Report as taken from the West Tipperary GAA Facebook page.

Cashel King Cormacs 2-7(13) Eire Og / Galtee Rovers. 1-9(12).

Cashel King Cormacs got their West Minor A Football championship up and running with a one point victory over the Eire Og / Galtee Rovers combination at Annacarty on Sunday. This game was played in good conditions, on a pitch that held up well, despite the recent adverse weather. It took a goal, two minutes into injury time, from man of the match, Cathal Quinn, to finally get the town side across the line in this highly entertaining game.

Apart from the opening minutes, this was the only time in the game that Cashel led their opponents, who enjoyed a four point lead at the break, 1-5 to 0-4. Playing into the road end, and having the benefit of a slight breeze, Conor O’Dwyer opened the scoring for Cashel, when he put over after two minutes. Eamon Quirke equalised two minutes later before O’Dwyer again briefly put the town side ahead with a point from a placed ball. The combination came more into the game, with Paidi Bradshaw getting a foothold at midfield. Ross Minogue, in the Cashel goal, saved well and denied the combo a certain goal before Callum McCarty converted two frees to see the combo go one up after fifteen minutes. Paidi Bradshaw hit a goal and a point, in a ninety second spell, around the eighteenth minute to give the combo of Eire Og/Galtee Rovers a five point advantage. A Daniel O’Dwyer point with seven minutes of the half remaining stretched the lead out to six, before Cashel staged a comeback before the break, when a Cathal Quinn free and a point from play, courtesy of Dan Moloney, cut the deficit to four.

Scores were hard to come by after the break, but Darragh O’Brien stretched this lead to five when he kicked a good point after five minutes. With Dan Moloney, Callum Lawrence and Ross Whelan coming more into the game, and Conor O’Dwyer always posing a threat, Cashel settled better and when Davy Clarke was hauled down in the tenth minute, Cathal Quinn slotted home the resulting penalty. Indeed Cashel were unlucky not to be awarded a second penalty, but Conor O’Dwyer was adjudged to have over carried on this occasion. Cathal Quinn added two more points from placed balls to bring the sides level by the nineteenth minute. Eire Og / Galtee recovered and points from Callum McCarty, Conal Grogan and Daniel O’Dwyer had them three to the good with five minutes remaining. Cashel, however, were not yet finished and a Ross Whelan point, from a tight angle brought them within two points with two minutes of normal time remaining. They kept the pressure up and were rewarded with a Cathal Quinn goal two minutes into injury time to salvage victory from the jaws of defeat at the finish.

Cashel King Cormacs: Ross Minogue, Fabian Ryan, Padraig Brosnan, Eoghan Murphy, Oisin Dwan, Dan Moloney (0-1), Donal Ryan, Callum Lawrence, Ben Farrelly, Ross Whelan (0-1), Cathal Quinn (2-3,1-3f), Ronan Connolly, Joseph Davis, Conor O’Dwyer (0-2,1f), Davy Clarke Subs used; David Burke, Cian McGrath, David McGrath.

Eire Og / Galtee Rovers: Robbie McGrath, Michael Furlong, David Harold Barry, Killian Byrne, Adam O’Dwyer, Robert Byron, Sean Gubbins, Darragh O’Brien (0-1), Paidi Bradshaw (1-1), Cian O’Dwyer, Daniel O’Dwyer (0-2), Eamon Quirke (0-1), Eoin Pyke, Callum McCarty (0-3f), Conal Grogan (0-1). Subs used: Seanie Ryan, Tadhg Gubbins, Bill Quirke, Colin Heffernan.

Referee: Richie O’Connor (Arravale Rovers)