Bryansford stun Clonduff in second half comeback

26 August 2020

BRYANSFORD pulled off a sensational win over Clonduff with two goals at critical times proving the difference after extra-time in this pulsating Morgan Fuels Down Senior Football Championship second round clash.

Clonduff made the brighter start and picked off the first three minor scores by the first water break of the game on what was a warm afternoon. At that stage, Bryansford had work to do with Clonduff leading 0-3 to 0-0.

Charlie Carr split the posts for Clonduff with a superbly taken score. Aidan Carr also got in on the act scoring a minor from play and Stephen McConville got his name on the scoresheet.

Aidan Carr added another point and on 23 minutes the lead was extended further when Arthur McConville landed a big free to make it 0-5 to 0-0.

Bryansford needed something to steady the ship and they managed it on 25 minutes, getting their first score on the board when a free from Cathal Burns cut the gap to four points.

Clonduff, however, were in no mood to get a case of the jitters and indeed stretched their lead to 0-7 to 0-1 when, in the 27th minute, firstly Tom Close got the better of his marker to break free to land another score, and then moments later, Barry O’Hagan did likewise.

Bryansford were in need of some kind of encouragement and Danny Savage provided it on 28 minutes when he landed a free.

Darren O’Hagan however went up the field and confidently steered between the posts to put Clonduff 0-8 to 0-2 ahead at the half-time interval.

Early in the second period, Clonduff kept the foot on the gas to flatten the Bryansford spirit even more.

Paddy Brannigan engineered just enough space for himself to punt the ball over Mark Reid’s crossbar.

And then on 33 minutes it was 0-10 to 0-2 when Aidan Carr capitalised on space in the ‘Ford defence to leave Clonduff in the box seat.

Clonduff were finding space more and more easy to come by and from a free after five minutes Stephen McConville made it 0-11 to 0-2.

Bryansford remained honest in the battle and made their third impression on the scoreboard when David McKenna pointed on 38 minutes.

Clonduff’s machine was starting to purr productively and they rolled the scoreboard over once more ten minutes after the resumption when Stephen McConville knocked the ball over from play.

The sides swapped scores on the 43-minute mark of the contest when David McKibbin made another minor from a free for ‘Ford, but Stephen McConville pointed for Clonduff to make it 0-13 to 0-4.

Fintan Canavan scored Bryansford’s fifth point before Stephen McConville responded in kind to again leave a nine-point cushion between them.

The final minor before the next water break though went the way of Bryansford, Timmy Hanna notching it to make it 0-14 to 0-6.

In the 49th minute of the contest, Cathal Burns pointed Bryansford’s seventh point. Savage kept pushing ‘Ford forward, using his experience to encourage those around him, and he knocked over their eighth score of the contest.

Barely 60 seconds later it was Savage again scoring to give ‘Ford some real hope. That set up something of a tense finish to the contest when it had looked like it would be anything but.

Twenty four minutes into the second half, Savage again was the commander-in-chief of the counter-offensive, making it three points in a row for Bryansford to cut the scoreline to 0-14 to 0-10.

A free gave Bryansford and Savage the chance to leave just a goal between the sides, and he made no mistakes, confidently floating his effort between the sticks, continuing his spell as a one-man danger to Clonduff’s superiority.

However, as the clock began to become the enemy of ‘Ford, Clonduff’s Tom Close pointed from play to give Clonduff that crucial lead of four ahead again.

Cathal Burns curled a neat point over the bar for Bryansford going into injury time to make it 0-15 to 0-12.

Then came a moment to stun Clonduff when Bryansford found a goal. Conor Maginn pumped the ball into the area and there was Timmy Hanna to palm it into the back of the net and force the game into extra time.

The first ten-minute period of was a cagey affair, with both sides understandably more keen to avoid mistakes than push forward too much.

Seven minutes into the first period, the first score was registered by Savage for Bryansford — it was the only score of that first spell.

In the first minute of the second period Stephen McConville sent over a free, his seventh point of the afternoon. And when Barry O’Hagan pointed a moment later, Clonduff edged ahead by a point.

That was clawed back again though when, eight minutes into the second period, Peter Brannigan equalised to leave the score 0-17 to 1-14.

Brannigan, however, was to make an even bigger splash just when this game seemed to have given you everything in twists and turns.

He cashed in on a tiring Clonduff defence and fired beyond beyond the flailing efforts of goalkeeper Neil Trainor for a goal, to the delight of the ‘Ford contingent. Clonduff were floored and Paddy Sheridan put the seal on the victory with a final point for Bryansford.

Clonduff: Neil Trainor, Lorcan Brannigan, Mark McPolin, Ruairi Lively, Darren O’Hagan (C) (0-1), Shane McGreevy, Paddy Brannigan (0-1), Tom Close (0-2), Ross Carr, Charlie Carr (0-1), Aidan Carr (0-2), Paul Lively, Stephen McConville (0-7), Arthur McConville (0-1), Barry O’Hagan (0-2). Subs: Paul Gribben, Conor Murray, Jamie Gribben, Jamie O’Hagan, Niall O’Hare, Niall Tumilty, Paudie Clancy, Eamon Brown, John Bode, Aaron Devlin, Karl O’Hagan, Finbarr McConville, Brendan Britton.

Bryansford: Mark Reid, Lewis Casement, Stevie Toner, Ryan McDonald, Fintan Canavan (0-1), Daniel McDonald, Patrick Sheridan (0-1), Danny Savage (0-6), Tomas McInerney, Jack Maginn, Conor Maginn (1-0), Luke Kelly, Daniel McKibbin (0-1), Christopher Clarke, Ryan O’Higgins. Subs: Lochlainn Leneghan, Aaron Ward, Jonathan Scannell, David McKenna (0-1), Keelin O’Higgins, Cathal Burns (0-3), Peter Brannigan (0-2), Corey Lavery, Timmy Hanna (0-1), Conor Devlin, Niall O’Higgins, Sean Og Kelly, Aaron McDonald.

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