*Sean O’Connor clears his lines. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS are treating their final group game in the TUS Clare SHC as “a knockout game”.
Essentially it is a knockout tie for The Blues as they need to overcome near neighbours Sixmilebridge in Cusack Park on Friday evening to advance to the quarter-finals of the championship.
Despite producing a poor performance in round two, Newmarket-on-Fergus managed to pick up their first win when overcoming St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 2-13 1-14.
Speaking to The Clare Echo following the win, Blues boss James Carrig outlined, “The main thing was to get the result so we’re very happy with that. We were disappointed to lose the last day by a single point so the objective today was to stay in the championship and thankfully we did that”.
Rund two against Doora/Barefield “was always going to be difficult because both were fighting for their lives so Doora/Barefield fought very hard and the conditions were tough out there as the wind was funny and hard to work out. I suppose the goal just before half-time was a massive score because it meant that we went in five or six in front. And we needed it as Doora/Barefield came straight out and pulled a goal back at the start of the second half so we had to dug deep again”.
Both of Newmarket’s goals arrived courtesy of Éanna Crimmins. “Eanna’s goals in both halves turned out to be vital but in fairness he has an eye for goal and has scored some big ones for us in the last year or two. Overall though, I thought our work-rate was good as was our discipline and we also got some good joy from our puck-outs so we’re happy to have gotten over the line”.
Focus is now firmly on Friday’s meeting with Sixmilebridge. “For us, we just have to keep winning now to stay in it, it’s as simple as that so it doesn’t matter who is up next, we have to treat it like a knock-out game and give it everything”.
