Attacking efficiency helps relieved Offaly avoid true calamity as promotion secured in five point defeat

OFFALY flirted with real disaster at times before an efficient attacking display saw them secure promotion to Division 2 of the National Football League despite a five point defeat to Clare in Ennis on Sunday afternoon.

National Football League Division 3 Round 7

Clare 2-14

Offaly 2-9

Offaly far from shot the lights out and their tally of 2-9 was very low compared to most of their games but their ability to convert the vast majority of their chances and forward possession, especially in the first half, was in stark contrast to Clare, who had ample play and opportunities to have made things very difficult for them.

Needing to avoid an eleven point defeat to win promotion, Offaly were in a very strong position, one that everyone would have taken with both arms before the start of the league. However, a late collapse at home to Clare last year plus the ability of teams to hurt with two pointers ensured that it was a very nervous Offaly support that made the trip to Ennis.

It meant that Offaly were in the very unusual position of celebrating a win while Clare were down in the dumps after eventually getting away for a deserved win in the second half – however, Kildare's win over Antrim meant that they lost out on promotion on scoring difference, despite beating the two sides who will play in Division 2 next season. Clare are very unlucky not to be promoted but the real damage was done in their losses to Antrim and Sligo – even a point from those two games would have put them up and Kildare would have lost out on the head to head rule.

That is a bitter pill to swallow for Clare and their disappointment will be enhanced by the realisation that they actually could have achieved an eleven point win here. They certainly missed enough chances to have gone very close to that and will be particularly annoyed at the eight two point attempts that they put wide.

It was an awkward game for Offaly, who knew exactly where they stood and it was understandable that they would adopt a somewhat cautious approach. They looked like they would squeeze the win for a long way and were 2-8 to 0-12 up midway during the second half. Clare got in for 2-2 to only a point reply from Offaly to win it but this was one of those rare games where the result was not important and the only thing that truly mattered was not to ship a very bad beating.

Offaly did just enough to do that and played some controlled football but this was a game that had the potential to unravel for them and they just about got away with it and not having to truly press the panic button.

A solid start was crucial for Offaly but they lived very dangerously for a lot of the first half. Somehow, Offaly were 2-5 to 0-6 up at half time, meaning that Clare were going to have to out score them by sixteen points in the second half to be promoted. It was an extraordinarily good position for Offaly to have been in and if that scoreline was reversed, it would not have flattered Clare.

As expected, Clare threw everything at Offaly early on and the visitors creaked at the knees. Their energy levels did not look quite right in the first few minutes and they were lucky not to be in a very bad position at the break. Clare had eleven first half wides and six of those were attempts at two points. A few of those could certainly have been converted while Clare also missed two great goal chances.

Keelan Sexton hit the post with one in seventh minute from point blank range while Paddy Dunican made a very good save from Emmet McMahon minutes later. Clare also had a penalty appeal turned down three minutes from the break when Paddy Dunican hesitated before going for a high ball and probably did catch and foul Mark McInerney.

He got away with it much to Offaly's relief. Offaly, however, gave a master class in attacking efficiency in the first half. They had only two first half wides and when they did break the line and attacked at pace, they ripped Clare apart.

They got the breaks they needed and their first score was an 11^th minute punched goal from John Furlong after a Jordan Hayes floater in – there was debate over whether Furlong or Jack Bryant got his fist to a high dropping ball and Bryant celebrated like it was his but it was Furlong's goal.

That gave Offaly a 1-0 to 0-2 lead and they led by 1-2 to 0-2 after 14 minutes. Clare had played a lot of football to be behind. They finally found the range to level it up at 0-6 to 1-3 after 26 minutes but Jack Bryant and Keith O'Neill settled Offaly with two crucial points. A stunning 33^rd minute Cathal Flynn goal after a move involving John Furlong and Cormac Egan gave Offaly the initiative and meant it was theirs to lose at the break – Jack Bryant had flashed a great goal chance wide for Offaly in the 17^th minute.

With word emerging at half time that Kildare were in a difficult position against Antrim – wins for Antrim and Clare would have seen Clare up -, the home side tore into it at the start of the second half. They got four points without reply to bring it back to a point before Jack Bryant settled Offaly with a 40^th minute point.

A Keelan Sexton '45' and Eoin Cleary point levelled it up after 44 minutes and Clare could only smile when Paddy Dunican slotted over a two point free in the 46^th minute to make it 2-8 to 0-12.

