Ennistymon squeeze through to final after historic Clare penalty shootout

 

Clare SFC semi-final: 

Ennistymon 2-8 Kilmurry Ibrickane 1-11 (AET) Ennistymon won 4-3 on penalties 

History was made in Cusack Park on Saturday evening when out of the gathering gloom emerged Ennistymon to score a famous county semi-final win on penalties — a shoot out that went to sudden death before the North Clare side finally completed a remarkable comeback.

Deep in added time of extra-time all looked lost, with Kilmurry Ibrickane closing in on a fourth successive county final appearance as Keelan Sexton’s tour de force of 1-7 had them three clear and almost home.

But from somewhere Ennistymon conjured up one last desperate attack with Brendy Rouine creating a chance out of nothing for David Fitzgerald — his close range shot was saved but corner-back Ciaran McMahon rifled the rebound home with the last kick of the game to bring it to penalties.

It was the second time that Ennistymon had come back from the brink, as despite leading early on by 1-2 to 0-1 thanks to a fifth minute Cillian Rouine goal and leading at break by 1-4 to 1-2, they were under the cosh in the second half as Kilmurry turned the screw.

Keelan Sexton did that — his 12th-minute goal got them back in it before two points early in the second half had his side back on terms as they looked like kicking on to victory. They would have only for Brendy Rouine landing crucial points after Sexton had pointed his side ahead twice inside the last ten minutes.

And this pattern repeated itself in extra-time with Sexton hitting 0-3 to have his side on the cusp of victory, only for everything to change with McMahon’s late late show.

The penalty shoot-out finished 3-3 after each side had five attempts — Keelan Sexton, Dermot Coughlan and Joe Campbell converting for the ‘Bricks, as Mark Killeen and Daryn Callinan missed. Brandy Rouine, Ryan Barry and David Fitzgerald scored for Ennistymon, while Killiane Malone and Tiernan Hogan failed to convert.

That left sudden death, with Malone first up with a goal before Callinan’s effort crashed off the post to give Ennistymon the first county final appearance since 2018.

“I don’t know is it any way to end a game,” admitted Ennistymon manager Mark Shanahan afterwards, “and you have to feel for the team that loses. It could have gone either way.

“The one thing was is that every minute we have played this year, we have gone to the wire. It was that never say die attitude that got us to penalties, and we showed it again in the penalties. We are over the moon,” he added.

Scorers for Ennistymon: B Rouine (0-6, 4f, 1 ‘45), C Rouine (1-0), C McMahon (1-0), S Rouine (0-2).

Scorers for Kilmurry Ibrickane: K Sexton (1-7, 4f), D Walsh (0-1), A McCarthy (0-1), N Hickey (0-1), D Callinan (0-1f).

ENNISTYMON: N Sexton; C McMahon, A Ralph, J Rouine; L Cotter, C O’Reilly, J Guyler; D McNamara, B Rouine; K Hehir, C Rouine, T Hogan; S Rouine, D Fitzgerald, S Rynne. Subs E Rouine for Hehir (23), L Healy for O’Reilly (53), R Barry for Rynne (53), B McNamara for Hogan (56), C McConigley for S Rouine (58), S Rynne for Barry (60), S Rouine for C Rouine (60), T Hogan for McConigley (60), K Malone fr Rynne (69), R Barry for S Rouine (73), J Murphy for McNamara (74).

KILMURRY IBRICKANE: David Sexton; M McMahon, D Hickey, S Hickey; D King, Darragh Sexton, C Morrissey; A Shannon, M O’Dwyer, N Hickey; D Coughlan, K Sexton, C O’Dea. Subs J Campbell for O’Dea (12), D Callinan for N Hickey (46), M Killeen for O’Dwyer (60), J Moloney Darragh Sexton (67), C Brigdale for Morrissey (71), N Hickey for Walsh (79).

Referee J Hickey