Tones earn red card as Skryne exit

SKRYNE exited the Keegan Cup at Pairc Tailteann last Wednesday evening, but they contributed handsomely to an entertaining game as Wolfe Tones survived the second-half dismissal of Barry McGinn. Failing to reach the knock-out stages in the defence of their title last year was a big disappointment for Tones, but the prospects of missing championship football in autumn clearly re-energised them. Given the amount of players they were forced to field without at various stages of the competition it"s hardly surprising that the Tara men failed to progress. For a spell in the opening half Wolfe Tones looked capable of winning with plenty to spare, but an amazing finish to the period,which yielded 2-1 in 90 seconds, revived Skryne"s fortunes dramatically and set the scene for an absorbing second-half. Tones had already booked their place in the quarter-finals ahead of this match, but there was still a tremendous urgency about their play for most of the first-half as they moved the ball with great fluency and possessed hugely influential figures in John Tiernan and Cian Ward. Stephen Corrigan and Eoghan Harrington were the more productive midfield pairing and with a stranglehold on the middle third of the field for long spells the Tones appeared to have the platform for a comfortable win. Skryne scored only three points in the first 28 minutes through Ciaran Lenehan, Patrick O"Rourke (free) and Trevor Giles and when Tones coasted into a 0-8 to 0-3 lead it appeared to be only a matter of how much they would win by. Ward contributed four points during that productive spell while Tiernan"s work-rate produced three well-taken scores. Harringtom completed the tally. Skryne were struggling to adapt to the pace of the game, but with Giles a growing influence they revived their fortunes in dramatic fashion as the first-half drew to a close as Tones pressed the self-destruct button in defence. Kevin Mulvany took full advantage after Mark Battersby broke a 12-minute spell without a score for Skryne from a free. Within 30 seconds, Mulvaney cut through the middle and finished to the net. Tones scarcely had time to recover when Mulvaney made the most of indecision in the half-back line and charged forward before beating David Nolan again for a 2-4 to 0-8 interval lead. Tony Kearney"s players looked shell-shocked, but they were back in front within three minutes of the restart when a Ward sideline came back off the upright, Tiernan gained possession before shooting emphatically to the net. The rest of the third-quarter was a troubled spell for Tones. McGinn received a straight red from referee Seamus McCormack for a challenge on Battersby in the 35th minute and Ward missed frees that he would normally convert. At the other end, Battersby (two) and a brilliant David McGoldrick point enabled Skryne to edge back in front at 2-7 to 1-8 within 10 minutes of the restart. However, Tones coped well subsequently despite their numerical disadvantage. They defended in numbers and limited Skryne to a brace of points from Giles for the remainder. Tones substitute David O"Neill scored their first point of the second period at the three-quarter stage and that was quickly followed by a Darren McGrath goal when he raced in from the right and blasted past Barry Farrell for a 2-9 to 2-7 advantage. Tones survived a late scare when Mulvaney went for his hat-trick, but his weak shot was saved by Nolan five minutes from the end. It was all to play for in the closing minutes, but Ward made up for earlier misses with the final two points to secure victory. SCORERS Wolfe Tones - J Tiernan 1-4; C Ward 0-6, four feees; D McGrath 1-0; E Harrington 0-1; D O"Neill 0-1. Skryne - K Mulvaney 2-0; M Battersby 0-3, one free; T Giles 0-3; C Lenehan 0-1; P O"Rourke 0-1, free; D McGoldrick 0-1. THE TEAMS Wolfe Tones - D Nolan; R Brady, C McLoughlin, A McKeown; B McGinn, N McLoughlin, S Sheppard; S Corrigan, E Harrington; A Fox, D McGrath, G Beggy; P Byrne, J Tiernan, C Ward. Sub - D O"Neill for McKeown half-time. Skryne - B Farrell; A Curry, M Harrington, M Jordan; J Looby, J Quinn, D Beaton; D McGoldrick, A Tuite; T Giles, K Mulvaney, C Lenehan; M Battersby, P O"Rourke, M O"Dowd. Subs - B Smyth for O"Rourke 44 mins, D Rogan for Beaton 56m, John Jordan for Lenehan 56m, F O"Rourke for O"Dowd 58m. REFEREE Seamus McCormack (Walterstown).