Offaly continue recovery with serious win over Tailteann Cup favourites
Offaly show serious character in huge win
PLAYING some genuinely exciting attacking football mixed in with some real heart attack play, Offaly senior footballers continued their renaissance with a huge win over Tailteann Cup favourites, Down in Tullamore on Saturday.
Tailteann Cup Round 2A
Offaly 3-22
Down 1-20
Somehow, Offaly have managed to turn their season around spectacularly from the low point of a dreadful Leinster championship defeat by Laois and this puts them into at least a preliminary, and possibly a quarter-final – one of the round 2A winners will have a preliminary quarter-final against New York with the others into the quarter-finals.
Having played well in their first round win over Clare, Offaly raised their performance levels another few notches here to take down a team who have generally been able to beat them in recent years.
It is a Tailteann Cup campaign that few saw coming after Offaly lost their first eight competitive games of the season, seven in the league, and that Laois disaster.
The first requirement for Offaly was to show the right appetite for the Tailteann Cup. We had our doubts if they would but they have certainly done that, playing with great spirit and fight. The wins have ignited Offaly's season and they look well equipped now to launch a real attack on the Tailteann Cup.
This was an against the odds win and was secured thanks to old style heart and fighting spirit as Offaly dug out the result. There were times when they were under ferocious pressure. Down certainly could have got another two or three goals and they had one extraordinary miss in the 60th minute when Pat Havern hit the crossbar from can't miss range.
Offaly seemed to struggle to win their own kickouts for too long – the stats personnel will have the exact numbers on this but winning your own kickout is so important in the modern game and a lot of Offaly ones ended up in Down hands.
This was not all the fault of goalkeeper Conor Melia. He did have some misplaced ones but also hit a lot of them out well and played well ]but Offaly also struggled to win clean ball at times and Down were quicker in to win a lot of the breaks.
It was another great advertisement for the modern game under the new rules. 3-22 to 1-20 is excellent scoring and it is by far the biggest tally Offaly have reached this season. They were remarkably efficient in their shot to score ratio, kicking just six wides and taking the bulk of their chances. They did have a few bad wides at one stage in the second half and it looked like there would be a price to pay for these but crucially, they managed to keep their noses in front.
Amazingly, 2-22 of this came from just four players, Jordan Hayes, Dylan Hyland, Keith O'Neill and Shane Tierney and no Offaly player had scored outside this quartet until centre back Diarmuid Egan blasted home the match clinching goal with four minutes left. Egan had been moved into full forward at this stage purely because he was banjaxed, out on his feet after being part of a half back line that had to run their guts out.
Younger brother Cormac had been replaced in the 62nd minute for the same reason and Marcas Dalton went a few minutes earlier. They were the eye in the Down storm and the trio left nothing in their tank. That late goal was fortunate as Daire McDaid hit the post with a simple point chance but the rebound fell to the waiting Egan – he could have fisted over the bar and put five it it but he went for the jugular and gave Ronan Burns no chance with a powerful drive. The outstanding Jordan Hayes added a point and Down were beaten.
It was a serious win for Offaly and opens up a huge window of opportunity for them in the Tailteann Cup. Playing with the wind in the first half, we knew from the throw in that their heads were in the right place as they quickly settled with Dylan Hyland's two pointer helping them into a 0-5 to 0-3 lead after eight minutes.
Pearse McPollin got in for a ninth minute Down goal to give them the lead and the teams were tied by at 0-7 to 1-4 after fourteen minutes. Offaly regained the lead with an expertly converted penalty goal from Dylan Hyland, awarded for a foul on Cormac Egan who had made a great burst forward into advanced enemy territory. Keith O'Neill and Ronan Burns (free) exchanged two pointers as Offaly led by 1-9 to 1-6 after 18 minutes.
The home side found a rich vein of form, striking 1-3 without reply to grab an unlikely double scores, 2-12 to 1-6 lead just three minutes later. Jordan Hayes got another breathtaking two pointer and Shane Tierney's goal was also out of the top drawer, a super finish after Keith O'Neill's pass.
Offaly struggled badly after this and couldn't win their own kickouts as Down scored five of the last six points to trail by 2-13 to 1-11 at the break.
You would have fancied Down at this stage and they started well in the second half. Burns got a '45' and Caolan Mooney punched wide with a great goal chance. Callum Rogers added a point for the losers before Dylan Hyland settled the winners with a sensational 40th minute point. Pat Havern got a great two pointer and Tom Close scored to bring it down to a point, 1-16 to 2-14 with 42 minutes gone.
Keith O'Neill missed a free before Dylan Hyland converted one but points from Close and John McGeogh levelled it up at 1-18 to 2-15 after 48 minutes.
