Louth GAA club | O’Connell's overcome Mitchels to advance to JFC semi-final

The O’Connells booked their place in the DKIT Sport Louth Junior Football Championship semi-final on a stormy Saturday evening in Tallanstown.

In a dramatic encounter that ebbed and flowed, the Castlebellingham men emerged five-point winners over a fancied John Mitchels side.

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The evening did not begin smoothly as a thunderstorm rolled across Páirc Uí Taibh before throw-in, delaying proceedings by 15 minutes.

The skies eventually relented, leaving the pitch heavy but playable, and for much of the game, the rain mercifully held off.

It was the Mitchels who made the sharper start. Gareth Kane opened the scoring in the third minute after a couple of early wides, and joint captain John Gallagher doubled the Ballyballie outfit's lead with a free on nine minutes. At that stage, the pre-match favourites were looking composed and confident.

But O’Connells soon found their rhythm. In the tenth minute, Robert Quigley announced himself with a well-struck two-point free to level matters, and moments later, Niall Conlon curled over from a left-footed free to nudge his side ahead for the first time.

However, hat lead was short-lived as Gallagher responded with a two-point free of his own to swing the pendulum back in the Mitchels favour. The first half became a story of frees, with the conditions underfoot making shooting from play difficult.

Evan Kearney delivered a huge lift for O’Connell’s on 16 minutes when he struck a sweetly hit two-point free to restore their advantage. Conlon scored another placed ball from close range as O’Connell’s began to look the more clinical side.

Gallagher replied with a fine score from play on 25 minutes, but O’Connell’s finished the half strongly through Conlon and Jackie Agnew to carry a three-point lead into the interval.

O'Connell's manager, Stuart Reynolds, would have been the happier at the break. His troops had shown composure and accuracy in front of the posts compared to their opponents.

Half time: John Mitchels 0-5 O'Connells 0-8

The second half began with O’Connell’s continuing to turn the screw. Robert Quigley converted three frees in quick succession by the 43rd minute, extending the margin to six points.

When Kearney added another two-pointer on 48 minutes, the scoreboard read 0-13 to 0-5, and the Mitchels appeared to be wilting. Yet championship football has a way of producing twists, and Mitchells, to their credit, refused to fold.

Gallagher finally ended their 19-minute scoring drought with a free, before Tristan Knowles and another Gallagher placed ball narrowed the gap.

Then came the moment that electrified the tie when Gallagher hit the net on 55 minutes to bring the Mitchels roaring back within two points.

When Andrew Bingham struck a dramatic two-point effort in the 60th minute, the sides were level at 0-13 to 1-10, and the Mitchels looked to have completed the comeback of comebacks.

O’Connell’s, though, showed fight and almost immediately from the restart when substitute Andrew Sharkey put the ball beyond Michael Quinn and into the net to restore a three-point cushion in the first minute of injury time. It was a hammer blow to the Mitchels momentum.

Agnew followed with another point, before Quigley rounded off proceedings with a free to seal a five-point victory that looked in doubt just moments earlier.

The drama and shifts in momentum ensured the crowd went home with their money's worth as the O’Connell’s now march into the semi-finals buoyed by the victory.

Full time: John Mitchels 1-10 O'Connells 1-15

O’Connell's: Jonathan Brennan; Adam Flynn, Jack McGeough, James Walsh; Emmet Byrne, Stuart Osborne (c), Sam Shearman; Justin Cooney, Seán Cairns; Jackie Agnew (0-2), Robert Quigley (0-6, 6f,), Harry Kierans; Bernard Osborne, Niall Conlon (0-3, 2f), Evan Kearney (0-4, 2tpf).

Subs: Andrew Sharkey (1-0) on for Sam Shearman (36'), Cailum Woods on for Harry Kierans (46'), Liam Kiernan on for Bernard Osborne (64').

John Mitchels: Michael Quinn; Shane Crossan, Barry Kirk, Mikey Nulty; John Bingham, James Clarke, Trevor Matthews (JC); Ruairí McCann, John Gallagher (JC) (1-6, 4f, 1tp); James Sands, Andrew Bingham (0-2, 1tp), Gareth Kane (0-1); Tristan Knowles (0-1), Jamie Durnin, Adam Keenan.

Subs: Jake Gillispie on for James Sands (38'), Conor Reilly on for Mikey Nulty (47'), Aaron Keely on for Adam Keenan (63').

Referee: Stephen Murphy (Naomh Máirtín).