Tobin tips scales in Shels' favour
A LAST-MINUTE Brian Tobin point sent Shelmaliers into the Captain Michael Baker Under-21 football Premier championship semi-finals in Adamstown recently.
The visitors broke from midfield as time ticked away and, when Stephen Corrigan fed Tobin 35 metres out, the blond-locked midfielder lashed over the winning point to silence the home crowd.
The game was tight from start to finish with never more than two points separating the sides. Conor Byrne opened the scoring in the early seconds before a P.J. Thorpe free levelled moments later.
Both full-forwards exchanged points either side of the mid-point of the half before James Gordon blazed the game's best goal chance high and wide of the right post. A Conor Hickey brace countered more scores from Byrne as he ended the half with all four of his side's points.
It wasn't enough to gain parity at the break though as Mark Dunphy popped up to the left of the posts in the last minute of the half to give the home side the lead (0-5 to 04).
Three minutes after the re-start, Dunphy registered again to give Adamstown their biggest lead of the day, yet they would fail to score in the next 25 minutes as Shelmailers took control.
It was the influence of early second-half substitutes that made the difference as Benny Barron and Craig McCabe changed the course of the tie. Both scored to level by the 43rd minute before Byrne fired his fifth point to give the visitors the lead (0-7 to 0-6).
McCabe doubled the lead with ten to go but late points from Hickey and P.J. Thorpe tied the game for the sixth time.
However, Tobin popped up as time expired to send Shelmaliers into the semis against holders St. Martin's.
- DEAN GOODISON in Adamstown
