Mulvihill grabs brace as Garrycastle book place in Leinster semi finals

Two rapid-fire goals from Paddy Mulvihill early in the second half were the key to last year’s provincial runners-up Garrycastle qualifying for another Leinster club senior football semi-final, following a hard-earned three-point win over Mattock Rangers at Cusack Park on Sunday afternoon last.Mulvihill has featured on and off on the Westmeath senior team in recent years and watching manager Pat Flanagan will surely have been impressed with the corner-forward’s clinical finishing - he added two points from play over the hour - as the Clara man attempts to restore the Lake County to the heady days of the ‘noughties’.Overall, the winners did just about enough to merit a semi-final meeting with Kilmacud Crokes, the Dubliners having dethroned Portlaoise in one of the other quarter-finals last Sunday. Anthony Cunningham’s troops were well on top in the early stages and were deservedly ahead by 0-5 to 0-1 at the end of the first quarter. However, the game then turned on its head when the Louth champions struck for two very well-taken goals within a minute, from the boots of Adrian Reid and Niall Sharkey. These goals propelled Mattock Rangers to a two-point interval lead (2-4 to 0-8). A point within 30 seconds of the resumption of play from Darren Brennan increased the visitors’ advantage.Remarkably, the Westmeath representatives proceeded to replicate their opponents’ first-half achievement with a brace of quickfire goals in the 32nd and 33rd minutes, the aforementioned Paddy Mulvihill finishing both in style. Indeed, the same player was unlucky not to complete his hat-trick when his powerful shot struck the crossbar in the 36th minute. Garrycastle were three points to the good just past the midpoint of the second half when David Reid shot two terrific points for the Louth men. In the closing stages, Garrycastle manager Anthony Cunningham pulled all his players back into defence. The winners were fortunate when David Reid’s fisted effort came back off the crossbar and Darren Brennan was penalised for overcarrying when he collected the rebound. However, the Lake County men hung on and wrapped up victory deep into added-time when Shane Mulvihill kicked a great point from 40 metres.Despite all the doom and gloom from the weather forecasters, Cusack Park looked resplendent last Sunday and conditions for the 1,450 spectators were far from unpleasant. Daire Englishby won the first head-to-head with Garrycastle’s marquee player Des Dolan and the Wee County representatives soon went ahead, David Reid converting a 25-metre free after Darren Brennan was fouled. The Westmeath champions then took control and they rattled over five unanswered points between the fifth and the 16th minutes. Three of these came from placed balls - two beautifully-judged ‘45’s by Des Dolan (the second going over via the crossbar) and an equally-good left-footed free from Paul Dillon after David Brennan fouled the ball. The points from play came from corner back James Dolan, who was cleverly picked out by his cousin Des, and Paddy Mulvihill, with a classy finish after taking Aidan Browne’s pass.Justin McAteer was dispossessed in a dangerous position near the Mattock goal as Garrycastle continued to dominate, before the game took a remarkable twist. In the 17th minute, Adrian Reid embarked on a lengthy solo run and duly dispatched the ball to the Garrycastle net with aplomb. Within a minute, Cathal Mullin was picking the ball out of his net again after Niall Sharkey’s clinical finish, the corner-forward having been picked out in space by Christy Grimes. An ambitious shot from David Reid was well off target and, at the other end, Paul Dillon settled the winners’ nerves with a converted free, following a foul on James Duignan.The respective number 11s - Mark Brennan (a great score from a tight angle) and Des Dolan (a 40-metre free) - traded points, but a point apiece from Christy Grimes (a lovely finish at the end of a patient move) and David Reid (a 30-metre free) put Mattock Rangers three points to the good coming to the end of normal time. Paddy Mulvihill then swooped for his second point and Paul Dillon was wide from a very difficult free from near the stand sideline with the last kick of the first moiety, leaving the scoreboard at the interval reading: Mattock Rangers 2-4 Garrycastle 0-8.A neat point from Darren Brennan restored Mattock’s three-point lead within half-a-minute of the restart. However, in a remarkable mirror image of the first half, Garrycastle struck for a brace of gaols within a minute to turn the game on its head again. Firstly, Paddy Mulvihill collected the ball from a long delivery from a free by Aidan Browne and the corner-forward finished coolly past Mike Englishby. The umpire had hardly put down his green flag before he was waving it again, Aidan Browne and Des Dolan combining to set up Mulvihill who calmly sidefooted the ball low under Englishby to put the team in green and red three points ahead.Christy Grimes slotted over a free for Mattock before Paddy Mulvihill came close to notching his third goal, but his powerful shot came back off the crossbar and Shane Mulvihill pounced for his first point of the afternoon from the rebound. Points from Mark Brennan (a terrific individual effort) and Darren Brennan brought the men in red and black to within a point of their hosts. However, Garrycastle responded with two points of their own - a Des Dolan free from 25 metres and a fine score from overlapping corner back Alan Fox - sandwiched between which Des Dolan’s hastily-taken ‘45’ came to nothing.Just past the midpoint of the second half, Mark Brennan was sent off after picking up a second yellow card, but the Louth men showed admirable determination to again reduce the deficit to the bare minimum, courtesy of two excellent points from David Reid.With five minutes of normal time remaining, Aidan Browne tapped over a point for the winners and they clearly decided on a policy of mass defending to retain their advantage with all 29 players briefly operating in one half of the pitch.David Reid’s fisted effort came back off the woodwork and the rebound fell to Darren Brennan who was caught in possession in a crowded goalmouth and a free out awarded. Two minutes of added-time were signalled and, in a tense climax, David Reid’s shot rebounded back off the Garrycastle upright before Shane Mulvihill wrapped up victory for the Flanagan Cup holders with a terrific point from 40 metres.Garrycastle are now just one step away from replicating last year’s achievement of reaching the provincial decider. However, Kilmacud Crokes will be a significant step-up from last Sunday’s opponents and, given Seanie O’Donoghue’s ongoing injury concerns, the sight of team captain Doran Harte leaving the pitch last Sunday holding his shoulder in clear distress will be a concern to Anthony Cunningham and his mentors as they prepare for Sunday week’s penultimate round clash with the 2009 All-Ireland champions.GARRYCASTLE: Cathal Mullin; James Dolan (0-1), John Gaffey, Alan Fox (0-1); Mark McCallon, Karl Henson, Doran Harte (capt); Justin McAteer, Aidan Browne (0-1); Shane Mulvihill (0-2), Des Dolan (0-4, 0-2 ‘45’s, 0-2f), Rory McGowan; James Duignan, Paul Dillon (0-2, 2f), Paddy Mulvihill (2-2). Subs: David O’Shaughnessy (for Duignan, h-t), Alan Daly (for Dillon, 39 mins), Enda Mulvihill (for McAteer, 53), Padraig Rattigan (for Fox, 60 + 1).MATTOCK RANGERS: Mike Englishby; Pauric Bannon, David Brennan, Martin Sherlock; Sean Gilsenan, Daire Englishby, Michael McKeown; Ryan Leneghan, Christy Grimes (0-2, 1f); Adrian Reid (1-0), Mark Brennan (0-2), David Reid (capt) (0-4, 2f); Darren Brennan (0-2), Robbie Brennan, Niall Sharkey (1-0). Sub: Keith Brennan (for Leneghan, 49 mins).REFEREE: Syl Doyle (Wexford).