SETANTA SEIZE THE DAY!

Carlow U-12 Hurling Championship (Division 2) Semi-final

Setanta 3-0; Mount Leinster Rangers 0-3

PATIENCE and perseverance they said. The advise was it would require plenty of both to get our new club on a solid footing.

In the seven years since Setanta's foundation our patience may have been severely tested at times, frustration at the perceived lack of progress but there remained a steely resolve that fuelled the willingness to persevere, to keep the faith, to keep on keeping on ...

We had little victories here and there, incremental gains unnoticed by many but enough to not so much wonder 'what are we at' but to ponder 'where are we going'.

By other club's standards an U-12 Division 2 semi-final victory would not be cause for major celebration, for Setanta Ceatharlach finishing third on the league table was a massive achievement, to crown that by beating the table toppers and reach our first ever genuine County hurling final is a day to savour, a day to remember for ever.

Yes, there is a County final to play next week and yes, we will be prepared, but at this very moment it is vital, after many, many years of heavy beatings, to pay tribute to the boys and girls who fashioned semi-final history in such fantastic fashion.

Mount Leinster Rangers No 2 team stood between us and a final place, a Mount Leinster Rangers team who had beaten us twice already this year and the Ballymurphy, Borris, Rathanna brigade were fancied to make it a hat-trick, an opinion not altered when despite early Setanta pressure it was MLR who spend the scoring with a point from a free.

However the vocal Setanta support gathered on the Fenagh Training Centre's first lower pitch were in full voice when their heroes hit the front thanks to a Conor Treacy goal, his first time pull locating the Rangers net after Ronan Sullivan had cut in menacingly from the right, David Bolger also in close proximity and causing the defence problems when the net bound shot was hit.

That this was the first goal of the game was down to a fantastic save by Setanta goalkeeper Joe Bermingham and by games end the same Joe was to have not one, not two, not three but four more fantastic saves to his name, truly a magnificent display of net minding and a terrific puck-out too.

Half-time, then, 1-0 to 0-1, word coming from the adjacent pitch that Myshall were winning the other semi-final no surprise, but the scoreline from our game was certainly the source of a few raised eyebrows!

We had done most of the first half attacking but on the restart it was our turn to defend and again Rangers opened the half's scoring, again a point from a free, but sticky, determined defending by our boys and girls ensured a moral-boosting follow-up score didn't happen.

Eventually we lifted the siege and after an attack of ours had been cut off and cleared, the clearance was gathered by Marc Muhall who from the road wing drifted a dropping ball into the danger area ....

Waiting in that danger area was David Bolger ... a catch ... a turn ... a right handed shot .... GOAL!

Now, dreams were much closer to a reality! But the Rangers are a proud club with a powerful underage record and they attacked and attacked and attacked. And our backs tacked and tackled and tackled. And goalkeeper Joe saved and saved and saved!

A couple of those saves were parries of rising shots, one an amazing dive to get down low to prevent a ground ball crossing the line.

And what about Cian Geoghegan? A ball broke close to goal, a Rangers forward wound up for the first time whip, you could almost visualise the net shaking ... but ... Cian Geoghegan put his body on the line ... literally! He has the war wound on his thigh to prove his daring deed was painful ... but successful.

Again we lifted the siege, again we attacked, David Bolger controlled a great ball on his stick, his shot half-blocked down squirted to the right, Ronan O'Sullivan gathered the break, cut in, was half-tackled, the ball broke again, then the ball ended up in the net, rolling across the line, possibly off the boot off a hard tackling Rangers defender. Whether or which, a goal, 3-0 to 0-2, ten minutes to go, reality was even better than the dream.

Rangers battled to the end, got another pointed free but Setanta, buoyed now by auxiliaries from the bench, were determined to hold on to what they had and hold on they did, the final whistle greeted by a celebratory roar that carried seven years of waiting across the scenic Fenagh venue.

Before we hail the boys and girls who created history let's salute the mentors, manager Liam Treacy, a proud son of Tipperary, and Conor Whelan, who morphed into the position when it was decided to bring the girls on to the panel and brought an extra dimension to the backroom team

Liam has instilled great drive into his charges, a cutting edge that was truly evident when the battle was at its height this morning, while the players hurling too has improved greatly, their touch and striking getting better with each outing.

So, to the players, Joe Birmingham we have already mentioned. Superb goalkeeping, he, in the words of several observers, both camps, 'played a blinder'.

David Jacob has a presence about him ideal in a two-man full-back line, a thou shalt not pass attitude dovetailed with an 'If I have it, I'll burst out and clear'. He was true to both mottos! Tristan McEntee got an early touch and first time clearance that did his confidence the world of good, he did well until making way for Niamh Byrne whose solid no nonsense play was the perfect ploy at a vital time.

Marc Mullhall for his delivery that created a goal and Cian Geoghegan for his body-block that saved a goal have already been mentioned but both did a lot more besides, warriors willing to work. Centre half back Sinead Thompson is another warrior, a cool customer too, never seems flustered and on one occasion on the far wing from the road she forced three turn-overs one after the other with her tenacious tackling.

Middle of the field you need work-horses, but work-horses who can hurl and stay hurling. Enter centre stage Liam Ryan and Dylan McGrath, both of whom worked, worked, worked, kept Setanta attacking for long periods and where required, helped out their defence, cleared ball.

Live-wire Ronan Sullivan got through a lot of valuable work in attack, involved in two of the three goals, Ross O'Hanlon on the other wing also did his bit, winning possession, using it well, before making way for Aoife Whelan who won one invaluable ball close to the far wing sideline and sent a clever delivery down the line. Centre half forward Conor Treacy was another who was true to the warrior code, battled, hassled, harried and hurled good ball too, dropped back into defence late on and played a kind of sweeper role to great effect.

David Bolger scored a fantastic goal, was involved in the other two, an ideal target man, a role he played to absolute perfection, Sinead Murphy was alive and alert did some very useful spade work in pursuit of scores before making way for Shane McCarthy who brought his poacher's instincts to the exchanges, taking up good positions, a little unlucky a lot of the play was down the other end.

We had other players on the line, ready, willing and able to enter the fray, Ben Yeates, Abbie Rath and Cillian Byrne (latter missing from photo) having played their part all year, Sean Coakley too, an absentee today, we had supporters on the line who were sorry they couldn't roll back the years and enter the fray!

We had, by any yardstick, a great day!

SETANTA: Joe Bermingham; Tristan McEntee, David Jacob; Marc Mulhall, Sinead Thompson, Cian Geoghegan; Liam Ryan, Dylan McGrath; Ronan Sullivan, Conor Treacy, Ross O'Hanlon; David Bolger, Sinead Murphy. Subs: Niamh Byrne, Shane McCarthy, Aoife Whelan, Ben Yeates, Cillian Byrne, Abbie Rath, Sean Coakley.