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Twos into Semis of IJC
15/03/2010
Cork Church of Ireland II 3 Cookstown II 3
(7-8 on sudden death penalty flicks)
SIX GREAT goals, two Cookstown comebacks, umpire intrigue, last ditch tackles, four yellow cards, sublime skills, golden goal extra time, rattling woodwork and sudden death penalty flicks – this Irish Junior Cup quarter-final between champions Cork Church of Ireland and Cookstown had it all.
Without several players who saw them through their match with Glenanne in the previous round, many would not have given the Reds’ young second string a chance in their match-up with the mighty Munster men in their own backyard, especially since the Cork First XI had no game. But match them they did and more.
The Cork colossus, who beat the Reds in the semi final last year, started the better of the two teams, controlling possession, but against one of the stingiest defences in Junior Hockey, marshalled by Matty Rollins, they had no way through and it was only through a bizarre umpiring decision that they took the lead: a free was awarded to Cookstown on the edge of their circle and Cheevers pushed the ball to Marty Sloan to take the free. Nick Burns charged in and dispossessed the disbelieving Ireland and Ulster legend and smashed home. Cookstown immediately looked to the umpire with expectant grins upon their faces only to see him lift his arms towards the centre spot to signal a goal.
If anything this decision spurred the Reds on and in attack there are not enough superlatives or expletives to match the skill set on show by Mark Crooks and Stuart Smyth. Both went close with efforts but found the Cork keeper on good form. Beside them Stevie Allen garnered a couple of shorts for Ian Cheevers which again were dealt with by the shotstopper.
Back came Church of Ireland and they were rewarded for some great flowing hockey with a goal to make it 2-0 with a deflected effort.
Though Cookstown were seemingly on the ropes, their indomitable spirit was far from done and through sheer grunt and heart they forged their way back into the game. Richard Nelson and Robin Johnston made the hard yards for Crooks, the whizziest winger in all the land, to earn a short in the last minutes of the half. Cheevers made no mistake with the strike, pummelling the ball through the pads of the Cork keeper.
On the other side of the half, both sides knew that the first goal was key and of course the maestro Smyth took the responsibility and weaved his way through the defence onto his reverse and smashed home to make it 2-2.
From then on there was only one team. Cork now felt the tense and desperate claw at their chests as they looked defeat and loss of their crown full in the face. They began bickering, at their teammates and the umpires, and finally there off the ball preventive measures were picked up by the officials. Two men were yellow carded for not retreating from frees.
Whilst Cookstown piled on the pressure, they could not find the finish to take the match by the scruff of the neck; Butler went closest when he rattled the bar from a tight angle.
In fact it was Cork who took the lead whilst down to ten. Again Burns sent an unstoppable short flick home.
It could have been worse just seconds later when a long hopeful flick was knocked over the line by a Cork forward but James ‘Angry’ Acheson between the sticks was already committed and thumped into the forward. From the resultant penalty flick Cork Captain Doran was psyched out by Angry who saw it wide.
The seesaw match had one final sting for Cork as they lost another man to his second yellow and Cookstown took full advantage when Butler earned a short and Cheevers rifled home to send the match into golden goal extra time.
Both sides looked tentative for the first time in the game but with the cheers rising from the side it was Cookstown who looked the more dangerous, not least when Cork saw yellow for the fourth time when Burns blocked off Butler with only the keeper between him and goal. A sniper got Paul Thompson from the stands but the hobbling hero had done the business during the game to earn a rest.
Cork hit the post in the dying seconds but the game went to penalty flicks. Butler won the toss and chose to go first, converting the first flick himself. Successes by Crooks, Smyth, Nelson and Cheevers were mirrored by the Cork boys and sudden death flicks saw Cookstown score first through Butler, Crooks and Smyth and heap the pressure on. The suffocating pressure turned out to be too much and Cork blinked first sending the ball wide of the target and Cookstown into a semi-final berth against Dublin YMCA at Coolnafranky.
Stevie Allen summed up the feeling on the way home: “Ra, ra, rats are hairy,” he said.
Cookstown: James Acheson, Martin Sloan, Paul Thompson, Matt Rollins, Ian Cheevers, Stuart Smyth, Robin Johnston, Gavin Butler ©, Dicky Nelson, Mark Crooks, Stevie Allen, Raymond Millar and Ryan Millar
Millar, Shearer and Black Man of the Match: One of the great Cookstown victories on the road leaves it nigh on impossible to single out any player but a cunning cab fare bribe (and two goals) from Ian Cheevers earns him the vote of the captain.
Many thanks from the Second Eleven to Ken Crooks and Martin Sloan for bus driving, to Ken and Richard McGaw for managerial magic and to the Ulster Junior Ladies team and the UHU President for cheering the team on to glory.
