*Niall Bonfil of Naomh Eoin. Photograph: Mike Brennan.
MISSED CHANCES evaporated Naomh Eoin’s chances of making an epic comeback in Saturday’s Clare IFC final.
A first-ever intermediate championship final appearance ended in defeat for Naomh Eoin. The prospect of securing promotion to the senior ranks for the first time, fifty years since the foundation of the Cross based club.
Manager Barry Harte said their slow start was costly as they trailed 1-2 0-0 after four minutes. “We didn’t play too well in the first half, we knew the battling qualities that we have, we came out in the second half and it started milling rain but the wind in the second half seemed to favour us and the boys gave it everything, it was just one of those days and we kicked wide after wide, things didn’t go right for us and it was Wolfe Tones’ day”.
In the second half they had eight missed chances in a row which Harte admitted “was a killer”. He said, “once you are behind and we were going for the game so we started to panic a small bit, towards the end of the game we could have kept tapping the points over the bar, it was just one of those days like the ball came into the square, Fergal (Keane) got a tap on it and it could have went into the net but I think it was just Wolfe Tones’ day, it wasn’t ours and we were unlucky”.
Their lack of composure in front of goals hadn’t been visible all year which suggests the big day occasion could have got to the Loop Head Peninsula club. “You could put it down to the big day more than likely, there’s a lot of fellas there and it is hard to put it down to a few things but like the weather was terrible, the first half was grand but the weather turned very bad and the ball was sticky, we were unfortunate, if we took a few more chances we could have brought it to extra time, that is the way it goes”.
A two-time Clare SFC winner with St Senan’s Kilkee, Barry has been five years as Naomh Eoin manager. “:I knew going back that we had a great chance, there is a great bunch of lads back there, when I went back five years ago I knew they had a great chance of winning the intermediate championship but unfortunately it is Wolfe Tones’ day and I’d just like to wish them the best, they had a great win in the hurling and it is great time for them”.
He is confident Naomh Eoin will bounce back. “They are great lads, they are all young lads and will have a few more to come on the panel next year, all we can do is keep working away with them, they have great people like John Bonfil, Martin Haugh, you couldn’t ask for better in a club so whoever is back there next year I don’t know what will happen so we will try get over this weekend and think about it over the next few weeks”.
