“Cardiac kids take it to the wire”
A full bodied derby encounter played in excellent dry conditions at a breezy Mullaghmeen saw Omagh victorious by 10 points to 5 with the “Cardiac Kids” pulling out all the stops in a final 20 minutes which seemed like an eternity on the sidelines.
This was due to the fact that Omagh had only 11 men on the field at times and with that showed real character, dedication, conditioning and desire to hold out a 15 man Enniskillen team that will be gutted at not claiming the points with such a numerical advantage.
“Delighted, but it is like A+E in there”, was how Accies coach, phil marshall summed up the result. On one hand he will be delighted to maintain the challenge for league honours, on the other worried with the loss of two of his influential front row trio, Stephen Giboney (shoulder) and Stephen Rutledge (ankle).
“We went in to the match with 5 out, it looks like more now but we will see how they respond to treatment during the week”, he added, with Rutledge likely to return soon, though Giboneys’ injury looked more serious at the time.
Enniskillen kicked off playing with the wind up the hill under the floodlights, with the first 15 minutes being played at frantic pace, with both sides failing to settle and loads of mistakes though the commitment from both sides to both tough defence and an open running game was clear.
Omagh began to gain momentum using their ball carriers off pop passes from scrum half, Jamie Lagan, while the home defence tackled keenly and although Richard Smyth made several good bursts from No.8 at the back of the scrum they could not be capitalised on.
The Accies came under pressure after 10 minutes with a scrum against them 5 metres out but they warmed the sizeable away support by pushing their opponents off the ball and clearing the lines.
The match was nip and tuck in the opening exchanges with neither side able to assert themselves, though Omagh looked dangerous with ball in hand, getting quick ball and Alistair Beckett jinking at out half, and with the pack moving the point of contact and offloading in the tackle.
Omagh took the lead on 25 minutes after a neat blindside break and chip by Lagan was chased and won by winger Andy McFarland. He set up the ball, it was moved extravagantly with a double miss pass by Beckett before the home side were deemed offside and David Ward slotted over the penalty.
The forwards revelled in a yard of extra space with captain, Mervyn Edgar, Adam Pollock, Mark Smyth and Rutledge all featuring with ball in hand and making good yardage although none of the moves could be finished off.
A neat move involving Ward and McFarland in tandem saw the old man of the side Jonny Giboney burst through the gap and create a chance though the ball was turned over and the opportunity went missing, with both sides being blown for too many penalties at the breakdown
Enniskillen had the better of the last few minutes of the half, asking questions of the visitors defence and recycling the ball quickly. The Mullagmeen side should have went in even at the break but missed a relatively straightforward penalty as the half ended.
In all a frantic, keenly contested derby match with nothing out of the ordinary given the colourful history of these encounters but things were due to change
Half time 3-0.
The Co. Tyrone men started quickly in the second period putting on sufficient pressure for the home centre to hold a player back. He was duly dispatched to the sideline for 10 minutes. Omagh kiecked to touch, caught the lineout through Steffan Hamilton and drove forward but could not touch down and the ball was held up. From the resulting scrum, Omagh pushed the Skins back, won the penalty and Edgar tapped quickly and went, but was held up over the line.
The resulting scrum saw the Accies get the drive on and Smyth was in control at the base when the ball bobbled up forcing him to pick and go. He was held up, the ball recycled and a burst by Stephen Giboney seemed to be inches short before the Fermanagh men cleared down the pitch.
The kick was fielded by Ward who turned, straightened and released Beckett who in turn fed Stuart McCain and his pass allowed centre, Lee Warnock to use his pace to dive in at the corner for the first try of the game. Ward added an excellent touchdown from the sideline and all seemed rosy.
That was until Giboney had to leave the field following the last attack with a shoulder injury, with the versatile Adam Pollock slotting in at hooker.
Straight from the kick off Enniskillen fought back and pressurized Omagh close to their line only to see a monster clearance kick by Lagan get a good bounce to gain a full 70 metres for the visitors. The Skins won the resulting lineout and were awarded a penalty with Smyth harshly adjudged to have gone off his feet and also shown the yellow card.
With fire in the belly and the scent of a score in their nostrils, Enniskillen doubled their efforts, spinning ball out wide and stretching the 13 man strong Accies defence.
Worse was to come for Omagh when Rutledge was forced off with an ankle injury and then before Smyth was allowed to return, Mark Smyth was sent to the sideline meaning Omagh had lost all their front row, surely a first of sorts and a rarity at this level.
Eventually the home side seized their opportunity and scored out wide with the conversion narrowly missed. 10-5.
Poor decision making from the home backs saw an ill-judged attempted grubber kick and then a poorly executed chip through which lost momentum and gave Omagh some breathing space.
With the sizeable visiting support in full voice, Omagh, now boosted by the return of Smyth, simply refused to give in and each player got up play through the pain barrier, fanning out wide and repelling the home attacks at every opportunity.
One massive tackle by Beckett drove a would be attacked back a good five metres out and sparked Omagh into finding every last bit of effort to repel the onslaught in the last few minutes. McCain stood out also for his defensive performance.
Ryan O’ Neill made a good catch and clear from the chip through as the kitchen sink was thrown at Omagh. The referee had puzzled the crowd on both sides with his interpretations, and could have awarded the home side a penalty try after two successive penalties inside the Accies 5 metres line but played on despite the chagrin from the home crowd and blew up for a famous Omagh victory in the most tensest of finishes.
Should the season finish today, the Accies fifteen can feel proud of their efforts and this could be a massive and meaningful result fir the Accies as they entered the last four league matches of the season.
This result could take on even more importance given that Bangor defeated Ballyclare on Saturday; though the students at UUC maintained their challenge with a bonus point win at home against Lisburn.
Omagh now welcome Carrick to Thomas Mellon Playing Fields on Saturday. Kick off 2.30pm.
Team: David Ward, Andy McFarland, Lee Warnock, Stuart McCain, Ryan O’ Neill, Alistair Beckett, Jamie Lagan, Stephen Rutledge, Stephen Giboney, Mark Smyth, Steffan Hamilton, Jonny Giboney, Mervyn Edgar (C), Adam Pollock, Richard Smyth
New kids on the block
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U13 new players – Joseph McCrystall , Ronan Smithson , Ryan McNamee , James Broderick , and Matthew O’Neill
These boys all came from coaching completed at several local schools by Senior Club coach Phil Marshall and U13 and Mini rugby coach Glenn McDowell. The coaching is proving to be a great success in finding new players.
All the boys have been training with the squad for the last few weeks and all hope to make their competitive debut in the away fixture to Monaghan RFC next saturday. Please note that the Team leaves from bus depot at 9.00 am sharp.
Boys are from left to right — Joseph McCrystall , Ronan Smithson , Ryan McNamee , James Broderick , and Matteh O’Neill
All the boys are very welcome to the Accies playing ranks and the club hope they enjoy their rugby in the future.
Any other boys aged 12-14 are welcome to join in and have a go at the game of rugby union.
Contact coach Glenn McDowell for furter details on 07753566365
