Spa suffered an agonising one-point defeat to Dingle in Round 3 of the Kerry Petroleum Senior Football Club Championship Group 1, with a late two-pointer proving the decisive score in a thrilling contest.
It was a difficult result for Spa to take after a spirited and committed display in which they played some excellent football and showed tremendous character to battle back from five points down in the second half and briefly take the lead.
The home side started brightly and played some excellent, free-flowing football in the opening stages. Well-taken points from Joey McCarthy, Dara Moynihan and Evan Cronin gave Spa an early advantage, but Dingle gradually worked their way into the contest and began to get on top around the middle of the field. Their efficient shooting helped them edge in front as the half developed.
Spa responded in superb fashion, however, and regained the lead midway through the first half through a brilliant Dara Moynihan goal. A misplaced Dingle pass was quickly turned into attack, with Moynihan combining with David Spillane before unleashing a powerful finish into the top corner.
The sides continued to trade scores, with Spa producing some excellent attacking football. Evan Cronin and Joey McCarthy were again among the scorers, but frustratingly for Spa, Dingle repeatedly found a response and managed to cancel out much of the good work.
A crucial moment came late in the first half when Dingle capitalised on a miscued kick-out. The ball eventually fell to Tom O’Sullivan, who beat Shay O’Meara to possession before finishing into an empty net.
Spa responded immediately and in style, with Dan O’Donoghue landing an excellent two-pointer to bring the sides close once again. However, Dingle had the final say of the half, replying with a two-pointer of their own to leave Spa trailing by three points at the interval, 1-12 to 1-9.
Dingle extended their advantage after the restart and moved five points clear, but Spa refused to let the game get away from them. Evan Cronin, Cian Murphy and Dara Moynihan all contributed important scores as the home side began to steadily chip away at the deficit.
Another outstanding two-pointer from Dan O’Donoghue brought Spa to within a point, and the momentum appeared to be swinging back towards the home side. Dingle had a chance to strike a major blow at the other end, but Shay O’Meara produced an excellent save to keep Spa firmly in the contest.
The drama continued as Dingle pushed three points clear once more, only for Spa to produce another brilliant response. Dara Moynihan played a fine ball through to David Spillane, who in turn found Shane Cronin, and Cronin finished clinically past the Dingle goalkeeper to level the game.
Spa then moved ahead for the first time in the second half when Joey McCarthy held his nerve to convert a free, completing a remarkable comeback.
Unfortunately, Dingle responded quickly to level matters before Dylan Geaney delivered what proved to be the decisive moment of the match. With just two minutes remaining, Geaney landed a superb two-pointer to put the visitors back in front.
Knowing that only a victory would be enough, Spa threw everything forward in search of one final opportunity. Dan O’Donoghue delivered an excellent high ball into a crowded goalmouth, with bodies from both sides competing for possession. The ball eventually made its way over for a Spa point, but it was not enough, with the hooter sounding shortly afterwards.
It was a tough one for Spa to take, particularly after the character and quality shown throughout the contest. Having battled back from five points down to take the lead, they came agonisingly close to getting the result they needed.
The final score was Spa 2-17, Dingle 1-21.
The result means Spa will now face a relegation play-off against the losers of Templenoe and An Ghaeltacht, with fixture details to be confirmed once known.
View the photos of the match on our Facebook page HERE.
It was a difficult result for Spa to take after a spirited and committed display in which they played some excellent football and showed tremendous character to battle back from five points down in the second half and briefly take the lead.
The home side started brightly and played some excellent, free-flowing football in the opening stages. Well-taken points from Joey McCarthy, Dara Moynihan and Evan Cronin gave Spa an early advantage, but Dingle gradually worked their way into the contest and began to get on top around the middle of the field. Their efficient shooting helped them edge in front as the half developed.
Spa responded in superb fashion, however, and regained the lead midway through the first half through a brilliant Dara Moynihan goal. A misplaced Dingle pass was quickly turned into attack, with Moynihan combining with David Spillane before unleashing a powerful finish into the top corner.
The sides continued to trade scores, with Spa producing some excellent attacking football. Evan Cronin and Joey McCarthy were again among the scorers, but frustratingly for Spa, Dingle repeatedly found a response and managed to cancel out much of the good work.
A crucial moment came late in the first half when Dingle capitalised on a miscued kick-out. The ball eventually fell to Tom O’Sullivan, who beat Shay O’Meara to possession before finishing into an empty net.
Spa responded immediately and in style, with Dan O’Donoghue landing an excellent two-pointer to bring the sides close once again. However, Dingle had the final say of the half, replying with a two-pointer of their own to leave Spa trailing by three points at the interval, 1-12 to 1-9.
Dingle extended their advantage after the restart and moved five points clear, but Spa refused to let the game get away from them. Evan Cronin, Cian Murphy and Dara Moynihan all contributed important scores as the home side began to steadily chip away at the deficit.
Another outstanding two-pointer from Dan O’Donoghue brought Spa to within a point, and the momentum appeared to be swinging back towards the home side. Dingle had a chance to strike a major blow at the other end, but Shay O’Meara produced an excellent save to keep Spa firmly in the contest.
The drama continued as Dingle pushed three points clear once more, only for Spa to produce another brilliant response. Dara Moynihan played a fine ball through to David Spillane, who in turn found Shane Cronin, and Cronin finished clinically past the Dingle goalkeeper to level the game.
Spa then moved ahead for the first time in the second half when Joey McCarthy held his nerve to convert a free, completing a remarkable comeback.
Unfortunately, Dingle responded quickly to level matters before Dylan Geaney delivered what proved to be the decisive moment of the match. With just two minutes remaining, Geaney landed a superb two-pointer to put the visitors back in front.
Knowing that only a victory would be enough, Spa threw everything forward in search of one final opportunity. Dan O’Donoghue delivered an excellent high ball into a crowded goalmouth, with bodies from both sides competing for possession. The ball eventually made its way over for a Spa point, but it was not enough, with the hooter sounding shortly afterwards.
It was a tough one for Spa to take, particularly after the character and quality shown throughout the contest. Having battled back from five points down to take the lead, they came agonisingly close to getting the result they needed.
The final score was Spa 2-17, Dingle 1-21.
The result means Spa will now face a relegation play-off against the losers of Templenoe and An Ghaeltacht, with fixture details to be confirmed once known.
View the photos of the match on our Facebook page HERE.
