Tracton produce stunning comeback to sink Cloughduv

Tracton 2-23 Cloughduv 3-16

JJ Hurley

Michael O'Sullivan and  Cathal Lowney after Tracton's victory over Cloughduv in Belgooly today

Tracton produced a stunning display of character and composure to come from behind and defeat Cloughduv in a pulsating Co-Op Superstores Premier Junior Hurling Championship encounter at Belgooly on Saturday.

The Carrigdhoun side looked to be facing a difficult task with 11 minutes remaining, when a Jack Kelleher shot rebounded to Eoin McNabola, who cracked the sliotar to the net. Two further points left Cloughduv ahead by 3-16 to 1-18 on 52 minutes.

But anyone who knows Tracton will know that the game was far from over.

Rather than allowing the deficit to derail them, Tracton responded with the sort of determination that ultimately secured a remarkable victory. Aaron Lyons got them moving before the outstanding Cian Quinn struck twice, reducing the margin to 3-16 to 1-21 as the clock continued to tick.

Then came the moment that changed everything.

On 60 minutes, Cathal Lowney produced a brilliant finish to put Tracton in front. Having spent much of the game chasing Cloughduv, Tracton had turned the contest around when it mattered most.

A shell-shocked Cloughduv side had no answer as Tracton completed an extraordinary comeback.

The opening stages had already shown that Tracton would have to work hard for the result. Cloughduv started quickly, with Brian Verling opening their account before providing the ammunition for Mark Verling for the next score, leaving them 0-2 to 0-0 ahead after three minutes.

Tracton responded with two Cian Quinn frees to level the game on seven minutes.

Their pressure then told again four minutes later when John Good struck superbly to put Tracton in front, with their defence standing firm.

Cloughduv restored parity on 13 minutes when Stephen O'Donoghue sent over a huge free from inside his own half.

Two further Cloughduv points put them 0-5 to 0-3 ahead on 16 minutes, but once again Tracton refused to let the game drift away from them.

Aaron Lyons and Michael O'Sullivan hit back within two minutes to tie up the contest.

Cloughduv then edged ahead again, with Mark Verling (2) and O'Donoghue putting them three in front with nine minutes remaining in the half.

Quinn responded with his third free, although Verling's free restored Cloughduv's three-point advantage.

Tracton, however, produced another important response.

Cathal Lowney found the net to bring the sides level, and Quinn followed with another free to put Tracton ahead on 27 minutes.

Cloughduv regained the lead shortly afterwards when Verling scored an outstanding individual goal, but Tracton remained firmly in the contest. Quinn and Verling exchanged points to leave the score at 1-10 to 1-8 at half-time.

Tracton therefore went into the interval only two points behind despite having been made to work for every score, and their ability to respond whenever Cloughduv threatened to pull clear would prove crucial in the second half.

Cloughduv increased their advantage after the restart, with Sean O'Leary's goal on 39 minutes putting them 2-13 to 1-11 ahead.

Once again, Tracton showed their character.

They immediately launched a powerful rally, outscoring Cloughduv by six points to one, with Quinn claiming three frees. The pressure was building and Tracton were refusing to allow Cloughduv to dictate the closing stages.

Cloughduv appeared to have regained control when they added 1-2, leaving Tracton facing another significant challenge.

But Tracton simply would not surrender.

With the game entering its decisive phase, the Carrigdhoun side produced a stunning late surge. Lowney's second goal put Tracton in front, and two further Tracton points completed a remarkable turnaround.

It was a victory built on persistence. Tracton had been behind early, had surrendered leads, had fallen behind again after half-time and were still facing a sizeable deficit with just 11 minutes remaining.

Yet every time Cloughduv threatened to put the game beyond them, Tracton found another response.

And when the opportunity finally arrived, they took it.

Scorers: Tracton: Cian Quinn 0-15 (13f), Cathal Lowney 2-0, John Good, Michael O'Sullivan, Mark Castleton and Aaron Lyons 0-2 each. Cloughduv: Mark Verling 1-9 (6f), Sean O'Leary 1-1, Eoin McNabola 1-0, Brian Verling 0-2, Stephen O'Donoghue 0-3 (3f), Aodh Twomey 0-1.

Referee: Cormac Dineen.

Tracton: S O'Sullivan; K Webb, J Lynch; D Good; K Healy, J Good, R Sinclair; C McGuiness, D O'Riordan; M O'Sullivan, C Quinn, A Lyons; M Castleton, C Lowney, M Byrne.

Subs: D Flaherty for M Byrne (42), G Webb for D O'Riordan (48), J Kingston for M Castleton (54 inr).

Cloughduv: S O'Donoghue; J Moynihan, L Kelleher, P Buckley; H Murphy, E Clifford, A Murphy; M O'Leary, S O'Leary; M Verling, S Barry, J Kelleher; E Moynihan, E McNabola, B Verling.

Subs: A Twomey for S Barry (HT), O O'Driscoll for J Kelleher (50).