Blast from the Past. November 2003. MUNSTER JUNIOR CUP Greenmount Rangers 3 Togher Rovers 1

Blast from the Past. November 2003

Togher Rovers from October 2003. (Note: no photos found from this game)

MUNSTER JUNIOR CUP

Greenmount Rangers 3 Togher Rovers 1

Greenmount Rangers came from behind to register a 3-1 win over Togher Rovers and advance to the fourth round of the Lucozade Sport Munster Junior Cup. Togher were well in it but lost a goal and a man in the 33rd minute. The losers fought well after that, but eventually, the handicap proved too much, especially since Greenmount had the likes of Fionan Murray and Darren Gubbins, who possessed the guile and craft to unlock the Togher defence.

Greenmount, from Feb 2004. (Note: no photos found from this game)

 

Togher went ahead in the 20^th minute through a fine individual goal by Eddie Byrne. He got possession  45 yards out and waltzed his way past three defenders before picking his spot to the left of Breen and into the back of the net.

Greenmount’s equaliser came after 33 minutes when they were awarded a free kick 35 yards out from the Togher goal. Up stepped Damien O’Neill to blast an unstoppable shot into the net to even the game up at 1-1.

At this point, Togher were reduced to ten men when  Brian Linehan was red-carded by referee Seanie Hegarty.

Greenmount’s Fionan Murray twice came close for the Rangers before setting up the 65th-minute second. He sent a ball in from the right to the unmarked Darren Gubbins, who duly obliged as he headed a helpless Murty Holohan in the Togher goal.

Togher’s heads never dropped as they troubled Greenmount with regular attacks. In the 69th minute, Greenmount’s Damien O’Neill was on hand to block a Liam Donovan effort that looked goal-bound.

In the 71^st minute, Togher’s Eddie Byrne sent Liam Donovan away on the right, and Donovan’s effort from an acute angle was covered well by goalkeeper Eamonn Breen at the near post.

For the next couple of minutes, Togher threw caution to the wind and pressurised the Greenmount goal, but Greenmount’s defence held up well. In the 88th minute, any chance of Togher getting a late equaliser was banished. Then, Murray put the game beyond their reach. He cleverly read a headed back-pass intended for keeper Holohan. Murray stepped inside his marker and took control of the ball, looked up, and slotted it home.

Greenmount: Eamonn Breen, Shane McSweeney, Stephen McCarthy, Ger Long, Damien O’Neill, Gearoid O’Leary, Chas Browne, Stephen Heaphy, Darren Gubbins, Fionan Murray and Brendan Cronin. Subs: Liam Carter and Sean Walsh.

Togher Rovers: Murty Holohan, Dave Wallace, Fergal O’Leary, Liam Dawson, Andrew Keegan, Carl Brown, Daniel Cooper, Austin O’Connor, Eddie Byrne, Alan Harte and Brian Linehan. Sub used: Liam Donovan. 

Referee: Sean Hegarty.