Tony Kelly goal clinches win for Clare over Dublin
Tony Kelly of Clare in the Allianz Hurling League Division 1B clash with Dublin at Zimmer Biomet Cusack Park. Pic: ©INPHO/Natasha Barton
It took an injury-time goal from Tony Kelly for Clare to finally shake off Dublin and get an early leg up in Division 1B of the National Hurling League in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg.
Having raided for a whopping 20-point haul the last time the sides clashed in the league five years ago, Clare’s talisman was required once more to keep their relentless visitors at arm’s length.
In what was anticipated to be the tie of the entire Division 1B programme, a healthy crowd off 7,553 were in attendance to witness this worthy early barometer that will have given both managers plenty of encouragement. However, with an arduous journey to Dunloy next weekend against a scorned Davy Fitzgerald-led Antrim, Brian Lohan’s side were thankful to late goals in each half to get them over the line.
With Donal Burke unerring from frees, Dublin welcomed the conditions to raid for seven of the first nine points, four from the stick of the Na Fianna marksman by the 14th minute.
Mark Rodgers’ frees kept a profligate Clare in touch before finally igniting their challenge in the 29th minute when Darragh Lohan collected an Eibhear Quilligan puck-out and passed inside to David Reidy who dummied his marker before cutting in and firing to the far bottom right corner of the net to regain full parity at 1-7 to 0-10.
A Tony Kelly point was matched by a Burke free before the hosts grabbed a rousing half-time boost when David Fitzgerald blocked down a Dublin clearance for Shane Meehan to tee up Peter Duggan for a second goal at 2-08 to 0-11.
With the wind to come, Clare only bolstered that advantage on the resumption when a brace of Rodgers frees ensured a four point cushion by the 39th minute.
However, with home goalkeeper Quilligan having to pull off a superb full length stop to deny Cian O’Sullivan, the Banner failed to heed that warning as substitute Dara Purcell centred for Brian Hayes to billow the net and slash the arrears to just one by the 42nd minute.
A buoyant Dublin powered to seven of the next ten points and the damage could have been greater only for Quilligan to come to their rescue to somehow tip a Donal Burke penalty over the bar at the turn of the final quarter.
Trailing by three by the 55th minute, Clare reshuffled their pack to hit the next four points as braces from Mark Rodgers and Tony Kelly inched the hosts back in front.
Donal Burke levelled the tie for a sixth time entering the final ten minutes, with Brian Hayes seeing a potential winning goal chance just flash wide of the the right post.
That miss would be magnified when debutante Diarmuid Stritch edged Clare in front once more in the 69th minute while two minutes later, the clinical Kelly collected a Rory Hayes pass over the top to beat the last defender and emphatically finish past Sean Brennan at 3-18 to 1-20.
Dublin did fire the last two points through Burke and O’Sullivan but they craved a goal to salvage a first ever result out of Ennis as Clare relievedly prevailed.
M Rodgers 0-11 (9f); T Kelly 1-3; D Reidy, P Duggan 1-0 each; D Lohan, D Fitzgerald, S Meehan, D Stritch 0-1 each
D Burke 0-11 (Pen, 9f); B Hayes 1-3; A Dunphy, C Donohue, C O’Sullivan 0-2 each; C Burke, D Purcell 0-1 each
E Quilligan; R Hayes, C Cleary, A Hogan; C Malone, D Ryan, C Galvin; D Lohan, R Taylor; D Fitzgerald, T Kelly, P Duggan; D Reidy, M Rodgers, S Meehan
D Stritch for Reidy (46), J O’Neill for Fitzgerald (56), N O’Farrell for Duggan (59), J Conneally for Galvin (59), C O’Meara for Lohan (70)
S Brennan; J Bellew, P Smyth, E O’Donnell; C Burke, C Crummey, A Dunphy; C Donohoe, C Groake; B Hayes, C O’Sullivan, D Power; D Burke, R Hayes, D Ó Dúlaing
D Keogh for Power (33), D Purcell for Ó Dúlaing (41), C Ó Riain for Keogh (57), D Lucey for C. Burke (66)
S Hynes (Galway)
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