A comfortable championship win against St. Finbarrs in Round 1, helped White’s Cross Junior B football team progress to a meeting with Lough Rovers in the quarter final. This draw always looked ominous, given the big defeat they had inflicted on our lads in early season league action. In dreadful weather, this quarter final clash was always going to be a dour affair and so it was! In fact it took a replay to separate the two sides, the drawn game finishing 0-8 apiece. In both clashes, Brian Conway marshalled matters in the goal-mouth very well, while Richie Sherlock, Padraig Murnane, William Casey, Martin Kelleher and Derek O Connor all defended stoically. Pat Casey put in huge performances at midfield, while along side him Denis O Regan worked tirelessly particularly in the replay. Sean Murnane, who missed the drawn game, played a might sixty minutes in the replay, while inside him Colin Lawless and Brian Healy, played blinders in the opening thirty minutes of both games. However it was noticeable in the second half of both games, and what most likely led to our down-fall was, the inside line was starved of quality ball.
The drawn game hung on tender-hooks and it took an inspirational run and fine kick from Pat Casey in the last minute, to give our lads a second chance. In the replay an early goal settled the Lough nicely, but our own lads stuck to the game-plan. This culminated in full-forward Paul Noonan winning more good possession from a long-ball; he in turn laid off a pass to the on-running Casey and he goaled smartly. In the second-half we again started poorly and the Lough tagged on early points. While our lads cannot be faulted for effort, they must feel they could so easily have turned this 1-8 to 1-6 defeat into victory. The Lough march on to a semi-final pairing with Ballyphehane, while our lads are left to lick their championship wounds once more!