Clane into SFC quarter-finals after seeing off Eadestown
Clane's Harry O'Neill keeps his eye on the ball while under pressure from Eadestown's Cian Boran
Clane have set up a date with Celbridge in the last eight of the 2024 Joe Mallon Motors Senior Football Championship after surmounting a stern challenge from Eadestown in Sunday’s preliminary quarter-final in Manguard Park.
A Sam McCormack goal eight minutes into proceedings went a long way to seeing Tom Cribbin’s side open up a four-point advantage (1-6 to 0-5) by the half-time break.
Eadestown had remained neck and neck with their opponents up until the midway point of the opening half, but eight wides in that period alone would prove costly.
Having suffered a six-point reversal against the same opposition in the championship preliminary round last month, Clane were determined not to afford Eadestown a way back into contention this time around.
Early second-half points from McCormack and Brian McLaughlin pushed their lead out to six points before Eadestown got motoring again through Pauric Touhy.
Sean Hynes then capped a fine counter-attack when he split the posts before Cian Bolton converted a free to reduce the gap to three with ten minutes remaining.
But a combination of poor finishing and resolute defending by Clane, ensured that that would be as close as Eadestown would go to a comeback.
Instead, Clane remained out in front as McLaughlin and Shane O’Sullivan both struck over, before substitute Cathal O’Brien put a gloss on the final scoreline when he found the back of the net in injury time following great perseverance by fellow reserve, Stephen Brereton to keep that attack alive.
Sam McCormack 1-2 (0-2 frees), Brian McLaughlin 0-3 (0-1 free), Shane O’Sullivan 0-3, Cathal O’Brien 1-0, Adam Fanning 0-1, Shane McCormack 0-1.
Pauric Touhy 0-2, Ben Fitzsimons 0-1 (0-1 free), Cian Boran 0-1, Rian Boran 0-1, Conan Boran 0-1, Eoin Conneff 0-1, Sean Hynes 0-1, Cian Bolton 0-1 (0-1 free).
Cian Burke, Harry O’Neill, Sean Callan, Hugh Prendergast, Conor Walsh, Cian Shananhan, Sam Reilly, Shane McCormack, Brian McLaughlin, Sean Tighe, Sam McCormack, Rhys Vaughan, Tadhg Montgomery, Adam Fanning, Shane O’Sullivan. Subs: Cormac Vizzard for Reilly (15 mins), Danny Egan for Vizzard (43 mins), Cathal O’Brien for Tighe (44 mins), Stephen Brereton for Prendergast (54 mins) and Oisin Tighe for Fanning (55 mins).
Shane Sargent, Conon Boran, John Lawlor, Sean Hynes, Darragh Jameson, Jack Sargent, Rian Monoghan, Rian Boran, Niall Cummins, Ben Fitzsimons, Cian Bolton, Cian Boran, Fiachra Bracken O’Brien, Pauric Touhy, Eoin Conneff. Subs: Eoin Woods for O’Brien (39 mins), Harry Carroll for Fitzsimons (48 mins), Eoin Doyle for Monoghan (55 mins), and Niall Grainger for Jameson (61 mins).
Paddy McDermott
