Farragher saves day for Cashel

Castlegar 1-16

Turloughmore 2-13

Dara Bradley

It ended in stalemate at the stadium on Sunday, when an injury time goal from centre-back Kevin Keane earned Castlegar an unlikely draw, robbing Turloughmore of the full points in round one of the group stages of the Cooper senior hurling championship. 

Castlegar had a chance to snatch victory when substitute Ger Farragher, who singlehandedly dragged the city side back into a match that was passing them by when introduced in the second-half, put Mairtín Cullinane in space but the midfielder’s effort, one of the last pucks of the game, sailed wide.

Padraic Connolly’s charges could feel hard done by, too, that midfielder Kevin Brady’s ‘point’ early after the break – which would have proved the difference in the end – was disallowed and a free out for a square ball was awarded.

But the reality is that Cashel were damn lucky to have come out of Salthill with anything; and Turloughmore will view this as one that got away – a point lost rather than one gained.

Turloughmore looked the hungrier outfit and were on course for a deserved victory until Farragher, who was rested due to a hamstring injury, came on as a sub and changed the course of the match.

The county player was brought on 10 minutes into the second-half with Cashel trailing by 1-10 to 0-8, and within 10 minutes he already become his side’s top scorer with five points in quick succession – he finished the day with seven points in all, two from play, and was involved in the build-up to Keane’s late three-pointer. It makes you wonder had he been fit enough to start, would the result have been different?

It looked like curtains for Cashel when Ronan Badger fielded a ball from the excellent centre-forward Gary Burke, rounded his marker Stephen Connell and drilled it past ‘keeper Terry Grogan midway through the second half for a score that looked like settling this tame encounter.

Farragher pinged over frees from all angles though and erased that goal fairly quickly but Turloughmore still had the edge and when Badger drew two frees, Gary Burke slotted them over and the underdogs held a comfortable four points lead, 2-12 to 0-14, with just five minutes to go.

Cashel continued to apply pressure and Turloughmore began to lose their shape at the back and conceded two frees that were converted by Farragher. Now it was anyone’s game. It was there for the taking for whoever wanted it more.

Lively midfielder Daithí Burke looked to have sealed a fine win for Turloughmore when he was put through by Gary Burke – the insurance point extending their lead to three but there was to be more drama and late heartache for Turloughmore when Keane, one of the few Cashel players to perform on the day, crept in for that dramatic goal.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.