Relieved Edenderry hold on to claim junior prize as Shannonbridge left with huge regrets

EDENDERRY held on for a dramatic win against Shannonbridge in a very low scoring, fiercely fought Junior Football Championship final in O'Connor Park on Saturday afternoon.

Tullamore Court Hotel Junior Football Championship final

Edenderry 1-5

Shannonbridge 0-7

Late points from Cillian Forde and a Cian Murphy free gave Edenderry the win but Shannonbridge will harbour huge regrets about this one. They missed a great chance of forcing a replay right at the end of injury time as Kieran Flannery blazed a free to the right and wide. Around the 20 metre mark and fairly central, it looked a straightforward kick but the experienced Flannery held his heads as it flew wide.

Shannonbridge had been fortunate to get that chance as the first free awarded for a foul on David Corbett out on the left wing looked on the soft side. Ronan McEvoy went short with it to Flannery and he was fouled while shooting.

It was unfortunate that Flannery ended up such a central figure as he had been one of the best players on the field, a major reason why Shannonbridge were so close to the win. Apart from that Shannonbridge have only themselves to blame really and shouldn't point the finger at one individual as they controlled a lot of the second half against the wind but never scored after the 31^st minute. They had ample possession to get more but even allowing for playing it safe against the wind, they just didn't attack in the right way.

They were a point up during a long scoreless spell from the 32nd to the 55^th minute and had they got two points up in this spell, they would more than likely have been able to hold on. In a game this tight, two points would have been a huge lead but Shannonbridge not only didn't break the line but didn't really attempt to do so once they got into the opposition's half.

They went backwards frequently and also kicked too much ball away, allowing a stuttering Edenderry to snatch it late on.

Beaten in last year's final, Edenderry laid the foundations in the first half. Playing against a strong wind, they recovered from a three point deficit to lead by 1-1 to 0-3 after 20 minutes. The goal was a great finish by Aaron Murphy after he made a great fetch from a long ball.

Shannonbridge got on top in the last few minutes of the half with Jack Darcy pointing two frees and Kieran Flannery floating over a lovely point from play. That gave them a 0-6 to 1-2 half time lead but they needed more than that with the wind.

As things turned out, it was almost enough. Kieran Flannery (free) and Jamie Dolan (mark) swopped quick points in the second half to make it 0-7 to 1-3 and there was a 23 minute wait for the next score. A lot of the football in this period left a lot to be desired but it was so close that it was still engrossing.

Edenderry struggled badly to get their hands on the ball for much of the second half and they were on the ropes but Shannonbridge held back. The equaliser was a great score from Cillian Forde and then Cian Murphy's free won the day.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Ronan McEvoy (Shannonbridge): Edenderry were thrilled to win considering they were not at their best and survived on their wits. It was great to win in these circumstances and even their captain Aaron Murphy acknowledged that they hadn't played well in his acceptance speech.

Edenderry had a collectively solid display with no player really standing out. Bobby Reynolds did some great work at midfield and Cian Murphy showed class at times and Jake Mooney carried the ball well from defence.

A couple of the best performers were Shannonbridge players. Kieran Flannery may have missed that late free but he was a serious contender. He put his hands up, took responsibility and got two points from play in the first half – he was Shannonbridge's only scorer from play. He also used the ball simply and effectively in the second half and clearly wanted it late on.

Ronan McEvoy just edges it. He showed his vast experience at midfield, getting on a lot of ball, using most of it well and breaking the line when he could – on a day when many team mates opted for safety in the second half, he was one of the few to do this.

THE SCORERS

Edenderry: Aaron Murphy 1-0, Cian Murphy 0-3 (2f), Jamie Dolan (Mark) and Cillian Forde 0-1 each.

Shannonbridge: Kieran Flannery (1f) and Jack Darcy (3f) 0-3 each, Gavin Kelly (mark) 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

SHANNONBRIDGE: Trevor Mahon; Rory O'Connor, Aaron Brazil, Shane Flannery; Ronan Devery, Matthew Darcy, Christian Brazil; Ronan Hynes, Ronan McEvoy; Kieran Flannery, Ciaran Mannion, Sean Flannery; Gavin Kelly, Jack Darcy, Darragh Corbett. Subs – Adrian Kelly for Gavin Kelly (27m), Charlie Gilson for Mannion (39m), Darragh Mannion for Christian Brazil (47m), David Corbett for Sean Flannery, 50m),

EDENDERRY: Eric Corcoran; Mark McCarthy, Barry Cullen, Jake Connolly; Jake Mooney, Peter Butler, Mark Forde; Bobby Reynolds, Aaron Murphy; Kaelem Bryan, Dan Lowry, Cillian Forde; Jamie Dolan, Cian Murphy, Harry Goulding. Subs – Ciaran Breen for Dolan (36m), David Maloney for Aaron Murphy (61m), Cathal Nolan for Cullen (61m),

Referee – Fintan Pierce (Raheen).

REFEREE WATCH

Fintan Pierce had a good game. He was right to punish Edenderry goalkeeper Eric Corcoran for taking too long over a kickout when playing against the wind in the first half – Shannonbridge got a point out of that throw in. He was consistent and there were no big talking points.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Kieran Flannery's late miss was the deciding moment here.

VENUE WATCH

O'Connor Park was in great order.

WHAT'S NEXT

That concludes the year for both sides as the intermediate winners go into the Leinster junior championship.

STATISTICS

Wides: Shannonbridge – 9 (5 in second half); Edenderry – 3 (1 in second half).

Yellow cards: Shannonbridge – 0; Edenderry – 2 (Mark Forde and Aaron Murphy).

Black cards: 0.

Red cards: 0.