Mullahoran edge past Arva in dramatic penalty shoot-out

ACFL Division 2 final

Mullahoran 0-14

Arva 1-11

Mullahoran 4-3 on pens AET

There was no shortage of drama last Saturday evening as a very large crowd gathered to see Mullahoran and Arva go toe-to-toe for this year’s Division 2 league title. The entertainment lived up to the expectation as the finest of margins separated the sides in a penalty shoot-out.

The opening score of the game indicated the drama that was to follow as despite the strong wind in his face, Conal Sheridan brilliantly converted a 40-metre free, giving Arva an early advantage. Mullahoran full-forward Cormac O’Reilly levelled the sides a minute later with a well-struck point.

O'Reilly found Tom Harten free on the 20-metre line and Harten fisted the ball over the bar to give Mullahoran the lead for the first time. An attacking mark by corner-forward Sean McKeogh left Mullahoran with a two-point advantage after five minutes of play.

Referee Martin Sexton awarded Arva a free for a foul off the ball with 11 minutes played which Sheridan unsurprisingly converted. Mullahoran squandered a number of scoring opportunities with Cormac O’Reilly sending two frees and an attacking mark wide of the target.

With 15 minutes played, Mullahoran midfielder and county corner-back, Killian Brady, restored their two-point advantage. From the resulting kick-out, Cormac O’Reilly gathered possession for Mullahoran and passed to Harten who slotted the ball to the back of the Arva net, leaving Mullahoran with a five-point advantage.

Gavin Brady got his first score of the game with a well-taken point on his left foot from the right corner after an insightful pass from Cian O'Reilly. Again, a Sheridan free ended a 14-minute spell without a score for Gabriel Keoghan’s side, keeping Arva in touch.

With one minute remaining in the half, a really well taken Tristan Noack Hoffman left-footed free from where the 13-metre line meets the sideline closed the gap to four points. With three minutes of injury time played, a fourth Sheridan free left just three points between the sides at half-time which seemed meagre considering the advantage Mullahoran had with the wind and the amount of possession enjoyed.

Mullahoran started the second half in fine fashion when Dominic Cadden set up Caolainn O'Reilly for the opening score inside the first minute. A minute later, instinctive improvisation by Cormac O'Reilly saw him send the ball over the bar with his right foot, restoring Mullahoran’s five-point advantage.

Conal Sheridan continued his impressive free-taking run to turn the momentum in Arva’s favour with a free on the third minute. Ciaran Brady fisted over a point for Arva from half a goal chance opportunity and when Sheridan's pointed effort dropped short, substitute Kevin Bouchier rose highest to punch over Arva’s eighth point, leaving just two between the sides with ten second-half minutes played.

At the end of the third quarter, Sheridan sent over his sixth free of the day to leave the score 1-7 to 0-9 in favour of Mullahoran. With nine minutes remaining, Colm O'Reilly was deemed to have fouled off the ball and again Sheridan converted the free, levelling the sides.

Two minutes later Arva turned over Sean Cadden while coming out with possession of the ball and Peter Morris stepped up to give them the lead with a 40-metre kick. With just a minute remaining of ordinary time, clutch forward Cormac O'Reilly won and converted a 35-metre free, levelling the sides.

After an extended delay during the second half as a result of an injury to Hoffman, a lot of injury time was expected. One minute into injury time, once again Cormac O'Reilly was fouled and converted the resulting free from 40 metres against the wind and the rain to give Mullahoran a one-point advantage.

As the clock continued to roll four, five and even six minutes into injury time, Arva pressed for an equaliser. With Mullahoran in possession seven minutes into injury time, a misplaced handpass by Killian Brady was punished when fellow county man Ciaran Brady fisted the ball over the bar, forcing extra time.

Mullahoran were dealt a blow in extra time as they lost Killian Brady to an injury. Six minutes into the first half of extra time, again facing the wind and rain, Conal Sheridan converted a free, handing Arva a one-point advantage.

Mullahoran’s task was made even more difficult a minute later when full-back Sean Cadden received a black card. Three minutes into the second-half of extra time, a classy kick pass by substitute Daithi Shiels found Gavin Brady in the right corner-forward position and after some consultation between the officials, his shot was deemed to have split the posts.

A minute later, the ever-reliable Sheridan gave Arva the advantage once again when he sent over his first point from open play. As Mullahoran were restored to their full complement, Cormac O'Reilly, after spinning away from the Arva defence, saw his shot hit the post and go wide as the edge of the seat entertainment continued.

With just one minute remaining and Arva set up to defend their single point lead, Mullahoran worked the ball from the sideline to the centre half-forward position where Cormac O'Reilly kicked a 35-metre pass to substitute Derek Dalton in the right corner forward position. Dalton showed ice in his veins as he made little of the angle, wind, rain and pressure to level the sides.

The drama wasn't over as Arva went in search of a winner. The ever-dangerous Johnny McCabe lined up a shot for victory but, diving at full stretch, James Reilly blocked and after a final shot went wide of the Mullahoran goal, the game was forced to penalties.

Gavin Brady and Cormac O’Reilly converted Mullahoran’s first two kicks and Johnny McCabe and Bryan McEntee kept the scoring up for Arva. James Coyle hit the only space available between Cian O’Hara’s fingers and the post to make it three from three for Shane McCabe’s Mullahoran.

For Arva’s fourth penalty, Thomas Brady gambled that Dominic Crudden would dive early but it failed to pay off as Crudden stood tall to save.

The sides were level when Daithi Sheils, aiming for the left corner missed the target and Tristan Noack Hoffman placed the ball with precision into Sheils’s intended corner.

So it came down to the fifth penalty kick takers and first up was Mullahoran’s Tom Harten who calmly left O’Hara rutted to the ground as he placed the ball low to the right corner of the net. The last kick saw Conal Sheridan’s shot, aiming high, blasted over the bar, ending the evening drama.

Mullahoran: Dominic Crudden, Cian O’Reilly, Sean Cadden, James Reilly, Tom Harten(1-1), Callum Mussi, Colm O’Reilly, Dominic Cadden, Killian Brady(0-1), Caolainn O’Reilly(0-1), Gavin Brady(0-2), Fionnan O’Reilly, Eddie Dalton, Cormac O’Reilly(0-4,1f) Sean McKeogh(0-1m)

Subs: James Coyle, Daithi Sheils, Derek Dalton(0-1), Shane Sheils

Arva: Cian O’Hara, Danny Ellis, Milie Cully, Charlie Madden, Stephen Ellis, Thomas Brday, Shane Hamilton, Tristan Noack Hoffman(0-1f), Jonathan McCabe, Ciaran Cooney, Conor McEntee, Ciaran Brady(0-2), Barry Donnelly, Peter Morris(0-1), Conal Sheridan(0-9,8f)

Subs: Finbar McAvinue, Kevin Bouchier(0-1), Bryan McEntee.