Mulhall double sees Clonmullion through to next round of Leinster
Cody Mulhall simply cannot stop scoring and bagged another brace on the weekend against Enniscorthy.
Clonmullion made sure that their name is in the hat for the next round of the Leinster Junior Cup when they travelled to Enniscorthy on Sunday afternoon. Of course it had to be their main man Cody Mulhall who played a starring role, the man who was the Golden Boot winner for the Kildare District League last season.
The Kildare side dominated the game but that final pass just seemed to be missing for so much of the game and they couldn’t quite link up play the way they would have wanted and couldn’t convert for much of it. It didn’t help that Chris Chanders was shown a red card early in the second half.
But the Athy side did what they do best and when their backs were against the wall, they found that bit extra in the tank and it’s not hard to see why they are many people’s favourites for the competition. Enniscorthy created problems but couldn’t break down the Clonmullion defence for large periods.
Clonmullion took the lead after only 13 minutes when the visitors were awarded an early penalty. Referee Sean Grant pointed to the spot and up stepped Mulhall, making no mistake from 12 yards and firing his shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0.
Their lead lasted just six minutes, however, as Dylan Furlong Hudson fired an effort beyond Clonmullion goalkeeper Evan Gratton to draw the side level at one goal apiece with barely 20 minutes on the clock.
Enniscorthy went close to taking the lead shortly afterwards when they had an effort deflected wide on the left. The resulting corner from the left was played to the back post where a cross was sent in to the middle for Darragh Roche who attempted a bicycle kick, hitting it just over the bar.
Clonmullion went close two minutes later as a Mulhall effort from distance was hit over the bar, and on the half hour mark, Danny Thompson put in a cross from the right in for Chanders whose effort was deflected wide. The resulting corner from the was easily cleared.
With nine minutes to go until half-time, Thompson veered down the right and fired in an effort across the face of goal that the Enniscorthy ‘keeper just could not hold onto. The ball and it trickled into the the net as the visitors went into the changing rooms at half time with a 2-1 cushion.
Clonmullion came out fighting after the break, creating chances from a corner, with Mark Hughes going close for the visitors, hitting an effort just over the bar before Thompson forced a splendid save from Enniscorthy keeper Garry Murphy.
Things started to shift suddenly and Enniscorthy came back into the game. A Furlong Hudson free from the left was sent to the back post where it was headed across the box into Jack Kearney who headed over the bar.
Chanders received a red card in the 65th minute, much to the dismay of the travelling fans, for what seemed to just be a collision between the two players but with the Enniscorthy player having to be carried off, it seemed a little more serious.
With 20 minutes to go, a Furlong Hudson free from the edge of the box was hit into Craig Foley whose effort was saved. An Antonio Sanchez Guerrero effort was hit over the bar as was an effort from distance from Furlong Hudson. Ryan Dobbs had an effort from distance deflected wide on the left. The resulting corner from Furlong Hudson from the left was cleared.
Against the run of play, with ten minutes to go, Mulhall broke down the left and fired an effort across the ‘keeper andinto the far bottom corner as the Clonmullion supporters exploded on the sidelines as their side had ensured progress into the next round.
Gary Murphy (GK), Ryan Quirke, Kyle Foley, Shaun O’Brien (C), Daragh Roche, Daragh Breen, Dylan Furlong Holden, Danny Breen, Jack Kearney, Reece Dobbs, Craig Foley.
Aaron Gannon, Jack Kirwan, Craig Pearse, Brendan Dunne, Andrew Sheehan, Antonio Sanchez Guerrero, Joseph Flynn Murphy.
Evan Gratton (GK), Lee Doyle, Jake Nicholl, Mark Hughes, Kieran Cully, Garry Comerford, Keelan Lacey, Nathan Robinson (C), Cody Mulhall, Christopher Chambers, Daniel Thompson.
Jay Connell, Noel Kelly, Ross Cardin, Bryan Byrne, Thomas Walshe Nolan, John Ryan, Timothy Doyle.
Sean Grant (Wexford).
