'Pass have a point to prove
April 30, 2010Tyrrellspass' pride is still hurting after last September's crushing 13-point defeat by Garrycastle in the senior football championship semi-final.
What many expected to be the game of the championship turned out to be the proverbial damp squib as Garrycastle strolled to the easiest of wins against the 2006 and 2007 champions. Tyrrellspass never got out of the starting blocks and totally under-performed, but they will have an early opportunity to avenge that loss when they renew their rivalry with the Athlone side in the first round of this year's championship.
"Even though it's the toughest possible start to the championship, it's a game everyone in the club is really looking forward to," Tyrrellspass' county under 21 goalkeeper Darren Quinn explains.
"We know we are not 13 points a worse team than Garrycastle and we want to prove that when we meet them again. We flopped last year and that's the only way to describe it. It was one of those days when everything went right for them and everything went wrong for us. A lot of people were saying we were past it, but there is still plenty of life in this Tyrrellspass team and we're determined to prove that this year."
While stalwarts such as Martin Flanagan, David Murphy, Shane Arthur, Adrian Corcoran and John Corcoran are now in the twilights of their careers, Tyrrellspass are not short on young talent. Gavin Hoey, Keith Scally, David Glennon, Trevor John Gonoud and Ger Egan have all played senior inter-county football at this stage, while talisman David Glennon is still only 24. Quinn, meanwhile, has garnered huge experience from keeping goal for the Westmeath under 21s for the past two years and was also Tyrrellspass' custodian when they won back-to-back Flanagan Cups in 2006 and '07.
"Most of us have represented Westmeath at under 21 or senior level, so the talent is definitely there to win another senior championship. This year could be a last hurrah for some of the older lads, but there is plenty of talent coming behind them," the Dalystown youngster says.
"Brian Slevin and Ger Egan were on the county under 21 panel with me this year and Ger made his senior debut against Donegal in the league. Ger O'Toole is another exciting prospect. We've got David Glennon and Gavin Hoey back from Australia and Alan Rigney, who has also played for the county, is also back after recovering from his second cruciate ligament injury. So we have a lot going for ourselves."
Tyrrellspass won five out of seven championship games last year, opening their campaign with a 1-9 to 0-8 victory over county finalists St. Loman's at Cusack Park. The Tidy Town led by 0-4 to 0-2 at half-time, but Loman's levelled early in the second half. However, a devastating burst from Denis Glennon which yielded 1-2 in the final six minutes proved the difference between the sides.
County stars Glennon and Martin Flanagan scored 1-8 between them as Tyrrellspass beat parish rivals St. Malachy's by 1-13 to 0-11 in their second outing. Just back from injury, Flanagan netted in the first half to help Laz Molloy's charges to a 1-6 to 0-3 interval lead. Malachy's rallied in the second half to reduce the gap to three points with eight minutes remaining, but late points from substitutes Ray Sheerin and Ronan Dunbar, and Denis Glennon, cemented Tyrrellspass' win.
The Tidy Town made it three wins from three when a brace of first half goals helped them to a 2-7 to 0-10 victory over Athlone in Moate. Kerryman Tim O'Regan availed of a defensive mix-up to palm home Tyrrellspass' first goal in the early stages and a second major from David Glennon had them ahead by 2-3 to 0-5 at half-time. Athlone cut the deficit to the minimum in the second half, but late points from veteran John Corcoran and wing back Philip Sheridan sealed the win for Tyrrellspass.
Coralstown/Kinnegad brought an end to Tyrrellspass' winning record when they triumphed by 1-10 to 0-8. Colm Coyle's side laid the foundations for their success in the first half when they opened up a 1-6 to 0-2 lead, with Mark Gorman scoring their goal after just 15 seconds.
A Tim O'Regan point left Tyrrellspass just four points adrift with five minutes remaining, but they couldn't get any closer and it was left to Jason Cully to wrap up the win for Coralstown/Kinnegad.
