Moneygall put league disappointment aside to win Barry Cup

SOCCER: North Tipperary & District League – First Division Barry Cup Final

Moneygall 3

Cloughjordan 1

Report: Gary Culbert in Ardcroney

It was a mixture of relief and joy when Moneygall lifted the First Division Barry Cup, following an extra time victory over Cloughjordan in the final on Friday evening.

Moneygall enjoyed the lion’s share of possession throughout this hotly contested final, but a determined defensive display from underdogs Cloughjordan ensured they were only a goal down heading into the final furlong, and that is when the experienced Eoin Killackey sprung some attacking talent from the bench, who ultimately forced extra time. However, in the end it was the trio of Moneygall substitutes, now known as ‘the bomb squad’, that had the final say.

Billy Hayes’ young side were heavy favourites despite their league finale heartache a week prior, but with no let-up in the rain all day and the venue changed to Ardcroney from Templemore, the odds of a shock result shortened.

There were good chances for both sides early on before the game settled into a rhythm of Clough being penned into their own half, and giving away numerous frees as the old legs struggled to keep up with the much younger Moneygall attackers.

As is so often the case in big finals it was a set-piece that broke the deadlock. Free kick expert Kevin Fitzgerald was unavailable, so Jack O’Brien floated the ball in after being fouled on the touchline; Dylan Hogan lost his marker at the back post before sending it back the way it came, Sean Moroney showing a good strikers’ instinct to be in the right place at the right time to give Moneygall the lead just before the break.

It was a tale of the two keepers after the restart, as Julian Bentancourt and Ger Corcoran both made fine saves to deny Rob Austin and Jack O’Brien respectively.

Cloughjordan rang the changes in search of an equaliser and began to create meaningful chances with Luke Morkan and Tino Rotani making an immediate impact up front.

Moneygall’s cat-like keeper was proving his worth, making big saves to deny both Luke Morkan and Kev Kennedy. But the Columbian could only stand and admire when youth player Tino Rotani let fly from outside the box with a daisy cutter that nestled perfectly into the bottom corner. Neither the scorer nor his teammates could quite believe what the youngster had just done.

Cloughjordan had two further half chances to snatch the win, but a mixture of good goalkeeping and poor finishing saw their short period in the ascendancy end with just the one goal, and so extra time would be required to separate these neighbours.

Clough had played their hand; they didn’t know it at the time, but this was as good as it was going to get for them. As the daylight faded, so did the energy in the Clough legs that have a lot more miles done than their significantly younger counterparts. From this point the running power from the trio of Moneygall substitutes Niall Maher, Paul Costello and Tommy Sheedy took over.

Paul Scully and Decy Barrett did extremely well to deny Niall Maher with last ditch tackles just before the end of normal time, but there was nothing they could do in extra time when Maher latched on to a pin-point diagonal from Cameron Flemming.

Paul Costello had been working to return from long-term injury all season and the former Athlone Town man was back in time to have his say in the final, scoring in the second half of extra time to put the result beyond doubt.

In truth, prior to kick-off, Cloughjordan would have been delighted to take Moneygall to extra time. But the harsh reality is that they’ve been on the losing end in three Barry Cup finals in a row. A serious re-build is needed when they start fresh in their new ground next season.

If this Moneygall group stick together it will be the first of many cups for this team. However, the overriding feeling on the evening was one of relief - to lose two finals in the space of six days would have been unbearable. They have a Tipperary Cup final left to play also, against either Killavilla United or Ardcroney.

Credit to Ardcroney FC for being so accommodating at short notice to the league committee, who worked tirelessly throughout the day to ensure the game went ahead.

Player of the Match: Julian Bentancourt (Moneygall)

Moneygall: Julian Bentancourt; Gearoid Larkin, Cian McLoughlin, Dylan Hogan, Mikey Ryan; Cameron Flemming, Jack O’Brien (Capt), Dylan Maher; James Carroll, Sean Moroney, Dylan McCormack.

Subs: Paul Costello for McCormack (67); Niall Maher for Carroll (67); Thomas Sheedy for Moroney (90); Dwayne Collison for Flemming (18 ET).

Cloughjordan: Ger Corcoran; Daniel Parker, Paul Scully, Decy Barrett, Ger O’Brien; Eoin Hogan, Terry Delaney, Martin Grace (Capt), Rob Austin; Paidi Williams, Kevin Kennedy.

Subs: Michael Cleary for Delaney (57); Luke Morkan for Parker (57); Tino Rotani for Kennedy (69); Jamie Twamley for Grace (73); Michael Hennelly for Scully (10 ET)

Referee: David Butler.