ACL Div.1: Mullingar Shamrocks 0-10 Tyrrellspass 0-9

Mullingar Shamrocks recorded their third successive league victory in Springfield on Tuesday night with a last-minute point scored by Tye Adamson securing the points and Shamrocks place in the ACL Div.1 for another season. This was New Age football as defence-in-depth, mass tackling careful approach-play and recycled possession dominated. The result justifies the means and gradually Mullingar Shamrocks are becoming harder to beat. And not before time.

Tyrrellspass held a 0-6 to 0-4 interval lead with Aaron O’Brien, Kieran Geraghty, Denis Glennon and Nigel Harte scoring some good points for the visitors. Kilian Daly had Shamrocks first score and ten minutes later Paddy Joyce added a point after a surging run by Kieran Gavin created the scoring opportunity. Donal O’Donoghue added a third point after Killian, Tye and Paddy Joyce combined; Shamrocks fourth point came from the boot of Brendan O’Reilly with Kieran Gavin again the creator-in-chief. Kieran Geraghty was first on the score sheet after the interval to extend the Tyrrellspass lead (0-7 to 0-4) before Tye Adamson and Paddy Joyce with a spectacular long-range effort recued the gap to the minimum. Dónal O’Donoghue screwed one over with the left boot to level matters and Alan Cashman, who celebrated his birthday with a fine all-round display, marked the important milestone with the lead point for Shamrocks. Tyrrellspass were still competitive and patient and added two points to regain the lead (0-9 to 0-8). Paddy Joyce (having his best season in several years) equalised with his third point from wing-back before Tye Adamson launched a skyscraper of a shot from an impossible angle after what proved to be Tyrrellspass’ last attack. It was the kind of an attempt that would lead to a severe scolding from any manager had the attempt failed but on this occasion the ball dropped from the high heavens and over the Tyrrellspass crossbar for the victory and the league points.

Mullingar Shamrocks: Philly Shaw; Eddie Moore (Marc Eivers), Efe Siode, David Coyne; Aaron Purcell, Kieran Gavin, Paddy Joyce (0-3); Killian Daly (0-1) and Alan Cashman (0-1); Micheál Curley (Nathan Smyth), Dónal O’ Donoghue (0-2), Dillon Matthews; Brendan O’Reilly (0-1), Ciarán Curley, Tye Adamson (0-2).