Austin Stacks 0-13
Milltown/Castlemaine 0-9
(Report from the Austin Stacks club notes)
AUSTIN STACKS ensured a safe passage into the Senior Club Championship semi-finals by defeating Milltown/Castlemaine on Saturday evening in the ‘Nuns Field’ in Connolly Park.
The last encounter against Miltown/Castlemaine was very fresh in Rockie minds. Last November the mid Kerry side dumped Stacks into Championship relegation play-off that put their senior status in jeopardy.
The previous result was not repeated but Milltown still pushed Stacks all the the way. Milltown now play Kerins O’Rahilly’s and if they produce the same skill and commitment in the relegation round it could be a troublesome day for The Blues.
Shane O’Callaghan opened the scoring just over a minute into and was the man in the 67th minute who put over the final score of the game to ensure a four points victory for The Rock.
Even though playing into a very strong and cold wind, Stacks still dominated the first half and went in at half time with a two points lead (0-6 to 0-4).
In addition to O’Callaghan’s opener, scores also came from team captain, Kieran Donaghy, Wayne Guthrie (2 – one from a 45), Shane Carroll and the last score of the half from Daniel Bohan, after just coming on the pitch two minutes earlier.
Stacks maintained their marginal dominance in the second half – outscoring the visitors again by a similar margin (0-7 to 0-5).
Six minutes after the resumption edged further ahead with points from Shane O’Callaghan, followed by a David Mannix free, after a foul on Kieran Donaghy. But three successive points by Milltown cut the lead to the bare minimum.
However, in the next ten minutes (47th to 57th) The Rock responded with three of their own – Calla and Mannix again on target.
Defender, Conor Jordan, got in on the act with a lovely long-ranged point.
A minute later Jordan was in at full back to cut out a very dangerous move by Milltown when a goal at that stage would really have put the cat among the pigeons.
And such was the display by Stacks defenders that Darragh O’Brien had only to make one serious save – a brilliant one at that- to prevent a certain goal.
In added time (seven minutes of which was played) both sides scored two each – our two coming from Barry Shanahan and a Shane O’Callaghan free.
The Rock have Dingle in the semi final and this game has been fixed for Annascaul on Saturday evening week (30th April) at 6.30pm.
The other semi final (Dr. Crokes v Legion) goes ahead at the same time in Kilcummin.
More photos below…
Austin Stacks: Darragh O’Brien, Fearghal MacNamara, Conor Jordan (0-1), Colin Griffin, Pa McCarthy, Denis McElligott, Jack O’Shea, Wayne Guthrie (0-2 – one 45), Kieran Donaghy (Capt) (0-1), Greg Horan, Michael O’Donnell, Shane Carroll (0-1), David Mannix (0-2 frees), Shane O’Callaghan (0-4 – one free), David O’Sullivan.
Subs used: Daniel Bohan (27m) (0-1), Alan Nestor (42m), Fiachna Mangan (47m), Barry Shanahan (50m) (0-1), Michael Collins (58m).
