it is now a case of having regrouped for this evening’s second round tie against a strong Tipperary side that scored a big win over Limerick last week.
– Colm Drohan (Rathgormack), Sean Roche (Stradbally), Danny O’Callaghan (Rathgormack), Andrew Ryan (Nire), Dylan Braxon (Rathgormack), Jack Power (Brickeys), Paddy Spellman (Nire), Aaron Cotter (Geraldines), Luke Hennessy (Ardmore), Ciaran Power (Rathgormack, 0-1), Liam Kavanagh (Kilmacthomas, 0-1), Billy Drohan (Rathgormack, 0-1), David Nyhan (Brickey Rangers), Paddy McCarthy (Brickey Rangers, 0-3, 0-2F), Joe Brennan (Tramore, 0-6, 0-3F). – Josh Jacob (St. Saviours) for Kavanagh (43), Tommy Lynch (0-1) for Nyhan (52), Darragh Walsh (Bunmahon) for Spellman (55), Aaron Curran for Power (60).
– T. McGrath (Limerick).
