TUS Midlands win Trench Cup to complete double
GAA: Electric Ireland Trench Cup final
TUS Midlands 2-11 Dundalk IT 0-9
Caoimhin Reilly
TUS Midlands completed the second tier league and championship double after seeing off Dundalk IT comfortably in Wednesday evening’s Trench Cup final in Waterford.
The Athlone-based college never trailed in a game that they controlled despite facing a Dundalk outfit who defeated the men in black earlier in the competition.
Two goals in as many minutes midway through the third quarter firmly swayed the contest in favour of the winners.
With the teams level at 0-7 apiece, a sublime pass by Ferbane’s Cathal Flynn picked out Brían Cooney, who had stolen a march in behind the DkIT defence, and the Westmeath U20 star rounded the advancing Shane Garland and rolled his shot to the net.
And, in the very next attack, a scramble in the goalmouth resulted in a Dundalk defender touching the ball on the ground and referee Seamus Mulvihill awarding a spot-kick which Brandon Kelly confidently converted.
TUS were the more organised and effective throughout and led for much of a first half in which they attacked the ever-growing gust. Cormac Delaney and Kieran Colclough were both on target from frees, whereas Jay Hughes was unerring with strikes at the other end, keeping the Louth team in touch.
It was only a late rally by Dundalk that hauled them on level terms – 0-6 to 0-6 – by the interval, with Cathal Fleming splitting the posts, and the sides remained deadlocked eight minutes into the second period when TUS lifted their game up a notch.
With TUS – for whom Tubberclair’s Matthew Whittaker scored two points - having a six-point cushion, they were able to play out the remainder of the affair on the counter attack.
And the outcome seemed to be in little doubt, particularly as DkIT’s discipline began to wane. Indeed, the pre-match favourites finished with just 13 players on the field following injury-time black cards for captain Gary Mohan and Conal McCaul.
Afterwards, TUS Midlands captain Shane Allen (Athlone GAA) was presented with the Trench Cup, while Cathal Flynn received the player of the match award.
TUS MIDLANDS: Ian McGillycuddy; Shane Allen, Shane O’Toole-Greene, Daniel Farrell; Conor Lohan, Jamie Corcoran, Brendan Killian (0-1); Cormac Delaney (0-4, 4f), Enda Maguire; Brían Cooney (1-1), Kieran Colclough (0-1f), Matthew Whittaker (0-2); Cathal Flynn (0-1), Aaron Hughes, Brandon Kelly (1-0pen). Subs: Devon Hill (0-1) for Cooney (49 mins), Dara Finlass for Killian (58), Mark Gibbons for Kelly (60).
DUNDALK IT: Shane Garland; Lee Rice, Eoin Clarke, Shane Hanratty; Liam Stafford, Kieran Doyle, Gerard Browne; Jack McEvoy, Gary Mohan (0-1); Cathal Fleming (0-1), Tom Gray (0-1), Shane Slevin; Jay Hughes (0-5, 5f), Conal McCaul, Patrick Johnston (0-1). Subs: Ryan Duffy for Slevin (40 mins), Robert Quigley for Stafford (52), Hughie Corcoran for Gray (57), Gareth Burns for Doyle (58).
REFEREE: Seamus Mulvihill (Limerick).