Ferncombe goal just the tonic for Abbeyside

PLAYING second fiddle throughout most of a pedestrian opening half, Abbeyside upped the tempo on the turnover in Dungarvan on Saturday and deservedly fashioned a five-point victory that qualified them for the penultimate round of the Waterford SHC for the first time in more than three decades.

Tallow looked to be in cruise control in the first period and weren’t flattered by their 0-7 to 0-3 half-time lead. Allstar nominee Aidan Kearney was their defensive rock and, with Ken Kearney also playing superbly at corner-back, one wondered where the badly needed Abbeyside scores would come from.

The answer came within 30 seconds of the restart. Gary Hurney, switched with telling effect from centre- to corner-forward, set up Mark Ferncombe for a peach of a goal, and when Hurney himself quickly tacked on a quality point the sides were level.

Abbeyside, clearly, were transformed, and with wing-backs Richie Foley and John Hurney driving them on, and a resurgent Gary Hurney playing just as key a role in attack, it was Tallow who began to struggle.

Only the width of an upright denied Mark Gorman a goal in the 34th minute, but they were in front for the first time three minutes later when Gary Hurney rifled over a point.

Teenager Thomas Ryan, Tallow’s best forward, and Richie Foley exchanged points before Tallow enjoyed the kind of break that can often decide the outcome of games. With 47 minutes on the clock, substitute William Murphy’s delivery looked to be going over for an equalising point, but instead the ball came back off the woodwork and Paul Kearney gleefully lashed it to the net to give his side a two-point cushion.

They were two points clear with seven minutes remaining, before rampaging Abbeyside grabbed the all important winning scores. Points by the Gorman brothers, Mark and John, brought them level in the 56th minute and 60 seconds later Mark effectively settled the issue with a goal worthy of winning any game. Further points by the two Marks, Gorman and Ferncombe, secured victory for Abbeyside.

Scorers: Abbeyside: M. Gorman (1-4); M. Ferncombe (1-1); G. Hurney(0-2); M. Fives (0-2); R. Foley, J. Gorman (0-1) each. Tallow: P. Kearney (1-1); T. Ryan (0-3); B. Henley, W. Henley, J. Murray, S. McCarthy, P. O’Brien (0-1) each.

ABBEYSIDE: D. Ryan; S. Briggs. J. Kindregan. G. Breen; R. Foley. P. Lynch. J. Hurney; J. Foley. J. Phelan; J. Gorman. G. Hurney. P. Hurney; M. Ferncombe. M. Fives. M. Gorman.

Sub: B. Scanlon for Phelan.

TALLOW: J. P. Grey; D. O’Brien. S. McCarthy. K. Kearney; M. O’Brien. A. Kearney. W. Henley; P. Murray. P. O’Brien; S. McCarthy. J. Murray. P. Kearney; T. Ryan. S. Slattery. B. Henley.

Subs: K. Geary for S. McCarthy; W. Murphy for Slattery; B. Sheehan for B. Henley; M. Geary for P. Murray.

Referee: T O’Byrne (Erins Own).