Goal crazy Tullamore College edge out Mullingar

Tullamore College 9-1 Mullingar CC 5-11 In an outstanding encounter, a goal hungry Tullamore College side managed to edge out Mullingar College who clawed back a 14-point half time deficit, in this North Leinster Schools Juvenile 'D' (13-a-side) semi-final at St. Loman"s on Wednesday of last week. All at sea thanks to a first-half massacre by the Offaly men, the Mullingar school showed strength in numbers in a thrilling second half, and were very unlucky not to snatch a win in the closing stages. Mullingar were blitzed in the first half by an almost intimidating performance from Tullamore"s front five, with the lads from the Faithful County clocking up a massive 6-1 to 0-5 lead at the break. However, point scoring midfielder Aaron Orme and four-goal hero Conor Savage turned on the style as the Mullingar side turned the tables, making their opponents sweat in the dying minutes. But Tullamore held on to book their place in the May 4 final, and drew a heavy sigh of relief in doing so. The host team drew first blood, when Aaron Orme used his strength and skill to open Mullingar"s account with a point. But within thirty seconds, Tullamore drew level thanks to a point from impressive skipper Jamie Coyne. The Offaly side followed this up with a goal in the second minute, when centre-forward Colm Woodlock tucked home a loose ball, which had been parried by Mullingar keeper,Adam Hogan. Tullamore bagged a second in the third minute, when a goalbound Coyne set up Darragh Fogarty, who finished from close range. In response, Aaron Orme pointed for Mullingar after a powerful run, but there was more to come from the visitors. With seven minutes gone, Tullamore rattled the Mullingar net once more, with Colm Woodlock cutting through the home defence to make it 3-1 to 0-2. Mullingar enjoyed a purple patch after that, with two further points from the talented Orme igniting some prospect of a comeback. But such hopes were dashed in the blink of an eye, when Tullamore netted twice in quick succession. The first came on 19, when Darragh Fogarty shot to the roof of the Mullingar net in style. Sixty seconds later, Dylan Martin went for glory, and his shot was parried into the net by goalkeeper, Adam Hogan. A point from Mullingar captain, Conor Savage eased the sting somewhat but, just before half-time, whistle, Jamie Coyne bagged his first goal for Tullamore to put fourteen point between the sides. Mullingar had the greatest of mountains to climb in the second half, but with great courage and skill, they very nearly achieved what seemed like an impossible goal. Aaron Orme picked up where he left off, adding his fifth point on 29, before Conor Savage cut in from the touchline, and delivered a superb shot to the back of the Tullamore net. A free from Orme cut the Blues" lead to ten points, and this was followed by a point from Daragh McDonagh. Orme despatched another minor, and with the deficit reduced to eight, Tullamore began to fear a Mullingar comeback. But in the ninth and tenth minutes of the second half, Mullingar"s work was suddenly and brutally undone. Tullamore captain Jamie Coyne cut through the Mullingar defence and fired a shot past Adam Hogan, and the Offaly men held a double-figured lead once again. This was quickly followed by Dylan Martin"s second major of the afternoon, and Tullamore"s eighth. The hosts hit back when Luke Creagh pounced on a loose ball on 36, but such was the helter-skelter nature of the second half that Colm Woodlock found the net with his third goal for Tullamore, to make it 9-1 to 2-9. With ten minutes to go, surely it was game over? Don"t count on it. The Orme-Savage partnership had plenty more to offer, and Savage found the net for a second time on 41 minutes, before bagging another in between a brace of points from Orme (his eighth and ninth points). With the score at 9-1 to 4-11, Tullamore"s once majestic lead had been cut to five points, and the visitors - getting extremely worried - reintroduced their substituted captain, Jamie Coyne for the closing minutes. With two minutes remaining, Tullamore worse fears were confirmed, when Conor Savage delivered an outstanding puck to the Dean Pierce"s net. Mullingar, enjoying the momentum, were now only two points adrift, and on the verge of achieving what once appeared impossible. But the Offaly school held on tight for the remaining moments, leaving Mullingar Community College bitterly disappointed, after such a breathtaking comeback. SCORERS: Tullamore College - C. Woodlock 3-0, J. Coyne 2-1, D. Fogarty and D. Martin 2-0 each. Mullingar Community College: C. Savage 4-1, A. Orme 0-9 (1f), L. Creagh 1-0, D. McDonagh 0-1. Tullamore College: Dean Pierce; Aaron McDermott, James Dineen; Trevor Deegan, Jamie Coyne (capt.), Patrick Sheeran; Dylan Martin, Scott Kane; Wayne McDonagh, Ronan Crosbie, Daniel Paisley; Colm Woodlock, Darragh Fogarty. Subs used: Aidan Campbell, Colm Kilroe, Robert Halpenny, Robert Moore. Rest of panel: James Daly, Adrian Multeney, Richard McDonagh. Mullingar Community College: Adam Hogan; Conor Matthews, Mark Miller; Shane Dalton, Ian McGovern, Joe Monaghan; Alan Casey, Aaron Orme; Conor Savage (capt.), Daragh McDonagh, Luke Creagh; Michael Abiyibou, Dylan Maxwell. Subs used: Clarion Keogh, Paddy Mount. Referee: Jimmy Weldon (Westmeath).