*Seán O’Callaghan competes in the air with Conor Henry as Jamie Roche tracks back. Photograph: Joe Buckley
BRIDGE UTD are out of the race to become Maloney Hardware Premier Division champions with their draw against Avenue Utd on Sunday morning sending the title the way of Newmarket Celtic.
Bridge Utd 1
Avenue Utd 1
Venue: Shannon Rd, Sixmilebridge
Though they were playing for league honours, it didn’t look like it as Bridge Utd lacked a spark and certainly didn’t resemble a side that needed to keep winning in order to potentially lift the Premier Division trophy for the first time in twenty years.
Instead their more lethargic approach has resulted in them gifting the league to neighbours Newmarket Celtic and they’ll have to watch in two weeks’ time as it is likely Newmarket will be presented with the trophy in their league meeting in a game which should have been the title decider.
It would have been if the Bridge held their end of the bargain and got the job done against an Avenue outfit who themselves fell out of the equation when Newmarket overcame Tulla mid-week.
Overall it was a poor affair which did not give the impression that it had such high stakes for the hosts. Avenue were without their captain Conor Mullen through injury, Nnabuike Nneji was absent from the heart of midfield with Galway duo Ryan Corcoran and Gary O’Connell also missing from their side.
Still it was Adrian Walsh’s charges that demonstrated the greater hunger for the bulk of the tie. Sloppiness on their part stopped them from taking the lead in the opening half, Owen Hadden missed the ball completely after Paddy O’Malley dinked the ball ahead of Chuks Obadeyi who set up Hadden but their first big chance didn’t cause a stir. Obadeyi then came close on the half hour mark but he failed to connect properly and John Mulready between the posts wasn’t tested.
Alan Mulready was ruled offside when he goaled on the fourteen minute mark after Aidan Moloney’s shot fell in his path. The Bridge’s next big chance and only real other opportunity to go ahead in the first half saw Filip Mostowy’s effort pushed out for a corner kick which Avenue cleared with ease.
Half time saw Avenue introduce Conor Finnucane, Jack Joyce and Jack Ryan, the trio all had gaelic football commitments over the weekend with Lissycasey, Éire Óg and Wolfe Tones respectively while captain for the morning Eoghan Thynne had been in action with St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield on Friday evening. The involvement of four GAA clubs in the one soccer side underlining the different areas from where Avenue are pulling their players.
Home supporters called for a penalty just beyond the hour mark when Mostowy hit the deck after colliding with an Avenue defender but play was waved on.
They were quietened moments later when Ronan Kerin put Avenue in front, his shot taking a small touch to get beyond John Mulready on sixty six minutes and suddenly the Bridge could feel the league trophy moving further from their grasp.
A lifeline fell their way or rather was handed to them by Avenue netminder TJ Forde two minutes later. Mostowy had played the ball too far to Jack O’Halloran and he kept running but with less conviction, the ball was outside the box so Forde was unable to handle it, he tried to draw a boot at it but somehow missed, O’Halloran had kept plugging away and he found himself with an empty net to tap the ball into it and he did just that.
Ignited by the equaliser, Bridge Utd played with more purpose, they had a Scott Kirkland shot cleared from the goal-line by Jack Joyce, substitute Caleb Lategan had an effort deflected out for a corner while glorious chances fell to Aidan Moloney and Mostowy in additional time but goal number two never arrived and with that went their chance of league success.
Definitely a missed opportunity, Bridge Utd once again went missing in their defining hour. All energies will now be pumped into the Clare Cup and they’ll face Newmarket Celtic in the last four, silverware of some sort must be claimed at the business end of the season for the Sixmilebridge side. Having lost out to Avenue Utd in last year’s title-decider in Roslevan, they again didn’t step up when the need was greatest. Adam Fitzpatrick and Josh Brack were their best players on this occasion.
Evident from this Sunday morning encounter was how Avenue still manage to hold a mental edge over Bridge. Even without some of their top players, they did enough to claim a result, they currently hold second spot with one game left to play and may likely remain there even though Bridge Utd have more fixtures to fulfil. A big plus for Avenue was the showing of Messiah Chirwa in the middle of the park, he pulled things together very well, Paddy O’Malley was in flying form at left back until sustaining a serious hamstring injury which left him in agony and Ronan Kerin led their offensive charge.
All photographs by Joe Buckley
Bridge Utd: John Mulready; Aidan Moloney, Liam Buckley, Alan Mulready, Josh Brack; Adam Fitzpatrick; William Bello; Jack O’Halloran, Scott Kirkland. Filip Mostowy, Conor Henry.
Subs: Johnson Mununkum for Bello (68), Kyle Kirby for Fitzpatrick (79), Caleb Lategan for Henry (79), Dean Neary for Mulready (88),
Avenue Utd: TJ Forde; Jamie Roche, Seán O’Callaghan, Ethan Cronin, Paddy O’Malley; Messiah Chirwa, Ronan Kerin; Chuks Obadeyi, Owen Hadden; Ger Myles.
Subs: Conor Finnucane for Roche (HT), Jack Ryan for Myles (HT), Jack Joyce for Obadeyi (HT), M Conway for O’Malley (58) (inj), Fiachra Roche for Ryan (86) (inj),
Referee: Paudie Hayes
