Dowling's late equaliser means Suncroft and Milltown must meet again

NATIONAL ELECTRICAL WHOLESALERS INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL 

MILLTOWN 1-12 SUNCROFT 1-12 

There was ‘breach’ drama at the death in Cedral St Conleth’s Park as Milltown and Suncroft ended level in a gripping National Electrical Wholesalers Intermediate Football Championship final. The sides will replay next Saturday evening (6.30pm).

Milltown, the red-hot favourites, appeared to have finally worn down a gutsy and determined Suncroft, with star man Joe Dunne’s second two-pointer of the day finally edging them a point in front as the game ticked into its final minute of normal time.

Then, in the third minute of injury time, Suncroft breached the three-up/three-back rule and Alan Dignam tapped over the resultant close-range free to extend the lead to two.

That seemed to confirm a return to senior football after a gap of more than half-a-century, and a first title at this grade since 1972, for Johnny Donnelly’s men.

But there was more drama to come. Suncroft won a free just inside the Milltown half, but their opponents had only left one man in attack with all minds focused on defending their hard-won advantage.

With a two-point gap, Suncroft had no option but to go for the two-pointer and there was no one they would have preferred than Fionn Dowling to be standing over the ball for what would be the last kick of the game.

The former Kildare man duly delivered with a shot that sailed between the posts to clinch a replay for the team who have been the story of the club championships – Maynooth’s run to the senior final notwithstanding – the 100/1 outsiders at the start of the competition having led here from Danny Morgan’s 12th minute goal until Dunne’s late, late intervention.

Suncroft seemed to cope with big day nerves the better of the two teams, despite their opponents’ greater experience having won the Kildare and Leinster junior titles in 2023.

Eoghan Lawless opened the scoring in the fifth minute before Dunne ended a run of three Milltown wides with their first point two minutes later.

Hugh Martin, two days after playing the Minor C final, put Suncroft back in front before Dunne landed the first of his two-pointers to put Milltown 0-3 to 0-2 ahead.

Suncroft’s 12th minute goal gave them huge belief, though and edged them into a lead they would not lose until the final minute. Chris Phillips’ sliced two-point attempt was plucked from the air by their full-back Danny Morgan and he made a nonsense of the number three on his back with a coolly slotted finish to Omar Dunne’s net.

Exchanges were close for the remainder of the half. Paddy Donoghue and Ben Curran pointed from play for Milltown with Dowling responding each time from frees for Suncroft before Kevin Byrne, man-of-the-match in that Junior final three years ago landed a superb long-range left-footed point to narrow the gap to a point at half-time (1-4 to 0-6).

The perceived wisdom might have been that Milltown would grind Suncroft down on the restart, but it was the men from south of the Curragh who got off to a flyer.

Lawless took a mere forty seconds to poke over a point in the right corner and his former Kildare colleague Dowling then raised a delicious orange flag under pressure from the edge of the arc to push The Croft further ahead.

Tom Martin then finished off a move involving Eoin Magee and Hugh Martin to make it 1-8 to 0-6 in favour of the rank outsiders.

The upset of upsets was now on the cards with Milltown’s big players, despite their best efforts, struggling under the weight of expectation and the pressure applied by tigerish Suncroft tackling.

Finally, though, it started to click a little for the Milltown men. Colin O’Shea bustled his way through to earn a close-range free which Dignam converted and on 42 minutes they were right back in it when Kildare panellist Liam Kelly fist-passed over the last defender to put midfielder Conor Sheerin through to apply the finish to Ciaran Troy’s net. Game on.

The game became increasingly tense with scores at a premium and mistakes on both sides. Suncroft raised the standard with a magnificent point from Magee, courtesy of a clever first-time flick from Hugh Martin from Conn Kehoe’s pass. That made it 1-9 to 1-7 with thirteen minutes remaining.

Still, you felt Milltown would create enough chances to reel it in, and it was the irrepressible Dunne who narrowed the gap to a point with seven minutes left, from another pass from the increasingly influential Kelly.

The scores weren’t coming easily though, and Suncroft supporters started to see the checkered flag in sight when a quick free provided Lawless with his third point to open up a two-point advantage with only two minutes left.

There were still twists and turns to come though. When Ronan O’Shea was fouled, Sheerin converted the free from the right side, and when the ball was worked to Dunne with the clock hitting sixty minutes the resultant orange flag was class personified.

But it ultimately wasn’t decisive. Two breaches later and Ryan Moran’s long whistle signalled an anti-climax of sorts with the realisation there would be no extra-time and we would have to do it all again next Saturday night for the first final replay in the grade since 2008.

MILLTOWN: Omar Dunne; Jamie Cross, Cian Buckley, Seán Murphy; Kevin Byrne 0-1, Colin O’Shea, Liam Kelly; Joe Dunne 0-6 (2tps), Conor Sheerin 1-1; Ben Curran 0-1, Alan Dignam 0-2 (2fs), Hugh Hamilton; Paddy Donoghue 0-1, Ronan O’Shea, Ben Heuston. Subs: Shane Daly for Hamilton 38, Niall Finnegan for Heuston 49, Sam O’Hara for Curran 64.

SUNCROFT: Ciaran Troy; Jack Setright, Danny Morgan 1-0, Harry Dillon; Mikey Troy, Chris Phillips, Conor Kiely; Tom Martin 0-1, Fionn Dowling 0-6 (1tp,1tpf,2fs); Eoghan Lawless 0-3, Senan Brannock, Eoin Magee 0-1; Darragh Malone, Conn Kehoe, Hugh Martin 0-1. Subs: Adam Talbot (temp) for Kehoe 35-39, Arthur Bailey for Setright 52, Mark Brown for Brannock 62.

REFEREE: Ryan Moran.