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Creamer heroics usher Stamford into senior final

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Mike Fitzpatrick

It’s not often that one player can play in two outstanding games on the same day. But then, there aren’t that many players who go by the nick name "chief." Veteran goalkeeper Frank Molloy, in the Westmeath line-up, foiled many chances for the exciting Stamford attack and only for his performance and that of teammates John Markey and Tom Quinn, the score would certainly have been higher.

Sunday’s senior football semifinal at Gaelic Park started with both sides playing an attacking brand of football, with Stamford miscalculating four efforts, all sailing wide of the posts. Mike Martin of Stamford opened the scoring with a fine early point to grab the lead, only to have Westmeath’s Dave Fitzgerald equalize. Stamford’s on-form Kieran Gallagher then got onto a scoring streak, knocking in a point and then punching a goalbound effort over the oncoming chief only for Westmeath’s Frank Kavanagh to catch the ball on the line for Westmeath.

Gallagher sought revenge, immediately coming into a one-on-one clash with Westmeath’s powerful keeper, wrong footing him and slipping the ball into the net, a goal for Stamford. Tom Quinn of Westmeath, finding himself in a strange attacking position, shot a goal home for his side, as if to tell the crowd that they had a game on their hands.

The Stamford management got right behind their team, urging the supporters to shout more, and this surge of fanatical devotion surely paid off, with Gallagher and Aidan Creamer firing points past the previously stingy Westmeath defense. Just as Stamford had got into groove, however, Ciaran McManus and Jody Devine hit points for Westmeath and McManus almost spoiled the early Stamford jubilation by hitting in a goal which was almost blocked by the Stamford defense. Fitzgerald followed this with a point of his own, but Creamer’s double put Westmeath ahead, the result bounced around from side to side with Stamford grabbing the one point lead only for Devine to equalize. Then Fitzgerald did the same for Westmeath, only for substitute John Cregan to equalize for Stamford.

The game remained at a ferocious level of attacking football with both sides attempting desperately to grab a winning score. The winner could really have come from either side, but it took some good play from Stamford’s super sub, Cregan, to weave his way into the opponents half and pass to the prolific Creamer, who made no mistake and hit the celebratory winning point for Stamford.

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It’s Stamford’s final next week.

Stamford: Dave Roughan, Brendan Brady, Jim Lyons, Tom McDonagh, Declan Curtin, Richie Power, Mark Comerford, Ted Steede, Ronan Mooney, Keith Hennessy, Aidan Creamer (0-4), Justin O’Halloran, Terry McCann, Mike Martin (0-3), Kieran Gallagher (1-2). Sub: John Creegan (0-1), Sean McDermott.

Westmeath: Frank Molloy, John Markey, Frank Kavanagh, Davey Newman, Tom Quinn (1-0), Collie Matters, Tommy Moriarty, Ciaran McManus (1-1), Tommy Goodwin, Damian Healy, Ciaran O’Sullivan, Mark Twomey, Dave Fitzgerald (0-3), Mike Healy, Jody Devine (0-2).

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