Whitehall with late comeback to defeat Craobh Chiaráin

Image Courtesy Mark McDonagh

WHITEHALL COLMCILLE 2-23

CRAOBH CHIARAIN 2-22

(after extra-time)

Patrick Spellacy was the match-winner at O’Toole Park on Saturday as Whitehall Colmcille produced a late rally to overcome Craobh Chiarain in a tension-filled Go-Ahead Ireland Senior 1 Hurling Relegation play-off.

Seven points behind with just six minutes of normal time left to play, Whitehall dug deep to force the game into extra-time. Despite being reduced to 13 players prior to entering the additional periods, Chiarain showed plenty of resolve and found themselves five points to the good with less than 10 minutes remaining into the action.

Yet after Conor Sheedy had rattled the net for Whitehall, Spellacy stepped forward to convert a free that brought his final tally up to an astonishing 1-15. Bolstered by the presence of Dublin senior footballers Lee Gannon and Eoghan O’Donnell, Colmcilles ultimately had just enough in the tank to come through a titanic battle with their northside neighbours.

While they fell short in their quest to preserve their top-tier hurling status, Billy Ryan produced a strong performance for Craobh Chiarain with a personal haul of 1-11 and despite playing a fair chunk of the tie with a numerical deficiency, they made Whitehall opponents work for their slender victory.

There was just nine seconds gone on the clock when Chiarain midfielder Sean Brennan opened the scoring and his breakthrough effort was quickly supplemented by a 60-metre free from the aforementioned Ryan. Whitehall did levelled matters with unanswered points from Sheedy and Eoghan O’Donnell, before Ryan released Chiarain full-forward Darren Kelly for a superb goal on eight minutes.

Even though a brace of successful frees by the reliable Spellacy kept Whitehall very much in the reckoning, Robert Burnett and defender Eoin Forbes also landed fine points to leave Chiarain three in front on the first-quarter mark.

For the remaining minutes of the opening period, it was largely score-for-score between two well-matched outfits. Whereas Burnett, Mark Hayes, Ryan (two) and Brennan found the target for Chiarain, Gannon split the uprights to compliment four more points from the increasingly-prominent Spellacy.

However, thanks to Ryan’s fourth score of the game, Craobh Chiarain entered the interval with a 1-10 to 0-9 cushion at their disposal. Although the elements weren’t necessarily in their favour on the restart, Chiarain created further daylight between themselves and Whitehall with successive points from Ryan (free), Darren Kelly and Jack Murray.

Another Spellacy brace got their Collins Avenue opponents up and running for the second half of normal time, before Chiarain gained a firm foothold in the play when Ryan hammered home a fine goal on the stroke of 40 minutes.

This ramped up the pressure on Whitehall and despite Spellacy adding points either side of another Ryan free, it seemed like they would need a goal to force their way back into contention.

Spellacy had gone for the maximum return off a couple of earlier frees without success, but the former Dublin underage star made no mistake in the 54th minute as he rifled a low drive into the back of the net.

Moments later, Chiarain were reduced to 14 players in advance of a pointed free by Spellacy as a result of centre half-back Kevin Hetherton picking up a second yellow card. Following traded points between Gannon and Ryan, Chiarain also lost Mark Hayes and even though the game was already in second half stoppage-time, there was enough time left for Whitehall to keep their hopes alive.

Having added an earlier place-ball effort that was directly supplemented by an Enda O’Donnell point, Spellacy converted a 65th minute free to ensure the sides were inseparable at the end of normal time.

There was a sense that Whitehall were best equipped to push on in the additional periods with a two-player advantage, but another Gannon point was their solitary score in the first half of extra-time.

In contrast, Stephen Kelly, Murray and goalkeeper Kieran McGouran joined Ryan (two) in finding the range for Chiarain. This left them four points in front at a crucial juncture and their prospects appeared even brighter when Ryan knocked over another free after the action resumed.

The dependable Chiarain attacker also cancelled out another Enda O’Donnell point, but with Spellacy and Eoghan O’Donnell raising white flags, Whitehall were still in the hunt with the final whistle approaching.

Even though a goal was required to swing the pendulum in their favour, Sheedy brilliantly drilled the ball to the opposition net on 80 minutes from a tight right-hand angle to once again restore parity to an engrossing encounter.

It was really anyone’s game at this stage, but when Whitehall were awarded a free with time added on at the very end of extra-time, Spellacy held his nerve to split the posts and propel his side towards the win they badly craved.

Scorers – Whitehall Colmcille: P Spellacy 1-15 (1-11f, 0-1 ‘65’), C Sheedy 1-1, L Gannon 0-3, Enda O’Donnell, Eoghan O’Donnell 0-2 each. Craobh Chiarain: B Ryan 1-11 (0-8f, 0-2 ‘65’), D Kelly 1-1, S Brennan, R Burnett, J Murray 0-2 each, K McGouran (f), E Forbes, M Hayes, S Kelly 0-1 each.

Whitehall Colmcille: R Murray; J Thorp, S Kellett, D Ryan; Enda O’Donnell, E Moran, L Gannon; A McDermott, S Foran; N O’Connor, P Spellacy, M Noonan; C Sheedy, Eoghan O’Donnell, J Raftery. Subs: N Carroll for Noonan (42), C Cummins for O’Connor (47), R Kerins for Raftery, S Cassidy for Ryan (both 71).

Craobh Chiarain: K McGouran; G Warren, E Forbes, M Hayes; G Kelly, K Hetherton, S O’Brien; S Brennan, S Kelly; B Ryan, R Burnett, J Murray; A Cooling, D Kelly, S McHugh. Subs: K Warren for Cooling (40), M Forbes for Brennan (45), D O’Reilly for F Kelly (56), E Farrell for Burnett (60), N Kane for McHugh (61).

Referee: Peter Smyth (O’Toole’s).