Avenue United 2 - Moher Celtic 1 (after extra time) at The County Grounds, Doora
IN THE end it was a thing of beauty and was worth waiting for.
Barry Nugent picked up possession near the centre circle and considered his options for a split second; Mikie Mahony ghosted down the left flank and on to Nugent’s perfectly weighted pass to feet.
Mikie’s moment in the setting sun of Doora had arrived. He feinted to the left, but went right as he skipped into the Moher area, then dropped his left shoulder and with his trusty left peg drove a low ball into the right corner beyond the despairing arms of Niall Quinn.
Fitting really. Fitting that Mahony and Nugent should be at the hub of the defining play of the game. Man of the match and supersub – in that order – who teamed up to give Avenue their eighth Clare Cup triumph.
The strike came two minutes into the first period of extra-time. Dreamland for Avenue, a cruel fate for a brave Moher Celtic team that gave so much this season but ended up with nothing. However, Moher contributed to their own downfall here, paying a heavy price for tactical naivety that cost them a place in the annals of Clare soccer history.
Strangely, it came after the Moher Magpies were on the backfoot for most of the first half. It didn’t prevent them taking the lead in the 28th when left-back Aidan Moloney drove a penalty low to the right beyond James Hanrahan.
It was a gift from the Avenue that came about after Dessie Molohan chased a lost cause. As Eamonn O’Reilly tried to shepherd the ball wide, Molohan it back into the danger area from the endline.
James Hanrahan called loudly, but Paul Crowley ignored his keeper and elected to play football out of defence. His short pass was intercepted, David Connole danced past Eamonn O’Reilly who pulled him down. One nil.
Avenue were shell-shocked. They bossed the opening exchanges, but now it counted for nothing as Moher knocked on history’s door. They didn’t break the door down because they sat back and allowed Avenue come at them. It was a disastrous tactic.
This combined with astute positional and personnel switches worked the oracle for Avenue.
Tom Carmody pushed further forward, while David Russell’s introduction also had a profound effect. Russell lasted only 15 minutes, but brought more urgency to Avenue’s play, while his replacement Barry Nugent brought the all-important equaliser.
It came on the back of a siege. Avenue’s sixth corner of the half was floated in by Mikie Mahony. It broke six yards from goal and Nugent coolly sidefooted it home. Back in the melting pot after 69 minutes.
Moher threw their defensive strategy aside and had much the better of things in the closing 20 minutes. Alan Clohessy and Darragh Blake got a foothold in midfield, Johnny Daly found more space up front and opportunities knocked.
In the 73rd minute Daly’s half-volley was brilliantly turned around the post by James Hanrahan. Three minutes later Moher had a penalty claim waved away when David Connole went down after skipping by Simon Cuddy. Worse still for Moher, Connole was yellow-carded for diving.
There were chances at either end in the closing minutes. Hanrahan was alert to keep Thomas Murphy at bay in the 84th minute, while Niall Quinn produced a brilliant save to foil Mikie Mahony in the 88th.
There was no denying Mahony in extra-time though. He produced something sublime to break Moher’s hearts.
Avenue United
James Hanrahan, Simon Cuddy, Paul Crowley, Brendan Rochford, Eamon O’Reilly, Garry Flynn, Richie Fitzpatrick, Mattie Nugent, Tom Carmody, David Herlihy, Mikie Mahony. Subs David Russell for Flynn, Barry Nugent for Russell, David Smyth for Mattie Nugent.
Moher Celtic
Niall Quinn, Brian Conway, David McInerney, Denis Murphy, Aidan Moloney, Darragh Blake, John Kerin, Alan Clohessy, David Connole, Dessie Molohan, Johnny Daly. Subs Jack Cagney for Molohan.
Man of the Match
Mikie Mahony (Avenue United)
When he’s good, he’s very very good. It was one of those evening’s for Mikie. The magnificent field groomed by Tommy Austin was tailor made for Mikie who was a class apart from everyone else.
Referee Martin O’Brien
Above: Avenue’s Richie Fitzpatrick goes in for a tackle on Darragh Blake in the Clare Cup Final at the County Grounds.