Hardiman’s cracker is enough to see Athenry boys home

Athenry 1-12

Ardrahan 0-12

RONAN Hardiman’s stunning goal 13 minutes from time was the difference as Athenry edged a titanic tussle with Ardrahan in an absorbing U-21 A county semi-final in Kenny Park on Saturday.

This was a cracking contest between two excellent sides and quite rightly, it was a moment of magic which won it for Niall Sunderland’s team, in a game they did deserve to win on the balance of play.

The goal came with Athenry leading Ardrahan by the minimum – 0-10 to 0-9 – after absorbing huge Ardrahan pressure since the throw-in for the second half. They had been outscored 0-5 to 0-2 since the break and had hit four wides on top of that.

Ardrahan were enjoying their best spell of the match, wiping out a four-point half-time deficit to twice draw level before a Donal Parr ’65 edged Athenry back in front.

Momentum though was still with Ardrahan; that was until Eoin Caulfield won clean possession in the centre-forward channel, turned and played a beautifully weighted pass into the path of the onrushing Hardiman who gathered possession at pace, carried in as far as the 21 and fired an unstoppable shot into the top left corner of the net.

It was a score worthy of winning any county semi-final and it duly did, as it afforded Athenry the breathing space to absorb whatever Ardrahan threw at them late on and secure them a meeting with Clarinbridge in a game which will take place on the weekend of December 7/8.

It will be a final to savour too. Athenry were the more impressive of the two sides on Saturday but Clarinbridge will no doubt improve for the county final – they simply have to, for this is the toughest test they will have faced to date against a side which has similar experience to them be it at senior club level or inter-county underage.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app

The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.