The odds favoured Down but Offaly dug deep, raising their work rate all over the field. They were patient on the ball and worked so hard to cut down two point chances in particular. Hyland showed his true colours now, putting them back in front and then firing over an audacious two pointer to make it 2-18 to 1-18 with 54 minutes gone. He trumped that with an outrageous free from way out on the right ring and suddenly the gap was four with the final ten minutes approaching.
Down got the next two points but amazingly Havern's in the 58th minute was their final score. He will wonder for a long time how he didn't goal two minutes later as Offaly found the reserves to close it out. Hyland gave them breathing space with another sensational two pointer, hit with the outside of his right foot also, David Dempsey made a magnificent block to deny Ruari McCormack a goal in the 65th minute.
Down tried to work the two pointer they had to get to have a chance from the '45' but with the pressure high, their forwards showed feet of clay. Daniel McGuinness lofted that shot wide and Diarmuid Egan's goal settled a great spectacle.
MATCH ANALYSIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
Dylan Hyland (Offaly): For the second game in a row, Dylan Hyland was on fire, shooting the lights out. He scored 1-11, a goal from a penalty and two frees. He got three two pointers that almost defied belief and his confidence meant that he believed he would score every time he is on the ball. Tackling is not his strong suit and he conceded a couple of sloppy fouls but the Raheen man worked so hard to close down opponents and turn over ball.
Hyland was a straightforward choice for man of the match, though Jordan Hayes gave him a serious run for his money. The Edenderry man is in great form and he scored five points, two of them two pointers, as well as carrying forward a lot of ball from midfield.
Shane O'Toole-Greene, David Dempsey, Keith O'Neill and Shane Tierney also did a lot of great work for Offaly in a very honest overall display.
THE SCORERS
Offaly: Dylan Hyland 1-11 (goal from a penalty, 3 x 2p, 2f), Shane Tierney 1-3, Jordan Hayes 0-5 (2 x 2p), Keith O'Neill 0-3 (1 x 2p), Diarmuid Egan 1-0.
Down: Pat Havern 0-5 (1 x 2p, 2f), Ronan Burns 0-3 (1 x 2pf, 1 '45'), Pearse McPollin 1-0, Shane Annett, Tom Close and Ceilum Doherty 0-2 each, Callum Rogers, Ryan Magill, Daniel Guinness, John McGeogh, Caolan Mooney and Eamon Brown 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
OFFALY: Conor Melia (Bracknagh); Shane O'Toole-Greene (Shamrocks), David Dempsey (Ballycommon), Lee Pearson (Edenderry); Cormac Egan (Tullamore), Diarmuid Egan (Tullamore), Marcas Dalton (Clara); Jack McEvoy (Clonbullogue), Jordan Hayes (Edenderry); Kyle Higgins (Ferbane), Keith O'Neill (Clonbullogue), Aaron Leavy (Tullamore); Dylan Hyland (Raheen), Shane Tierney (Daingean), Nathan Poland (Erin Rovers). Subs – Harry Plunkett (Tullamore) for Poland (40m), Rory Egan (Edenderry) for Higgins (54m), Daire McDaid (Tullamore) for Dalton (56m), Jack Bryant (Shamrocks) for Tierney (56m), Cathal Ryan (Daingean) for Cormac Egan (62m),
DOWN: Ronan Burns; Callum Rogers, Peter Fegan, Finn McElroy; Pierce Laverty, Pearse McPollin, Ryan Magill; Odhran Murdock,Tom Close; Miceal Rooney, Ceilum Doherty, Daniel Guinness; Caolan Mooney, Pat Havern, Shane Annett. Subs – Ruari McCormack for McPollin (HT), Patrick Brooks for McElroy (45m), John McGeogh for Close (48m), Eamon Brown for Rooney (52m), Barry O'Hagan for Magill (56m),
Referee – Conor Lane, Cork.
REFEREE WATCH
Conor Lane had a good game. There were a few tight calls to be made but he got a high percentage of things right.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
The two pointer Dylan Hyland scored in the 63rd minute was a huge score. It was a magnificent strike but it gave Offaly a 2-21 to 1-20 lead as the game went into the phase where possession can be retained and the clock ran down. Down's margin for error was gone and Offaly's victory chances went from possible to probable with Hyland's score.
VENUE WATCH
This was the third match on a busy day in O'Connor Park but the pitch showed no ill affects whatsoever. The fixture was professionally managed.
WHAT'S NEXT
Offaly are in either a quarter or preliminary quarter-final while Down play a round 2B winner in round 3.
STATISTICS
Wides: Offaly - 6 (2 in first half); Down – 11 (3 in first half).
Yellow cards: Offaly – 2 (Shane O'Toole-Greene, Jack McEvoy); Down – 3 (Ruari McCormack, Eamon Brown, Odhran Murdock).
Black cards: 0
Red cards: 0