Ballyea 0-22
Feakle 2-13
TONY KELLY LIVED up to his billing in helping his club Ballyea reach their first Clare senior hurling final in 13 years, and only their second ever, as they ground out a semi-final success over Feakle at Cusack Park this afternoon.
2013 Hurler of the Year and Clare joint-captain Kelly bagged 0-7 in their four-point victory. He was helped by other vital scoring contributions from Ballyea by Niall Deasy (0-6) and Eoghan Donnellan (0-4) as they advanced to the decider.
Feakle were chasing a first final appearance in Clare since 1988 but were foiled by Ballyea who will now play the winners of tomorrow’s semi-final clash between 2015 finalists Clonlara and 2014 champions Cratloe.
Feakle got off to a great start in this afternoon’s semi-final with an early goal from Colin Nelson but Kelly and Donnellan spearheaded Ballyea’s fight back to ensure the teams were level at 1-6 to 0-9 at the break.
Ballyea started the second-half superbly as they rattled off five points without reply courtesy of Kelly (2), Deasy (2) and Donnellan. By the third quarter mark, the game was still in the melting point as Ballyea’s lead was cut to two points, 0-15 to 1-10.
Kelly stamped his class on proceedings then to push Ballyea into a 0-20 to 1-12 lead with five minutes left on the clock. They were forced to endure a nervy finish when Martin Daly bagged Feakle’s second goal in the closing moments but Deasy and Clare senior footballer Martin O’Leary helped land the insurance points to seal Ballyea’s win.
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Norman Whiteside wasn’t 17 in 1985, unless he played in the 82 world cup when he was 14!
Cheers Graham,
I obviously got Norman Whiteside and Freddy Adu mixed up!
That 1970 match description is class.. “neutralised”
Your a gas man, Will
Wouldn’t consider that tackle to be a straight red nowadays, probably borderline. Back then….not even close, yellow at worst
Miss timed is all it was.I remember watching that game and being shocked when he was sent off.Disagree that it was on any way cynical, there isn’t a cynical bone in Kevin Moran’s body.
Yeah, definitely mis-timed. I blame Reid for having legs!
How times have changed…. You did not see Everton players swarm the ref demanding a red, Man U players were in shock….. Rightly so too, you saw these tackles every week and you got on with it…. Its a sending off and a media circus today, but back then it was, ummm football….. Tackles are expected, and was rarely ever cynical…….
Spot on Graham, sure even Peter Reid protested to the ref on behalf on Moran…..very rare you will see that nowadays.
Peter Reid actually begged the referee not to send Moran off. Frank Stapleton reverted to emergency centre half and had a stormer. Peter Willis was the referee and it was his last ever match to officiate. He was looking to make a name for himself. Years later the F.A. Stopped referees officiating in their last ever match in the cup finals.
‘With United down to 10, Everton took them to extra-time’, shouldn’t that be United took Everton to extra-time as the Toffees were just crowned league champions you know.
Also had more league titles than United! And had just won the cup winners cup beforehand!
Moran’s wasn’t allowed receive a winners medal that day either .
Forget the tackle. He’d get 6 months now for pulling & dragging out of the ref in protesting his innocence! Although he didn’t quite get to Di Canio levels…
Unusually it was an intercept of Paul McGraths pass that led to Kevin having to make the lunge.
Suberb tackle won the ball cleanly. Football is being destroyed these days by cheating, diving and every second tackle being either a yellow or red. Games these days are often decided by which team has a player sent off its a complete joke
Lol, everyone had common sense comments today till that…. Thought we might have a good thread…..
Badly timed don’t think tackles back then were cynical or malicious as they are today .
A proper challenge that! :D
Big Ron would have referred to the tackle as a ‘reducer’
This may be an urban myth and I am well open to correction but is it true that the first person to be sent off in the FA Cup final (Kevin Moran) and the first player to be sent off in the Premier League (Niall Quinn) both went to the same school (Drimnagh castle)??
If memory serves me, I was seven at the time, kevin Moran didnt get a winners medal on the day after his red card. He only received it after a campaign on his behalf.
Bit misleading. Why would you be considered the most cynical player in FA Cup Final history just because you were the first to be sent off in one? Moran was a tough ‘no prisoners’ player, but he was never cynical in his playing days.
If it was today Reid would be gone for simulation…
Most cynical ever? The writer obviously doesn’t remember Willie Young in 1980! Only a yellow too. I think that was the tackle that prompted the introduction of the straight red for a professional foul.
Good article Will, still very few being sent off in big games- Lehmens in 06 CL final, Reyes in 05 FA cup final-can’t think of any others. A few in World cup finals- two Argentinians in 1990, Desailly, Heitinga