Nobber advance to ifc final

Less than 12 months after finding themselves on the brink of the drop to junior football Nobber are now just 60 minutes away from a return to the senior ranks following this thrilling 0-16 to 1-11 IFC semi-final victory after extra-time over Trim at Simonstown on Tuesday of last week.

Nobber looked the livlier side in the opening minutes as they hassled and harried Trim into errors and took the lead when Jamie Owens converted a free after no advantage accrued from a foul on Niall Farrell.
It took Trim six minutes to settle with the lively Neil Heffernan opening their account before Owen McGrath gathered a loose ball after Alan Douglas was dispossesed and finished brilliantly to make it 1-1 to 0-1.
Two minutes after losing Gavin Farrelly to a black card Nobber closed the gap with a Sean Meade score, but a superb run from Eoin Kelly restored Trim’s three-point cushion. James Toher ensured a 1-3 to 0-2 first quarter lead, but then Nobber settled again with Alan Farrell and Niall Farrell on target while Owens hit the upright.
Daire Lynch’s point put Trim three ahead again, but Gerard Campbell and Toher (free) traded scores to leave Trim 1-5 to 0-5 ahead at the break with Nobber’s seven wides a concern for Dudley Farrell.
Their wide count continued to rise after the resumption with five more wayward efforts in the first 10 minutes of the second-half, but Nobber lorded that spell as Alan Farrell (‘45’) and Brian Farrell (free) pointed either side of McGrath’s black card for Trim.
Two more frees from Niall Farrell and Brian Farrell edged Nobber into a 0-9 to 1-5 lead and they could have went further clear, but James Andrews made a superb save low down to his right to deny Colin Clarke,
That save sparked some life into Trim. Substitute Sean Fitzgerald levelled matters again with 13 minutes of the hour left, but then Douglas was black carded harshly and that blunted the Trim attack.
James Cullen did push Trim into a 1-7 to 0-9 lead and when a Toher free put two between the teams Trim looked safe. However, up stepped Brian Farrell with two magnificent scores to ensure extra-time.
Nobber added the first two scores of extra-time through Alan Farrell (‘45’) and Brian Farrell (free), but again Trim hit back with Toher and Fitzgerald restoring parity again, Sean Meade ensured Nobber led by 0-14 to 1-10 at the break in extra-time. Owens stretched that lead 50 seconds after the resumption, but then Cathal Bermingham was black carded a minute after coming on as an interval re[lacement and Trim had to use their last sub.
Robbie Kenny did give Davy Dalton’s side hope with a fine score, but Niall Farrell’s free put two between them again and in the frantic closing stages Robert Bourke missed a free, Fitzgerald was black carded and Toher drove a close range free wide as Nobber held on to advance to the final against Ratoath.

Nobber - Christopher O’Reilly; Conor Halpin, Brian Meade, Barry Cassidy; Brendan Heffernan, Richard Shields, Gerard Campbell (0-1); Alan Farrell (0-3 two ‘45s’), Gavin Farrelly; Colin Clarke, Brian Farrell (0-5 three frees), Niall Farrell (0-3 two frees); Karl Casserly, Jamie Owens (0-2 one free), Sean Meade (0-2). Subs - Paul Meade for Casserly 23 mins, Andrew O’Brien for Shields 51m, Stephen O’Brien for Heffernan 58m; extra-time - Dale Larkin for P Meade, Gordon Weldon for Campbell; Black card - G Farrelly (replaced by Fiachra McEntee 10m).

Trim - James Andrews; Colm Flaherty, Robert Brennan, Rory McGrath; Shane Downes, Eoin Kelly (0-1), Ciaran O’Rourke; Frankie Murphy, Rob Bourke; Daire Lynch (0-1), Alan Douglas, Owen McGrath (1-0); James Toher (0-4 two frees), Neil Heffernan (0-1), Shane O’Connor. Subs - Ciaran Joyce for O’Connor 39 mins, James Cullen (0-1) for Murphy 42m; extra-time - Robbie Kenny (0-1) for Lynch, Cathal Bermingham for Downes, Black cards - O McGrath (replaced by Sean Fitzgerald (0-2) 38m), A Douglas (Eoin O’Connor 49m), C Bermingham (Luke Moran extra-time), S Fitzgerald (not replaced in extra-time).

Referee - Cormac Reilly (St Mary’s).