Time runs out on Cloghs as Johnstownbridge hold on to secure place in the last eight
Johnstownbridge's Cathal McNally and Clogherinkoe's Eoghan McMonagle Photo: Seam Brilly
Johnstownbridge were left hanging on to a slender one point advantage deep in injury time before overcoming their local rivals Clogherinkoe to set up a quarter final meeting with county champions Naas. In a really entertaining encounter throughout Johnstownbridge had moved six ahead with six minutes to play but the Cloghs set up the tight finish with that 54th minute Sean Kenny goal.
The clock eventually ran out on the Clogherinkoe challenge.
The opening half, as expected, was close and we were treated to some wonderful point taking.
Jimmy Lynch opened the scoring for the Cloghs inside two minutes before the returning Sam Doran showed his importance to the Johnstownbridge cause with points on three and eleven. After Cein McMonagle levelled it on after 13 minutes the Bridge hit three in a row, Paul Cribbin from a free Daniel Flynn and Darragh Sloane all on target.
As we closed in on the last six minutes of the half Dan Flynn and Cein McMonagle swapped points but two late points from McMonagle let the minimum between the sides at the break the Bridge leading 0-7 to 0-6.
Clogherinkoe faced into a stiff breeze at the resumption and Daniel Flynn made their task all the tougher woth a point inside a minute The mountain got bigger on 33 when a loose ball was gathered by Paul Cribbin and with a clear pitch in front of him he offloaded to Sam Doran who palmed it to the net.
Darragh Sloane and another Paul Cribbin free saw Johnstownbridge start to disappear. Cein McMonagle with two and Jimmy Lynch from frees kept the Cloghs in touch and with four minutes to play Sean Kenny gave them a lifeline. Keith Cribbin gathered a ball under the crossbar but under extreme pressure he was dispossessed and Kenny applied the finish.
Cein McMonagle again from a free set up a grandstand finish but Johnstownbridge held out for the 1-12 to 1-11 win.
Eoin Sheehan, Mark McKeon, Tomas Van Englebrechten, Keith Cribbin, Shane Flynn 0-1, Aaron McNally, Ryan Rainey, Joey Higgins, Paul Cribbin 0-3fs, Sam Doran 1-2, Darragh Sloane 0-2, Daniel Flynn 0-3, Josh O’Donoghue 0-1, Ronan Scanlon, Cathal McNally. Sub: Fionn O’Grady for O’Donoghue, 57.
Keith Wilkinson, Ben Kenny,Eoin McMonagle 0-1, Joe Mulraney, Andrew Hill, Gavin Scanlon, Dean Hanley, Sean Kenny 1-0, Killian Galligan, Daniel Grehan, Mark Nolan, Aedan Boyle, Jimmy Lynch 0-3 (3 frees), Cein McMonagle 0-7 (1 mark,4 frees), Joe Mcilduff. Subs: Rory Phelan for McIlduff, 37; Niall Walsh for Kenny. 50.
Brendan Cawley
