Harps win sets up title playoff with Moneygall

SOCCER: North Tipperary & District League Premier Division

Shinrone United 0

BT Harps 2

Report & Photos: Gary Culbert

at Shinrone Community Park

The North Tipperary & District League Premier Division title will be decided in a playoff following BT Harp’s victory over Shinrone United on Sunday.

It took everything Shinrone United had to hold BT Harps out for an hour, but in the end, youthful legs introduced at just the right time from the stacked Harps bench proved too much.

Harps were kept scoreless at the break thanks to brave and committed defending from Michael Cordial and Keith McEvoy in the Shinrone defence, who flung themselves in harms way in the first half to deny certain goals.

When breached midway through the half, the Shinrone defence was backed up by a heroic double save from stand-in keeper Graham Fahy, who denied Eanna McBride and Sean Paddy Guerins in quick succession.

Shinrone had their own chances in this tense, tight, and cagey affair. Most notably in the first half was Riann McLoughlin’s one-on-one with Kuba Beben from a tight angle, which the big keeper did superbly well to save.

Pre-match, there was a considerable chance that BT would steamroll the hosts in the opening ten minutes, so it was a considerable milestone for Shinrone to reach the interval unscathed.

However, as was well documented in the build-up, a draw would do neither side any good as Moneygall sat top of the table with a game extra played compared to both these sides.

Shinrone enjoyed their most fruitful period at the start of the second half, with good chances falling to Kian Fallon, Riann & Derek McLoughlin. It would have been fitting for the latter to score as it was his last game before retirement, but the 45-year-old was slightly ahead of the ball and could only send his header back the way it came.

Experienced Harps manager Henry Newman had seen enough by the hour mark and began to ring the changes. First to come off the bench was youth striker Ryan Loughnane. Having scored in the premier cup final last year, the big occasion does not phase the man who turned 18 in February, and sure enough he came up with another huge goal.

Just five minutes after entering the fray, Loughnane received the ball on the left flank and proceeded to cut inside. It was a goal born out of the Harps academy, as last year’s youth captain Bill Collier played a one-two with Loughnane, who in turn played a one-two with Cormac Foy – who himself is not long out of the academy set-up. Football can be made to look very easy by top players, as Loughnane demonstrated by deftly whipping the ball around two defenders, almost caressing it into the net.

The goal tells the story of the game in some ways. Two players at the start of their footballing careers combining to create magic, whilst for the opposition, it was the end of the line for two larger than life individuals. Attacking midfielder Derek McLoughlin and his manager, Declan Mullally, both called time on what has been an emotional rollercoaster of a return to football in a small rural village in Offaly.

There was a lot of talk of fierce rivalries in the build-up to the game, but the respect for one of Shinrone’s all-time greats was evident from both neutrals and BT Harps supporters alike in the 80th minute, as the packed ground joined together in clapping Derek McLoughlin off when he left the field for one last time.

True to his selfless nature, there was to be no moment in the spotlight for Declan Mullally, the man who brought soccer back to Shinrone just five short years ago. However, those close to the club know just how much Mullally has done in cementing the club’s future for decades to come.

Once Loughnane had found the net, Shinrone now needed two goals to lift the title. They pushed forward but never managed to lay any meaningful siege to Kuba Beben’s goal. In the end it was the captain of Munster Sean Patrick Guerin’s who had the final say, powering in a vicious free-kick with five minutes remaining, much to the delight of the considerable Harps faithful who braved the rain.

That was the cue for the Moneygall players and officials in attendance to leave the ground – they now knew a play-off for the title was on the cards.

Sean Purcell, Dean Lawlor, Bill Collier, Cormac Foy and both goal-scorers all impressed for BT Harps, but the player of the match award had to go to a man who produced a personal display that even surpassed his high standards – Michael ‘Diggy’ Cordial.

At 44 years old, the centre half keeps going back to the well and returning with more and more to give for his beloved Shinrone jersey. Indeed, he is the type of player who you feel would give vital organs to get his side over the line. Irish legend John Giles famously stated that great players need to be ready to kill their granny to win, well this writer poses that Mr Giles would get great satisfaction in watching Michael Cordial play football.

For BT Harps, this is only the halfway stage now, as a play-off with Moneygall is now required to determine which side will lift their first-ever premier division title. It will take place in Borrisokane next Saturday at 6.30pm.

Having beaten Harps twice with 1-0 scorelines this season, Billy Hayes will be confident that his Moneygall side can cause another upset. However, Henry Newman’s charges won the last encounter 2-0 in the cup recently.

With Henry Newman stepping away from the role of manager at BT Harps come the end of the season, after three years in charge he now has three games remaining, with a trophy on the line each time that his side take to the field.

Player of the Match: Michael Cordial (Shinrone United)

Shinrone United: Graham Fahy; Keith McEvoy, Rian Dempsey, Michael Cordial, DJ McLoughlin, Kian Fallon, Scott Kelly, Coley Cleary, Paul Lake; Derek McLoughlin; Rian McLoughlin.

Subs: Conor O’Sullivan for DJ McLoughlin (45); Peter Cleary for Derek McLoughlin (80); Dan Bevans for Lake (85).

BT Harps: Kuba Beben; Lyndon Fairbrother, Jack Kennedy, Sean Paddy Guerins, Sean Purcell; Dean Lawlor, Bill Collier, Cormac Foy; Brian Mitchell, Eanna McBride, Ben Stapleton.

Subs: Ryan Loughnane for Stapleton (60); Joe Bourke for Foy (63); Christopher Ryan for McBride (80); Rhys Loughnane for Purcell (90).

Referee: Jim McGrath.