Kilmacud croaked
And Mullinalaghta will be remembered by their people. Legends
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uInaSe19LsgIrish Times
A Christmas fairytale as Mullinalaghta win first Leinster club title
Longford underdogs see off Kilmacud Crokes with late, late penalty from Gary Rogers
Seán Moran
Choirs of angels will need to turn the volume up in the skies around north-east Longford in a fortnight’s time if they are to be heard, as chances are that the new AIB Leinster club football champions will still be making plenty of noise in Mullinalaghta.
The statistics of the coup are already well aired. The half-parish on the border of Cavan with its population of 447 was facing up to the might of twice All-Ireland champions Kilmacud Crokes and their membership, conservatively pitched at 10 times their opponents’ population.
For further context, when the counties met in the summer’s Leinster championship, Dublin had 19 points to spare. The Spartans were better odds at Thermopylae.
There was also a mild sending-off controversy when referee David Gough showed Mullinalaghta’s James McGivney a second yellow card in the 64th minute but didn’t follow up with a red. McGivney did leave the pitch shortly afterwards, as did Kilmacud’s Cian O’Sullivan, also for a second yellow.
Epiphany
It was Gary Rogers, whose extraordinarily calm penalty in the last minute of normal time effectively won the match, who gave a matter-of-fact insight into his team’s eve-of-battle epiphany.
“Last night we looked at a few videos of Kilmacud. It was only last night we kind of realised, we might actually give them a go. Man on man, when we went 15 on 15 it just worked for us. In fairness they missed a bit. We missed a bit in the first half but we got the rub of the green then and got the penalty and look, I put it away.”
Kilmacud goalkeeper David Nestor had saved a penalty in injury time in the semi-final and Rogers hit his kick in the same direction.
“Yeah, that side, but I always pick a different side anyway so it didn’t really matter. I just said I’ll hit it as hard as I can and if he saves it, fair play to him. I hit it as hard as possibly could. I seen the lad for Portlaoise; in fairness, it was a great save. Just delighted that it went in.”
So it was that on the 50th anniversary of Longford’s only senior provincial title, the county has added the club equivalent. Just as in 1968, they will face Kerry opponents in the All-Ireland semi-final, in this case the other Crokes – of Killarney.
Busy spring
For manager Mickey Graham it guarantees a busy spring. Recently appointed manager of his own county, Cavan – who face a daunting return to Division 1 of the AFL – he will have the added responsibility of preparing the club for a tilt with the 2017 All-Ireland winners.
“Yeah, the show goes on, but I’m not going to worry about that now at this moment in time. I just have to sit down and gather all my thoughts and let this settle in, because this is going to be one hell of a party over in Mullinalaghta for the next week and up to Christmas because of this. For this club to do it is a fairytale.”
He singled out his full back Paddy Fox for praise after an afternoon keeping Dublin’s All Star forward Paul Mannion scoreless from play.
“People were talking about the marquee forwards they’d have, but I’ve seen Paddy Fox the last three years and he is one of the top full backs you’ll see in the country, and he showed that today against one of the most marquee forwards in the country.”Kilmacud manager Robbie Brennan was realistic after what was a gravely disappointing defeat for the favourites.
“To be fair, I think Mullinalaghta probably deserved it. We didn’t play well so I don’t think we can have too many complaints really after it.”
Mon, Dec 10, 2018
Mullinalaghta stun Kilmacud Crokes to take Leinster crown
Late penalty scored by Gary Rodgers was enough for underdogs to slay the favourites
Seán Moran at O'Connor Park, Tullamore
Kilmacud Crokes 1-6 Mullinalaghta 1-8
The AIB Leinster club SFC final has developed a reputation for drama in recent times but even so, Sunday’s finale in Tullamore brought the house down. A first win for a Longford club in the championship’s history – and in the county’s first final – was achieved in a blizzard of late activity as Mullinalaghta came from three down with five minutes to go to outscore the hot favourites, Kilmacud by 1-2 to nil in the time remaining.
Even the manner of the achievement was gripping, as the critical score came from a penalty, awarded after a flowing move was abruptly halted after a foul on Aidan McElliggott by Cian O’Sullivan in the 58th minute at which point the Dublin champions led by two, as David McGivney had trimmed the lead.
Kilmacud goalkeeper David Nestor had saved an injury-time penalty in the semi-final against Portlaoise to prevent the match going to extra-time but this time – coincidentally also against a player called Rogers (Craig) – Gary Rogers’s kick to the same right-hand side sent Nestor the wrong way and pushed the outsiders into the lead, 1-7 to 1-6 with a minute of normal time left on the clock.
