Reynolds stars as comeback kings Clara brush luckless Laurence’s aside

JOHN REYNOLDS was the hero as comeback kings Clara repeated their county final heroics by overcoming an eight-point interval deficit to win this Leinster Club SFC game in Newbridge.

Reynolds scored five points from play but crucially, kicked the last four for the Offaly champions.

Clara had recovered from five points down at half time in the Offaly decider to dethrone Rhode, but this was an even better effort, especially as St Laurence’s had threatened to run riot in the opening period.

“We were very flat in the first half but we picked up big time in the second,” said the winning manager, Pat Flanagan. “This team doesn’t go away and they play to the bitter end, no matter what’s going on.”

The Kildare men seemed to run out of steam in the second-half as they scored only one point in that period but certainly flew out of the traps, notching up two goals in the space of a minute to stun the visitors.

The first arrived in the sixth minute and was a delightful effort. Ronnie Lawlor ran onto a break off John Fogarty and chip lifted the ball in full flight. Maintaining his composure, he soloed twice before rounding Clara goalkeeper John Buckley and firing to the net.

Before the Offaly men knew what was happening they were two goals down. Lawler fed Karl O’Brien who drove forward on the right flank, gaining around 30m. Again, he held his nerve to find Fogarty, who took one step to his right before planting a shot to the bottom right hand corner.

Reynolds finally got his side on the board and Thomas Deehan kicked the first of his five frees but a wonderful score with the outside of the boot by Tommy O’Neill from 40m was followed by points from Fogarty and Lawler and the Larries were flying.

A breathtaking Lawler point followed two Barry Mackey frees and a good score from Fogarty, propelling them to a 2-7 to 0-5 lead at the change of ends.

It would surely have been curtains for Flanagan’s men though had Pádraig O’Neill found the net rather than thundered a shot off the crossbar within 20 seconds of the restart.

Clara held the upper hand for the remainder of the tie. The two-goal hero of the county final, Ross Brady, was very prominent in his more conventional position at midfield, alongside brother and team captain Scott.

The youngest Brady sibling, Eoin, struck for a vital goal in the 43rd minute after receiving a pass from Reynolds to give the fightback momentum. Laurence’s were treading water and a pointed free from Deehan and a brilliant score from Reynolds reduced the deficit to one.

Dessie Lawler finished neatly five minutes from time for the Saints’ only second half score but Reynolds was unstoppable by now. A magnificent point on the right was followed by a fisted effort after Shane Connolly had parried John O’Hara’s piledriver.

The winner just edged inside the right upright, after he had challenged well for a high delivery and raced onto the break before dispatching with aplomb.

St Laurence’s had team captain, Mossie Doyle, sent off in the dying seconds for a second yellow card and could find no way back.

CLARA: J Buckley; A Cronin, M Rosney, D Kelly; P Mitchell, M Mitchell, L Hiney; S Brady, R Brady 0-1; T Dalton, J O’Hara 0-1, C Kelly; E Brady 1-0, J Reynolds 0-5, T Deehan 0-5(fs).

Subs: G Guilfoyle for C Kelly (23); J Ledwith for Rosney (23); D Baggott for E Brady inj (54).

ST LAURENCE’S: S Connolly; S Murphy, N Clynch, C Roche; K O’Brien, T O’Neill 0-1, A Flood; P O’Neill, M Doyle; D Grufferty, B Mackey 0-2(fs), I Keatley; R Lawlor 1-2, J Fogarty 1-2, D Lawlor 0-1.

Subs: C Kane for P O’Neill (4); P O’ Neill for Grufferty (23); S Fahey for R Lawlor (48); Grufferty for Kane (55).

Referee: D Fahey (Longford).