*Clare midfielder Eoghan Thynne. Photograph: Joe Buckley
TWENTY FIVE year old Eoghan Thynne was among the Clare debutants as they began their Oscar Traynor campaign on a winning note to make the semi-finals of the Munster region.
Clare needed extra time to record a 2-1 victory over Kerry on Sunday with midfielder Thynne one of four starting debutants in Denis Hynes’ side and as-ever threw his body into tackles and on several occasions won back possession in the middle of the park.
Losing Ayoub Aguerram to a red card on eleven minutes made matters difficult for the hosts in Frank Healy Park, Eoghan flagged. “It was a tough battle, going down to ten men early made it a slog but we dug in, there was a good team spirit built after that and we dug it out, the subs made a big impact, Charlie Morrison had a great finish, a great win”.
Reflecting on his Oscar Traynor debut, the trainee solicitor commented, “It could have started a bit better with going down to ten men but it was brilliant to get the win, it is difficult with a brand-new team and we only started training this week, it is difficult and going down to ten to try keep the structure but for that first half in fairness Conor Finnucane did a fantastic job and he got a great goal in the second half, the subs made a massive difference too”.
Lining out for his county alongside players he is used to tackling each weekend was a different experience for the Avenue Utd midfielder. “Once you’re on the team everyone is getting behind the team. Myself and Scott Kirkland were midfield together, I never played with him before but he is a fantastic player, the two boys at centre back (Liam Buckley and Harvey Cullinan), Shane Cusack in goal a massive player to have in the team. It is a different dynamic but it is a great win to get, I’m exhausted after it”.
Substitutes made a big impact to help Clare prevail in extra time, he felt. “In fairness it was a thankless job at times for Conor Finnucane but once we went level with ten men each the game opened up a bit more and Nathan gave Charlie a great ball so they won us the game coming off the bench, it is great to get that impact off the bench and at this level you will have that massive impact because they are lads that would be starting for their clubs, it is massive to have and it is straight knockout so it is a nice victory to get”.
A semi-final with Limerick District League awaits Clare on the weekend of November 22nd/23rd. “Limerick will be a very tough game, they are the best side in it so we’ll regroup and try get a couple more sessions in, more tactical stuff and hopefully don’t go down to ten men at the start of the next game”.
For the quarter-final, the three-time Premier Division winner with Avenue along with all the Clare players wore Newmarket Celtic’s away strip. He laughed at the suggestion that it was fulfilling a lifetime ambition to wear the jersey of his rivals. “I’ll be taking it off as quick as I can, we’ll have to wear an Avenue jersey the next day to make the Newmarket boys suffer”.