Tyrrellspass bounced back to beat The Downs by 2-11 to 2-8 in their final group match and secure their quarter-final place. The sides were level on 1-5 apiece at half-time and they were still deadlocked until four minutes from the end when young substitute Brian Slevin struck the winning goal for the 'Pass.
A storming second half display paved the way for a 1-13 to 0-10 victory over Maryland in the quarter-final. The 2008 intermediate winners looked set to cause a major upset when they led by 0-5 to 0-0 at the end of the first quarter and they were still three points in front at the break.
But within four minutes of the resumption, Denis Glennon had levelled for Tyrrellspass and they had surged four points clear before Martin Flanagan sealed the deal with the only goal seven minutes from time.
Sadly for Tyrrellspass, their semi-final clash with Garrycastle turned out to be something of a nightmare. The much-anticipated clash at Cusack Park proved to be a surprisingly one-sided affair as the Athlone-based club cruised to a 1-16 to 0-6 victory.
Dessie Dolan was the star of the show by helping himself to a personal tally of 1-6. Despite wasting a number of good scoring opportunities early on, Garrycastle still led by 0-4 to 0-1 before the former All-Star finished off a fine flowing move for the only goal in the 17th minute.
With Martin Flanagan and Denis Glennon subdued at the opposite end, Garrycastle pushed on to lead by 1-8 to 0-4 at half-time. Tyrrellspass did manage to reduce the margin to five points by the 36th minute, but that was as close as they got as the southerners move up a gear again to run out easy winners.
Despite that defeat, Tyrrellspass were still represented on county final day by players who were involved with the Clann Braonain minor amalgamation. And after losing the previous two finals, it was a case of third time lucky for the Tyrrellspass, St. Mary's and Milltownpass amalgam who claimed a 1-8 to 0-8 over St. Patrick's courtesy of wing back Jamie Gounoud's 57th minute goal. Gonoud was joined in the starting line-up by fellow Tyrrellspass men Kevin Loughrey, Ger Egan and Ger O'Toole.
Further silverware came to the Tidy Town in early December when Tyrrellspass avenged their 2008 defeat to The Downs with a 0-8 to 1-3 victory in the senior 'B' final. In an ill-tempered clash which saw three players red-carded, the Tyrrellspass second string led by 0-6 to 0-3 at the break and despite conceding a goal within two minutes of the restart, they held on for a two-point win.
"It was nice to end the year with a bit of silverware, but the manner of the senior championship semi-final defeat overshadowed everything," says Quinn, who won an intermediate championship medal with the St. Brigid's hurlers last year.
"The main reason why Laz Molloy and his selectors John Hyland and Frank Ryan decided to stay on is because they want to make amends for last year. The players feel the same way.
"If we could get a win over Garrycastle in the first round, the whole thing could snowball from there. We've been drawn in a very tough group, but you have to beat the best if you want to win the championship and that's what we hope to do," he concludes.
The Tyrrellspass team that beat The Downs in the senior 'B' final was: Paul McGivney; Declan Feery, Terence O'Brien, Eoin O'Neill; Jamie Gonoud, Cathal Daly, Paul Henry; Adrian Corcoran, Joseph Carroll; Ronan Dunbar, Ger Egan, Brian Slevin; John Corcoran (captain), Colm Murphy, Ger O'Toole. Subs used: Ray Sheerin, Sean Bagnall, Peter Cunniffe, David Gavigan and Liam Daly.
The senior team that lost to Garrycastle in the county semi-final was; Darren Quinn; Barry Murphy, David Murphy, Terence O'Brien; Cathal Daly, Shane Arthur, Philip Sheridan; Adrian Corcoran, Tim O'Regan; Keith Scally, Denis Glennon, Ronan Dunbar; David Glennon, Martin Flanagan, Ger Egan. Subs used: John Brennan and Ray Sheerin. Tweet
