*Alan Sweeney of St Breckans. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
WINDY conditions in Miltown Malbay forced a return “to the old stuff” in gaelic football where Ennistymon reigned supreme over St Breckan’s.Last year’s finalists St Breckan’s were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by rivals Ennistymon for the second time in three years.
Playing with the aid of a strong breeze in the opening half, a sluggish start from St Breckan’s was met by an Ennistymon outfit who controlled matters and even managed to be in front with seventeen minutes despite playing against the elements. Breckan’s managed to kick the final five points of the opening half to lead 0-7 0-4.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, St Breckan’s manager Declan O’Keeffe outlined, “We didn’t get enough of a foothold in the first half, we were up four points up at half time but it was never going to be enough with the strength of the wind, Ennistymon to be fair to them controlled the ball well especially in the first half, we got to grips with them as the half wore on but in the second half we needed to eek out one or two scores which probably would have been enough for us, but we didn’t keep the scoreboard ticking over, it wasn’t a day for fancy football, a day for long kickouts and breaking ball, we went back to the old stuff and to be fair Ennistymon came out on top in that regard and the very best of luck to them”.
To only lead by one point having played with the wind was not a big enough advantage, the two-time All Star said. “We conceded a goal on sixty minutes, it was parity up to then, to be fair to the lads they have worked very hard and are an absolutely wonderful group to work with and they give it a hundred percent, we don’t have a very deep panel, everyone has to work very hard for each other. We got to the county final last year and we wanted to build on that, they went down fighting with their boots on and you can ask no more when you’re involved with a team only that they fight to the bitter end and they did that”.
It took the Spa outfit until the sixty second minute to get their first score of the second half, this a free from Jamie Stack. All the while, they conceded 1-4 without reply. “We needed a score midway through the half, we turned over a lot of ball, the conditions were the same for both teams but Ennistymon were fairly relentless attacking, we held them out well, it was always going to be a low scoring game but the conditions just ruined the game, whatever about rain wind just destroys football but what’s good for the goose is good for the gander and Ennistymon adapted a bit better”.
With the return “to the old stuff”, the introduction of Liam Tierney from the bench helped St Breckan’s in winning possession around the middle third but injury forced him off on forty nine minutes. “He was interrupted with injury, he is not a man we would leave off, he was in doubt right up to the match, we took the decision not to chance him, when you’re looking at picking teams and panels putting injured guys out on a field is not a good idea especially from the start, we gave him every chance and he made a fierce difference when he came on, he is a big man and on a day like today he showed his true colours, we definitely missed him, he would have been valuable to us on the set-up of our kickouts in that regard”.
Tierney’s departure allowed Ennistymon to put St Breckan’s under pressure on their own kickout. “We lost breaking ball, we lost clean ball, there is no faulting anybody, Tristan had no option but to go back to the old school of kicking long and contests out there and Ennistymon did a little better”.
Involved with the North Clare side since 2019, O’Keeffe is optimistic for what lies ahead for St Breckan’s despite bowing out of the championship earlier this season. “There is a young team there, Padraig Kelly is away in Australia and is a huge loss to us, there is good young panels coming up along in St Breckan’s, the thing in North Clare and I’ve been there a few years now they love their football and are very passionate about it, they have to keep working hard and build, they are a fabulous bunch of lads, it is not easy when you don’t have the numbers even from a training perspective to train with only twenty or twenty one players, the boys don’t complain about it but I see a very bright future for St Breckan’s, they are a very progressive club doing a lot of very good things up there, they’ve built a new gym and are hoping to get the pitch done, they have fabulous people in the club and I’ve enjoyed my time there, they are great lads with some quality players and I’ve no doubt they will be back”.
