Limerick 37 1 - 1 Sporting Fingal
Friday 2nd October 2008Limerick 37 were left to rue a mixture of bad luck and spurned opportunities after dominating the second half against Sporting Fingal at Jackman Park.
Philip Byrne headed the visitors into the lead on the stroke of half time but Paul Danaher equalised with a brilliant header with twelve minutes remaining. Sporting made most of the early running, Peter Hynes firing a free kick over and Paul Byrne being denied by a well timed tackle from Pat Purcell on the edge of the box as he was about to pull the trigger.
At the opposite end, Brendan Clarke denied Gary Sheehan from a Paul Walsh cross. Walsh was then foiled by a brilliant save from Clarke in the 13th minute after the static Fingal defence were left appealing in vain for offside following a through ball from John Tierney.
Walsh didn't know too much about Walsh's 30th minute effort however, but he somehow managed to keep his goal intact, stopping at point blank range after Tierney's cross from the left. Hynes should have opened the scoring for the visitors in the 39th minute but his weak shot from inside the box was saved by Dave Ryan.
Despite being on the back foot the Dubliners took the lead on the stroke of half time, Philip Byrne powerfully heading home a Conan Byrne corner.
Jason Hughes saw his low shot from the edge of the area deflected out for a corner ten minutes after the break after being set up by Tierney. Lims defender Pat Purcell then had an appeal for a penalty dismissed in the 65th minute after his header came back off a Fingal defender's hand. Tierney rounded Walsh only to see his shot cleared off the line by goal scoring hero Byrne.
Tierney then raced unto a through ball but his rising pile-driver was brilliantly saved by Walsh as the visitor's goal continued to live a charmed existence. Dave Ryan was introduced for Thomas Lyons in the 74th minute and had a glorious opportunity to restore parity but blazed over the bar with only Walsh to beat.
But the visitors finally ran out of luck with in the 78th minute when Danaher found the net with a looping header back across goal from a Jason Hughes cross. It was no more than the Blues deserved as they had completed dominated the second half – and they could have taken the lead again minutes after Danaher's equaliser but Tierney's shot flew just wide.
Sheehan almost snatched all three points one minute from time – but his rising drive from inside the box came back off the post with Walsh beaten.
Limerick 37: Ryan, Barrett, Cleary,Danaher, Purcell, Colbert, Hughes, Lyons (Ryan 74), Sheehan, Tierney, Walsh.
Sporting Fingal: Clarke, Gannon, Frost, P Byrne, Ferguson, James, C Byrne, McArdle (Doran 86), Hynes (Corcoran 74), Collins (Caffery 42), Byrne.
Ref: D Coombes
Match Report courtesy of www.rte.ie/sport