Football Houdinis do it again

Eire Og's players must have collectively sighted the two magpies perched on the entrance pillars to O'Connor Park in Tullamore yesterday, and also stuffed their kit bags full of rabbits' feet and any other lucky charms that do the rounds. Otherwise, their continued survival in the Leinster club football championship would be hard to explain.

Of course, Eire Og have been down this road so often that they are old hands in the survival stakes.

But yesterday's match was as curious as it gets, a mixture of grit and luck combining to enable them to overcome the Herculean efforts of Fr Manning Gaels, who produced a tour de force in the second half which very nearly enabled them to snatch victory - or, at least, a draw - from a match that had looked to be well and truly out of their grasp at halftime.

That first half is one which the Longford team will prefer to forget. Their football was laboured and naive, reflected most clearly in the manner in which Eire Og gratefully accepted the gift-wrapped goal in the eighth minute. Gaels goalkeeper Eamon Crowe hesitated in clearing the ball, was blocked by a mass of Eire Og jerseys when he eventually got around to the task and, finally, Leo Turley must have thought all his birthdays had come at once when the ball dropped to his feet and left him with the simple task of tapping to the net.

There was also the little matter of two points awarded to Eire Og in that period which looked suspiciously wide. They were flagged, however, much to the pleasure of their respective kickers, Turley and Garvan Ware, and the hurt was accentuated later in the game when an effort from Pauric Davis, which seemed legitimate, was waved wide.

Eire Og were the better team in that first half, but struggled to make an impact on the scoreboard until the final few minutes when a sequence of four points left them with a 1-5 to 0-2 interval lead.

Fr Manning Gaels were a much-changed team on the resumption. The nervousness and hesitancy that was part and parcel of their first-half performance disappeared and, inspired by David Hanniffy, who produced a magnificent display around midfield, they clawed their way back into the game. Hanniffy's jumps resembled those of a gazelle as, time and time again, he outfielded taller opponents, and he used the possession wisely in launching attacks.

Remarkably, Eire Og could manage only two points in the second half: one from Jody Morrissey, and one from a free from substitute Anthony Keating. However, Fr Manning Gaels threatened to run riot with Hanniffy's work out the field augmented by the mastery of Davis closer to goal.

Indeed, the Longford side will wonder how on earth they didn't win, such was their second-half dominance. On two occasions, John Fitzpatrick, who'd been dispatched to full forward from his starting position at midfield, came close to punching goals. The first time, in the 43rd minute, the ball flashed narrowly wide and, three minutes later, a similar effort crashed off the upright.

It wasn't to be Fr Manning Gaels' day. Despite outscoring their opponents by 0-7 to 0-2 in the second half, it was not enough to overhaul Eire Og, who were on their last legs when referee Brian White's final whistle rescued them.

Eire Og: J Kearns; B Hayden, A Corcoran, J Dooley; J Murphy, P Doyle, A Callinan; G Ware (0-1), J Morrissey (0-2); JJ Eyre, P Kingston, H Brennan; B Carbery, L Turley (1-2), W Quinlan (0-1). Subs: A Keating (0-1, free) for Eyre (41 mins); K Haughney for Brennan (48 mins); J Hayden for Callinan (55 mins).

Fr Manning Gaels: E Crowe; M Kane, G Brady, Peter McWade; S Gallagher, F McNamee, Martin Mulleady; J Fitzpatrick, D Hanniffy; J Tully (0-1), C Hanniffy (0-1), Michael Mulleady (0-1); J Breslin, P Davis ((0-6, two frees), P Brady. Subs: Pat McWade for Kane (14 mins); D Gallagher for Tully (49 mins).

Referee - B White (Wexford).