Offaly may have been able to push on from here in a more conventional game but instead, they became very cagey and sat back. Clare got on level terms with 62 minutes gone and grabbed the lead with a 64^th minute goal from Aaron Griffin after Daire McDaid and Rory Egan didn't deal with a breaking ball.

They almost got in for a second goal immediately as Paddy Dunican made a great save from Cillian Rouine. Sub Nigel Dunne converted an injury time free before Aaron Griffin blasted home his second goal in the 74^th minute, though again the Offaly defence didn't cover themselves in glory. Seven minutes injury time was played in all but Offaly had enough breathing space to be able to hold out comfortably – if that is the right words to use for a five point defeat.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Cathal Flynn (Offaly): Cathal Flynn has had a sensational league campaign and his value to the team was powerful here. Apart from his goal, his composure on the ball, his teasing and probing before he ran at space and his distribution was top class. He was absolutely pivotal to Offaly avoiding a real disaster here. His movement, his patience and his ability to spot gaps and then race through them took the breath at times

John Furlong was excellent in defence for the most part in defence. Some of his tackling was top class, he had a great ability to be in the right place and was able to ghost forward into deep positions without being spotted by his man.

Cormac Egan has also been in super form this year and did some very good things but was not running as freely as normal – there were a couple of times when he was clearly unable to do his usual hard runs in support of a raiding attack or in open play himself and hopefully, his hamstrings aren't at him again as this resulted in him being called ashore late on. Keith O'Neill was also brilliant at times in the attack and Dylan Hyland did a lot of very good work while Jack Bryant had his best game of the campaign but it was not an overall good display by Offaly.

Paddy Dunican also had a great influence in goals, making a couple of great saves and scoring an absolutely crucial two pointer from a free. On the downside, he did encounter some first half problems with his kickouts and was lucky not to concede a penalty – he is good going forward but with teams now obliged to keep four men back to curb the influence of goalkeepers, there is no need for goalkeepers to go forward as much as Dunican did in the early games.

THE SCORERS

Clare: Aaron Griffin 2-0, Mark McInerney (2f and 1 '45'), Eoin Cleary (1f) and Keelan Sexton (1 '45') 0-4 each, Cillian Rouine and Emmet McMahon 0-1 each.

Offaly: John Furlong and Cathal Flynn 1-0 each, Jack Bryant and Paddy Dunican (2pt free) 0-2 each, Keith O'Neill, Shane Tierney, Dylan Hyland, Marcas Dalton and Nigel Dunne (f) 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

OFFALY: Paddy Dunican (Shamrocks); Lee Pearson (Edenderry), Aidan Bracken (Ballycommon); Daire McDaid (Tullamore); Rory Egan (Edenderry). John Furlong (Tullamore), Cormac Egan (Tullamore); Jack McEvoy (Clonbullogue), Jordan Hayes (Edenderry); Marcas Dalton (Clara), Cathal Flynn (Ferbane), Keith O'Neill (Clonbullogue); Dylan Hyland (Raheen), Jack Bryant (Shamrocks), Shane Tierney (Daingean). Subs – Aaron Leavy (Tullamore) for Bracken (HT), Ruari McNamee (Rhode) for Dalton (58m), Nigel Dunne (Shamrocks) for Cormac Egan (67m),

CLARE: Eamon Turbidy; Manus Doherty, Cillian Brennan, Cillian Rouine; Ronan Lanigan, Ikem Ugweru, Alan Sweeney; Brian McNamara, Ciaran Downes; Mark McInerney, Eoin Cleary, Aaron Griffin; Dermot Coughlan, Emmet McMahon, Keelan Sexton. Subs – Darragh Burns for Sexton (54m), Cormac Murray for Cleary (58m), Evan Cahill for Downes (67m), Shane Griffin for Sweeney (72m), Daniel Walsh for McInerney (75m),

Referee – David Hickey (Carlow).

REFEREE WATCH

David Hickey had a very steady game with nothing contentious.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Offaly's second goal from Cathal Flynn was a great score and was instrumental in them not being in real trouble late on.

VENUE WATCH

As usual, Cusack Park in Ennis was in fine condition and Clare were excellent hosts.

WHAT'S NEXT

Offaly go to the league final against Kildare next weekend.

STATISTICS

Wides: Offaly - 6 (2 in first half); Clare – 15 (11 in first half).

Yellow cards: Offaly – 3 (John Furlong, Jack McEvoy, Jordan Hayes); Clare – 1 (Cillian Rouine).

Black cards: 0

Red cards: 0