Na Piarsaigh hit back against Adare to book Limerick senior football quarter-final place

“WE SHOWED a load of guts to fight back, especially after they extended their lead again going into the closing stages. A great way to qualify for the play-offs after such a disastrous start to our campaign,” was how manager Micheál Lynch reacted to the dramatic 1-7 to 0-10 draw snatched by Na Piarsaigh's senior footballers in Clarina on Saturday evening to qualify for an Irish Wire Products Limerick senior football championship quarter-final.

“A very disappointing performance, we didn't get through the way we wanted,” was Adare manager Harry Gleeson's take as his charges followed up a clinically effective first half with a fit of the jitters that frittered away a five-point lead with six regulation minutes to go despite having taken the steam out of their opponents' third quarter recovery. “Na Piarsaigh got what they deserved,” Gleeson added.

In the end, the outcome hardly mattered as both sides got the result that they needed but, with the lead going from one side to the other in Group 1s other tie between Mungret-St Paul's and St Kieran's, everything was still in sliderule territory right up to John O'Halloran's final whistle.

The result, decided by the last kick of the game, leaves Adare facing Galtee Gaels in the quarter-finals and Na Piarsaigh playing Fr Casey's but, if matters had turned differently, the Maiguesiders would have been left to face the winter trying to figure out what caused their second half collapse.

Adare drew a free straight from the kickout for Shane Costelloe to convert and could have streaked ahead after winning the resulting kickout, but Shane O'Connor's flick off the end of Mike O'Mahony's handpass across the square dropped inches wide of the post.

However, Adare continued to dominate primary possession, allowing Hugh Bourke to point from play and from a free, before Na Piarsaigh started varying the kickout to move up the field and open their account off Dylan Cronin's strike.

The City side continued to push forward but struggled to get in the pass inside the score zone past the organised defence and, once the Maigusiders picked it up again, clearances were finding Bourke as the focus of their attack.

Paul Maher restored the gap to three points from a 45' metre shot on the run and this was followed by O'Mahony pointing on the turn from a crossfield pass.

Bourke added a pair of points from play before Cronin's pointed free in reply narrowed the deficit facing the Caherdavin club to 0-7 to 0-2 at half-time.

Adare restarted on the front foot but, when their first few movements forward broke down on, the composure they had shown before the break began to desert them.

Na Piarsaigh started to counter off the turnovers and, with Gordon Brown leading them forward, the game changed completely when Evan Egan collected a clearance on halfway, raced through three challenges as he bore down on goals and and then drew Jeffrey Alfred from his line to slot the ball inside the far corner.

Inspired by the unexpected change in fortunes, the Northsiders pushed forward in numbers but Adare's defence was still controlling the space even though their attempts at the counter fell apart through nervous handling in possession.

With nine regulation minutes to go, Bourke took matters in his own hands and finished off an attack that appeared about to break down and, when he was quickly followed by points from sub Adam Canny and Shane Costelloe, it looked as if Adare had burned through the dirty petrol in the tank.

However, when follow-up attacks ended in wides or a turnover, the wobbles came back again to haunt them and, when Cronin pulled a point back from way out right, Na Piarsaigh summoned their spirits for one last lash.

They could have bridged most of the gap when a breakaway attack off a turnover found Eoin Hogan in front of the goals, but his shot blazed just over the crossbar.

Then when Egan struck again going into injury time, the momentum was still with the city side and they drew a foul to Egan to punish.

Two last gasp attacks went wide, two more were snuffed out by the Adare defence and, as the added minutes stretched to seven, it looked as if they'd just stopped short when anotherAdare clearance turned over off a fumble, the quick return suckered the rash tackle. Egan was on hand to send over the equalising free as referee O'Halloran reached for his whistle for the last time.

SCORERS: ADARE: Hugh Bourke 0-5 (1 free), Shane Costelloe 0-2 (1 free), Paul Maher, Mike O'Mahony, Adam Canny 0-1 each; NA PIARSAIGH: Evan Egan 1-3 (0-2 frees), Dylan Cronin 0-3 (1 free), Eoin Hogan 0-1.

ADARE: Jeffrey Alfred; Oran Collins, Dave Connolly, Cian Sparling, Eoghan Costelloe, Davy Lyons, Darragh Lane; Paul Maher, Joe Sweeney; Michael Southgate, Hugh Bourke, Roy Gleeson; Shane Costelloe, Shane O'Connor, Michael O'Mahony. SUBS: Brandon Duffy for Davy Lyons (injured, 16 minutes), Jack Fitzgerald for Eoghan Costelloe (injured, 37 minutes), Adam Canny for Shane O'Connor (injured, 41 minutes), Robbie Bourke for Mike O'Mahony (45 minutes), Seán Connolly for Michael Southgate (47 minutes).

NA PIARSAIGH: Eoghan Sherlock; Christy O'Hagan, Shane Walsh, Jack McCarthy; Fionn Ó Tiarnaigh, Ralph Leonard, Ronan Houlihan; Conor McLoughlin, Ruairí O'Connell; Dylan Cronin, Evan Sweeney, Cathal McMullan; Gordon Brown, Evan Egan, Dean McLoughlin. SUBS: Ian Leonard for Cathal McMullan (half-time), Tommy Glynn for Dean McLoughlin (41 minutes), Eoin Hogan for Ronan Houlihan (47 minutes).

REFEREE: John O'Halloran (Bruree).