Within 60 seconds the ball was turned over and worked to the left where McElligott shot his team two clear.
There was no mistaking the gravity of the situation now. This was a match that hadn’t been expected to be played on Mullinalaghta’s terms, tight and low-scoring but that’s how it evolved and with their 1-6 in an hour’s play, the task for Kilmacud in retrieving a two-point deficit looked immense and their lethargic response suggested that they realised as much.
In the dying minutes before the penalty they had tried to play down the clock, despite the danger of being just two ahead.
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“For whatever reason we reverted back to type, which we had been doing probably for the last three years, more of a defensive game,” said manager Robbie Brennan afterwards, “keep ball, go backwards with it. We reverted back to that for some strange reason and it caught us.”
Mullinallaghta started well. They had plenty of possession and in Rian Brady the outstanding forward, buzzing around the attack and shooting with commendable accuracy on a cold windy afternoon for three points from play but also dropping deep to cover the typically counter attacking opposing backs.
They also shut down their opponents’ attack effectively with Paddy Fox quickly finding All Star Paul Mannion for company on the edge of the square where the Longford county defender played a stormer, giving his decorated prey hardly any room and expertly anticipating – albeit the not always laser-guided – through balls.
At one point Mannion was frustrated into invention and tried to play the ball to himself in the corner of the attack but possession was gobbled up.
Since the tortoise and the hare it hasn’t always been to the benefit of favourites to strike early and after a fifth-minute goal by Pat Burke, finished after a good move between Shane Horan and the lively Callum Pearson, the pick of the Kilmacud forwards. Instead of being a launchpad, the score appeared to anaesthetise the favourites and ended up bank rolling their somewhat aimless play for the remainder of the half during which they managed just two more points.
It wasn’t as if Mullinalaghta were making them pay top dollar for the lassitude and at times they looked nervous, as mistakes abounded on both sides. Liam Flatman, the Kilmacud corner back, got a black card in the 17th minute for hauling down Jayson Matthews.
James McGivney’s presence caused trouble for the favourites but he was too often bottled up on the sideline where his frustrations got him an early yellow card – a cause of controversy when a second was added at the end of the match but referee David Gough omitted to show the follow-up red although the player left the field shortly afterwards.
Cian O’Sullivan also saw red for a second yellow of his own in the 64th minute, an unhappy end to a difficult provincial campaign for the six-time All-Ireland winner.
Winning manager Mickey Graham said that being level at half-time re-emphasised to his team that they were in contention but the third quarter saw the favourites inch ahead with points from Craig Dias – who worked hard on the ball from centrefield although there was no clear winner in the zonal battle – and Pearson.
Tom McElligott sets off a firework on the pitch after the game. Photo: Oisin Keniry/Inpho Tom McElligott sets off a firework on the pitch after the game. Photo: Oisin Keniry/Inpho
The outcome was still up for decision but the sense was that if Kilmacud could add a few scores, there would be no way back. Burke’s cancelling out of Rian Brady’ 50th-minute free within seconds appeared to nudge the match in that direction before the late charge shifted the Leinster club championship on its axis and breathed some seasonal romance into the football year.
ST COLUMBA’S MULLINALAGHTA: 1. Patrick Rogers; 2. Simon Cadam, 3. Patrick Fox, 4. Conan Brady; 6. Shane Mulligan, 7. Dónal McElligott (0-1), 5. Francis Mulligan; 9. John Keegan, 15. Aidan McElligott (0-1); 10. Gary Rogers (1-0), 11. James McGivney, 12. Brendan Fox; 13. Jayson Matthews, 14. Rian Brady (0-4, one free), 8. David McGivney (0-2, one free).
Subs: 18. Michael Cunningham for F Mulligan (48 mins).
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KILMACUD CROKES: 1. David Nestor; 2. Liam Flatman, 7. Ross McGowan, 3. Andrew McGowan; 5. Cian O’Connor, 6. Cillian O’Shea, 4. Cian O’Sullivan; 8. Craig Dias (0-1), 9. Conor Casey; 12. Shane Horan, 11. Paul Mannion (0-2, frees), 10. Shane Cunningham; 13. Pat Burke (1-1), 25. Stephen Williams, 15. Callum Pearson (0-2).
Subs: 17. Aidan Jones for Flatman (black card, 18 mins), Kevin Dyas for Williams (48), Mark Vaughan for Pearson (56), Nathan Nolan for Ross McGowan (66).
Referee: David Gough (Meath).
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