Epic Connacht Cup Battle for A Team

Despite a tough season in the Championship, Colemanstown’s A Team showed immense resilience & determination in their Connacht Cup Last 16 clash against Moyne Villa, who currently sit joint 2nd in the Premier Division. In a game that had everything: passion, grit & late drama; Colemanstown pushed their higher ranked opponents all the way securing a 2-2 draw after extra time before narrowly losing in a penalty shootout. Few would have predicted such a battle but the lads dug deep showing the kind of fight that had been missing in the 1st half of the season. The backline of Damien Wynne, Luke Williams, Sean Hardiman, Kerrill Hardiman & James Colleavy put in a colossal shift managing to contain Moyne Villa’s attacking talisman Padraic Cunningham. Special mention must go to the Hardiman twins, who at 40 years old, defied time itself with their athleticism, endurance & leadership across a grueling 110 minutes. Add in to the mix the relentless engine of fellow veteran Padraig Quirke & it’s clear that experience is a key factor going forward. The opening exchanges were evenly contested with both teams probing without creating clear-cut chances. The first real moment of danger arrived on 14mins when a long ball caught Colemanstown’s defense off guard. With the keeper advanced off his line, Moyne Villa looked certain to score but Luke Williams arrived out of nowhere & produced a stunning last ditch sliding tackle to clear the danger and deny an early setback. Colemanstown’s best chance of the half came on 32mins when Thady Moran forced a diving save from the Moyne Villa keeper who turned his effort around the post. At halftime the sides remained deadlocked at 0-0. The 2nd half saw more goalmouth action & Moyne Villa nearly took the lead 8mins after the restart when a moment of hesitation at the back saw their effort hit the side net. At the other end James Colleavy’s free kick tested the keeper who had to deal with the glare of the winter sun. The breakthrough came on 58mins when a speculative shot slipped through the hands of our keeper and into the net. While it was an unfortunate moment, credit must be given to Alan ‘Junior’ Finn, who had a solid game & made several key saves throughout. Managerial changes saw Kevin Barrett introduced for the hardworking Harry Mitchell while young Shane Duffy made his first team debut on the left wing after Alan Finn had run himself into the ground. As the game wore on, Colemanstown grew into it. Junior made another fine save from a looping cross while at the other end, a goalmouth scramble nearly resulted in an equaliser, with Geordan Kenny & Kevin Barrett battling to poke the ball home before it was eventually cleared. The equaliser finally arrived on 82mins. Geordan Kenny played in Thady Moran, whose pinpoint delivery from the right found Kevin Barrett who made no mistake with a perfect nod into the net – just rewards for the team’s persistence. Colemanstown nearly snatched it in normal time with another goalmouth scramble & a late Thady Moran effort that went over the bar, but after 90mins the score remained 1-1 & so to extra time. The first period of extra time saw little action but the 2nd half produced fireworks. 5mins in Richie Lally rattled the post directly from a corner & just a minute later a moment of sheer brilliance saw Geordan Kenny unleash a thunderous shot from near the sideline. His strike rocketed into the top corner sparking wild celebrations as the sizeable Colemanstown support dared to dream of a place in the last eight. With just minutes to play Moyne Villa won a dangerous free kick, but Colemanstown’s three man wall stood firm for the umpteenth time. However, heartbreak struck in the dying moments as the visitors found an equaliser at the death, sending the game to penalties. Despite an incredible effort across 110 minutes fate was cruel in the shootout as Moyne Villa’s keeper made two fine saves to edge them through. It was a bitter way to bow out but the performance from Colemanstown was nothing short of outstanding. This was a game that proved what Jason Finn, Kerrill Lally & Gary Broderick’s team is capable of although the latter decided to swap the drama of the Connacht Cup to book himself a weekend away instead – talk about questionable decision making ! To go toe-to-toe with one of the Premier Division’s top sides and push them all the way is no small feat. The effort, spirit & determination on display was a joy to behold & while the result may not have gone our way, the performance was a massive statement. For now, the hope is that our veteran warriors Kerrill & Sean Hardiman alongside Padraig Quirke will continue to defy time for as long as their bodies allow. As for the team, if they can carry this level of fight into the league, there’s no doubt they’ll climb back up the table. Well done lads—what a shift! Match report: Martina Donnellan

Squad: Alan ‘Junior’ Finn, Damien Wynne, Luke Williams, Sean Hardiman, Kerrill Hardiman, James Colleavy, Geordan Kenny, Richie Lally, Thady Moran, Alan Finn, Harry Mitchell, Kevin Barrett, Shane Duffy, Aironas Kantauskas, Jack Dillon, Jason Finn, Kyle Madden, Padraig Quirke.