“To bring it level… to provide a lifeline for Clann Eireann… “
There’s nothing quite like the provincial club championship, is there?
In Ulster in particular we saw three games go all the way to extra time, but the manner in which the Armagh champions, Clann Eireann managed to get there, was simply spectacular.
Tiernan Kelly steps up from what seems to be an impossible angle, to take the last minute free kick that would equalise the game against Creggan, and take it to extra time.
Despite not being on the frees earlier in the match, the shot – which in truth favoured no one due to its unlikely scoring position – definitely was better suited to a left-footed kicker, rather than a right one.
So the game is in the balance, and the weight of the match weighs on young Kelly’s shoulders, before he kicks an almighty score, that gets lost momentarily in the winter sun, before sailing gracefully over the bar.
You would not believe it with your own eyes, but thankfully Thomas Niblock was on commentary to confirm that your sight was not telling tales.
🏐 @UlsterGAA Club Championship quarter-final:
@KickhamsCreggan 0-12 @eireann1910 1-09 (FT)
😲Still all square at Corrigan ……
This one is going to EXTRA-TIME
Report & highlights to follow on BBC Sport Online pic.twitter.com/F0GpwzqRrE
— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) December 5, 2021
“This is a long way out,” said Niblock.
“To bring it level… to provide a lifeline for Clann Eireann… and the ball goes over the bar!
“What a score from Tiernan Kelly!
“It’s almost unhuman-like, a brilliant kick off the left boot, and the sides incredibly, are level.”
Clann Eireann went on to win the game in extra time, and will now play Fermanagh’s Derrygonnelly in the Ulster semi-final.
