A general view of Cusack Park, Ennis. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
AIB Munster Club SFC Quarter-Final
Éire Óg 2-8 Adare 0-9
By Eoin Brennan at Cusack Park
Third quarter goals from defensive anchors Ikem Ugwueru and Ciaran Russell came to Éire Óg’s rescue as the Clare champions gathered momentum at the perfect time to seal a Munster Senior Club Football Championship Semi-Final spot back in Cusack Park, Ennis in a fortnight’s time.
Playing second fiddle to newly crowned Limerick champions Adare for the first half, the Ennis side were uncharacteristically lacklustre and were duly punished by the experienced Bourke brothers Hugh (3) and Robbie to trail by 0-4 to 0-2 by the break.
Half-time proved a welcome tonic for the hosts who were far more combative on the resumption but it still took an Ugwueru piece of magic to finally spark Éire Óg into life in the 36th minute.
Picking up possession 40 metres from goal, the centre-back produced a mazy run through Adare’s last line before finding the far right corner of the net as he edged his side into the lead for the very first time at 1-3 to 0-5.
Adare stubbornly refused to yield as Robbie Bourke regained parity in the next passage of play as did his brother Hugh twice more to reel in Darren O’Neill long range points at 1-5 to 0-8 by the three-quarters mark.
However, having seen another goal sighting saved in the 40th minute, Ugwueru would torment Adare’s defence once more, this time cutting in from the let corner and picking out Ciaran Russell to flick to the net at the back post at 2-5 to 0-8.
Buoyed by that score, Gavin Cooney, Gavin Murray and Mark McInerney would make the game safe with points from play in contrast to a rather warweary Adare who would only score a single point in the final twenty minutes.
Éire Óg’s reward is a home semi-final against Tipperary champions Loughmore-Castlleiney, a repeat of the 2021 quarter-final that would have to go to extra-time to finally separate the sides.
Scorers: for Éire Óg: Mark McInerney 0-3 (1f, 1m), Ikem Ugwueru, Ciaran Russell 1-0 each, Darren O’Neill, Gavin Cooney 0-2 each; Gavin Murray 0-1
Scorers for Adare: Hugh Bourke 0-6 (4fs, 1m), Robbie Bourke 0-2, David Connolly 0-1
Éire Óg: Shane Daniels; Manus Doherty, Aaron Fitzgerald, Dean Ryan; Ciaran Russell, Ikem Ugwueru, Jarlath Collins; Darren O’Neill, David McNamara; Gavin Murray, Darren O’Brien, Oran Cahill; Mark McInerney, Gavin Cooney, Philip Talty
Subs: Peadar O’Keeffe for Daniels (38, inj), Luke Pyne for McNamara (44), Niall McMahon for O’Brien (54), Jack Joyce for Cooney (55-57, BS), Joyce for Talty (60), Eoin Guilfoyle for Cooney (63).
Adare: Jeffrey Alfred; Oran Collins, David Connolly, Eoghan Costelloe; Darragh Lane, Shane Doherty, Ronan Connolly; Joe Sweeney, Roy Gleeson; Paul Maher, Shane Costelloe, Davy Lyons; Shane O’Connor, Robbie Bourke, Hugh Bourke
Subs: Jack Fitzgerald for Lane (41), Mikey Lyons for O’Connor (49), Mike Keane for Gleeson (49), Cian Sparling for D. Lyons (52), Michael Southgate for Sweeney (55).
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork).
