Cratloe shoot down Townies on penalties

Cratloe's Cathal McInerne

Clare SFC semi-final: Cratloe 1-17 Éire Óg 1-17 (AET) Cratloe won 4-2 on penalties

Éire Óg’s hopes of reaching a third county final in a row floundered in the most dramatic of circumstances on Sunday afternoon after a never-say-die Cratloe came from behind in both normal and extra-time to draw level and then showed ice in their veins in the penalty shoot-out to get back to the decider for the first time in three years.

There were many times in this rollercoaster that Cratloe looked in deep trouble — early on when they conceded the first six points; inside the last ten minutes after a Mark McInerney penalty helped push the Townies three clear; when they trailed by two after first ten minutes of extra-time.

However, they found different ways, with their opening score when Conal O’Hanlon palmed to the net being the first tonic, while the mercurial talents of Cathal McInerney and the three Collins brothers, who all landed in inspirational points, ensured this was a fight to the death.

Éire Óg led by 0-8 to 1-1 at the break, the inside line of Gavin Cooney, Mark McInerney and Philip Talty leading their scoring surge. But a brilliant opening to the second half by Cratloe yielded points by Podge Collins, McInerney, David Collins and Sean Collins and had the sides level inside five minutes.

It looked like the Townies would get over the line when Mark McInerney dispatched a penalty in the 50th minute.

Cratloe had other ideas, with the Collins’ and McInerney landing crucial scores and the equaliser coming via a 64th-minute free by McInerney. It was McInerney again that brought it to penalties with a 71st-minute equaliser.

In the shoot-out, McInerney, O’Hanlon, Enda Boyce and Podge Collins found the target, with Padraig Chaplin’s saves from Colm Walsh O’Loghlen and Ciaran Russell giving Cratloe a 4-2 win to ambush the Townies’ three-in-a-row hopes.

Scorers for Cratloe: C McInerney (0-6, 4f), S Collins (0-4, 2f), C O’Hanlon (1-0), P Collins (0-3), D Collins (0-1), E Boyce (0-1), R Considine (0-1), L Markham (0-1).

Scorers for Éire Óg: M McInerney (1-3, 1-0 pen), G Cooney (0-6, 2f, 1m), C Russell (0-2), P Talty (0-2), D O’Brien (0-1), C Walsh O’Loghlen (0-1), A Fitzgerald (0-1), D Walsh (0-1).

CRATLOE: P Chaplin; D Collins, K Harnett, L Markham; E Boyce, M Brennan, R McNamara; D Ryan, C O’Hanlon; R Considine, S Collins, T Rooney; S Neville, C McInerney, P Collins. 

Subs: C Ryan for Considine (47), J McInerney for McNamara (58).

ÉIRE ÓG: S Daniels; M Doherty, A Fitzgerald, J Collins; R Lanigan, N McMahon, C Russell; D O’Neill, G Murray; D O’Brien, Ikem Ugwueru, D Ryan; P Talty, G Cooney, M McInerney. 

Subs: C Walsh O’Loghlen for Ryan (50), O Cahill for O’Brien (45), D Walsh for Collins (23), U Shields for Talty (58), E O’Connor for Fitzgerald (60), D Ryan (74), J Collins for Doherty (77).

Referee: C Maguire (Wolfe Tones)