Sport

Tipperary on the up

Tipperary 1-16 Offaly 1-8 : BRIAN COEN slotted home a 64th-minute goal to steer Tipperary to a surprisingly comfortable win …

Mon Mar 16 2009 - 00:00

Tipperary 1-16 Offaly 1-8: BRIAN COEN slotted home a 64th-minute goal to steer Tipperary to a surprisingly comfortable win over Offaly at Semple Stadium, Thurles, yesterday.

This was the Premier County’s third win on the trot and it keeps them in the hunt for promotion but for Offaly, this second defeat almost certainly ends their chances of going up.

Tipperary deserved the points. Their clinical finishing was in marked contrast to Offaly, who finished with 11 wides.

After a slow start Tipperary settled, taking their chances well to go 0-5 to 0-3 ahead after 16 minutes. Offaly hit them with a Niall McNamee goal in the 17th minute after Tipperary defender Conor Morrissey lost his footing when challenging for the ball.

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However, Tipperary never lost their composure and produced their best spell of the game, scoring five unanswered points before half-time for an interval lead of 0-11 to 1-4.

Tipperary continued to have the better of things extending their lead by a further three points 20 minutes into the second half. Niall McNamee had a great chance to ignite Offaly’s challenge in the 60th minute but he blazed over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

Tipperary took advantage of the let-off as four minutes later Brian Coen finished an excellent move with a quality goal to open an eight-point gap and put Tipperary in an unbeatable position.

TIPPERARY: P Fitzgerald; C McDonald, P Codd, C Morrissey; C Aylward, H Coghlan, B Fox (0-1); G Hannigan, B Jones; J Tierney (0-3, one free), P Austin (0-1), S Carey (0-2); B Mulvihill, B Coen (1-3), B Grogan (0-5, four frees); Subs: D O'Brien for Mulvihill, A Moloney (0-1)for Tierney, C Higgins for Coghlan, K Mulryan for Hannigan, S Kearney for Carey, A Morrissey for C Morrissey.

OFFALY: A Mulhall; K Slattery, C Evans, S Sullivan; S Lonergan, J Quinn, M Mitchell; A McNamee, C Carroll; N Darby (0-3, frees), S Ryan, N Smith; J Reynolds (0-1), C McManus (0-1), N McNamee (1-3). Subs: G Rafferty for Evans, B Darby for Slattery (yellow), T Deehan for Ryan, E Kavanagh for A McNamee.

Referee: M Higgins(Fermanagh).