Louth GAA club | Glyde and Plunketts play out dramatic draw in JFC final

Glyde Rangers produced a strong second-half comeback to earn a dramatic replay against Oliver Plunketts in the DKIT Sport Louth Junior Football Championship decider in Castlebellingham on Sunday afternoon.

Captain Ciarán Sheridan showed nerves of steel to slot over a two-point free with the final kick of the game to level matters and ensure both sides will do it all again.

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A big crowd turned out for the occasion, with a slight breeze favouring the Plunketts in the first period. From the off, the Mell men looked sharper.

Within the first minute, Glyde midfielder Adam Sweeney forced a save from Luke Haggins, and moments later, Kristian Nolan was denied by David Brennan at the other end.

The early exchanges were tight, but Plunketts soon found their rhythm as Stephen Keely opened the scoring on four minutes, followed by a close-range free from Cian Brady and another Keely point.

Then came the double blow. First, Haggins launched a long free that Nolan expertly flicked to the net. Barely sixty seconds later, Keely struck low and hard to finish a slick team move, putting the Mell side 2-3 to 0-0 up after 11 minutes.

Glyde needed a response, and Olan Crosbie provided it with their first point on 12 minutes.

Sheridan then curled over a lovely free from the corner, followed by Niall Sharkey narrowing the gap further as Glyde slowly settled.

But Plunketts remained clinical as Adam Smith pointed, and Haggins converted a 45' to send them in at half-time leading by seven points.

The Drogheda side were unquestionably the better team in the opening period, and manager Emmett Kelleher would have been delighted with their first-half performance.

Half time: Glyde Rangers 0-4 Oliver Plunketts 2-5

Whatever was said in the Glyde dressing room at the break worked; they came out transformed in the second half. Brian Duffy fired over within seconds of the restart. .

Killian Scott then nailed a superb two-pointer from distance, before Crosbie set up Cormac Lundon for a cracking goal into the bottom left corner, and suddenly, it was 1-7 to 2-5 and the Tallanstown men were right back in it.

Nolan steadied Plunketts with a free, but Sharkey and Duffy combined for a stylish score to leave just one in it. Then came a captain’s moment.

Sheridan, inspirational all afternoon, thumped over a two-pointer from range to put Glyde in front for the first time, 1-10 to 2-6 on 42 minutes. Kellet added a free to edge them two clear.

Plunketts refused to fold as Brady slotted a free, Reynolds and Keely struck points, and by the 50th minute, they had nosed ahead again.

They might have sealed it on 55 minutes when Brady was denied by a brilliant Brennan save. A couple of wides at either end kept things tense.

As the game entered its closing stages, Nolan’s 60th-minute free gave Plunketts a two-point cushion. Glyde missed chances, and time appeared to be slipping away.

Then, deep into injury time, came the decisive moment. Plunketts broke the 3 v 3 rule, gifting Glyde a free. Sheridan, calm under immense pressure, stepped up and struck a sweet two-pointer to level.

The whistle went moments later to call time on the drama of the highest order, and both sides face each other in a replay on Saturday, 18th October at the same venue.

Glyde Rangers: David Brennan; Darren McKeever, Liam Gallagher, Gerard Bourton; Shane Byrne, Jack McKeever, Seán Devaney; Adam Sweeney, Ciarán Sherdian (c) (0-4 (2f, 1tp); Killian Scott (0-2, 1tp), Niall Sharkey (0-1), Olan Crosbie (0-2); Brian Duffy (0-2), Tadhg Kellet (0-1, 1f), Cormac Lundon (1-0).

Subs: Alan Devlin for Liam Gallagher (15’), Conor McCullagh for Shane Byrne (56’), Cien Sheridan for Mark McKeever (58’), Aaron Myles for Seán Devaney (60’).

Oliver Plunketts: Luke Haggins (0-1, 1 45'); Ricky Bateson, David McTeggart, Barry Reynolds (0-1); Adam Lambe, Jamie Byrne, Cillian Smith; Robert Brodigan, Shaun Smith; Adam Smith (0-1), Kristian Nolan (1-2, 2f), Ben Boyce; Cian Brady (0-2, f), Dean Carolan (c), Stephen Keely (1-3).

Subs: Conor Haggins for Bateson (40’), Jack Taaffe for Boyce (47’), Niall Murtagh for A. Smith (60’), Cian Matthews for Nolan (62’).

Referee: David J. McArdle (St. Brides).