Summerhill (Meath)…1-09
Tullamore (Offaly)…1-07
The records will show that a late Kevin Ryan goal and an even later point from Eoghan Frayne were the deciding factors in this attritional but entertaining Leinster Club SFC encounter, but unfortunately it is likely to be overshadowed by the chaotic conclusion to proceedings which culminated in Dublin referee Barry Tiernan being assaulted by a Tullamore ‘fan’.
The kerfuffle arose after the whistler had initially awarded the home side a free after a Summerhill player was adjudged to have handled the ball on the ground. However, this was then upgraded to a penalty after consultation with an umpire who couldn’t have even had a decent view of the incident.
By rule, this was wholly incorrect, as the penalty for said infraction is a 13 metre free, unless the transgression takes place inside the small square – which it didn’t.
To their credit, both the linesman and referee were ballsy enough to admit the error and deal with it appropriately. Naturally, of course part of you would have to feel sorry for the Tullamore players.
Barry Tiernan obviously had a momentary brain freeze and then panicked, but the man in the middle was not the reason the Faithful County representatives came up short.
To put that forward in their defence would be to take the easy way out. No, for my money, the reason the locals lost out was two fold – their own profligacy in front of goal and their propensity to foul.
Thus giving both Eoghan Frayne and Barry Dardis a plethora of kickable frees. Though, perhaps inevitably, it was the home team who opened much the brighter.
Despite Diarmuid McCabe blazing over in the opening minutes, the men from the midlands opened up a lead of 1-05 to O-04 on the run in to half time. Thanks to Declan Hogan driving forward from corner back and netting.
Mind you, as is their tradition, Summerhill have their own way of doing things and so it was that Jamie O’Shea stole forward and pointed before Barry Dardis sent over another mesmeric dead ball from the sideline to halve the deficit at turnaround.
When Dardis and Conor Frayne pointed early on in the second half, rather than Conor Gillespie’s charges kicking on, the game than fell into an attritional stalemate until Tullamore – belatedly on their part – switched wing back Nigel Bracken onto free taking duty.
Doing so enabled the white and blue edge into a lead of 1-07 to 0-08 with about seven minutes remaining. It was fairly obvious the Meath side needed a goal at that stage to rescue their ambitions.
Which is why the quality available to a team off their bench comes into play, and on that score, those sponsored by Gordon Elliott Racing were a few lengths ahead of their opponents.
As firstly the guile and experience of Davy Dalton steadied the ship and provided the required composure before Kevin Ryan came on and, well, did Kevin Ryan things!
Gathered possession and charged at the barricades like a seagull onto ploughed ground before persuading the ball into Corey White’s net.
Then Frayne clipped over his fourth and final point before the day’s events concluded in chaos.
SUMMERHILL – S. Muddiman; I. Hughes, Ronan Ryan, J. Lavelle; J. O’Shea (0-1), Ross Ryan, P. Geraghty; A. Flanagan, M. Byrne; D. Larkin, E. Frayne (0-4), D. McCabe (0-1); C. Lyons, C. Frayne (0-1), B. Dardis (0-2).
SUBS – P. Jennings for O’Shea, K. Ryan (1-0) for Lyons, D. Dalton for C. Frayne, E. McDonnell for McCabe.
Referee – Barry Tiernan (Dublin)
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