All-Ireland Club Football Championship Semi-final/ Dr Crokes 1-09 Moorefield 0-12: Dr Crokes' curiously lethargic progress through the AIB Alll-Ireland club football championship just about stayed on track in Limerick yesterday.
From the moment Colm Cooper finessed an eighth-minute goal, the Killarney club had looked to be in control but Moorefield's perseverance pulled the match out of the fire in the closing minutes.
Patrick Murray's equalising point on the hour climaxed a four-minute comeback from the Kildare champions that rubbed out the deficit that Crokes looked likely to maintain.
Four further minutes of injury-time failed to produce a winner and the sides will have to replay, probably next weekend, but details aren't expected to be confirmed until tomorrow.
The draw was no more than Moorefield deserved for their tenacity in keeping the match within reach but their opponents will bitterly regret chances that could have killed off the match in the second half.
Wing forward Brian Looney fired a goal chance wide in the 42nd minute and after panic stations in the Moorefield goalmouth 10 minutes later caused by the same player's shot coming off the post, captain James Fleming came very close to fisting a point.
It's impossible to be sure that these scores could have made the match safe for Crokes but the Leinster champions' grip would have been weakened.
At the start Moorefield made all the running and exerted plenty of pressure on an unsettled Crokes defence. Two good points from play backed up that superiority and in defence they were sharp and committed - Kevin O'Neill's tackle on Kieran O'Leary in the seventh minute proof of that.
O'Neill, Kildare's likely full back this summer, played very well, was switched on to Cooper at an early stage and continued to do well. "Kevin's been outstanding all year," said his manager, Séamus Dowling. "He did well on Gooch".
This promising opening was completely undone by Kerry football's familiar safe cracker, Colm Cooper. A dangerous ball in from Ambrose O'Donovan at centrefield lost Pauric O'Flynn and Cooper was in past his marker to slide in a goal.
Their early work for nothing, Moorefield went through a prolonged anxious spell, taking longer to thread together attacks and the earlier decisiveness evaporating. But they still hung on and worked hard, winning ball although frequently losing possession to poor distribution.
Not for the last time in the match Crokes looked as if they had the hard work done and far from pulling away, seemed content to keep the match on a two- or three-point string.
Crokes' manager Pat O'Shea made some switches at half-time, principally bringing Eoin Brosnan back to centre back where he had an effective second half, noticeably reducing the sort of inroads their opponents and particularly Ronan Sweeney had been making in the first half hour.
Two Cooper frees stretched the lead to four in the first five minutes on resumption and restored that margin by setting up James Fleming for a point.
Looney's goal opportunity might have been safely dispatched for a point and a lead of five and afterwards the match began to turn. David Whyte, a replacement for Ross Glavin whose replay prospects are threatened by the injury he picked up yesterday, and Daryl Flynn - who might have had more than a point from a barnstorming 44th-minute run - got a better grip on centrefield.
But Looney's point with five minutes to go left three points between the teams. It didn't look like Moorefield could survive but similarly Crokes weren't able to stretch the lead beyond a score.
Centre back Ger Naughton, Jason Philips - leaping to punch over a dropping ball - and Murray strung together the points that tied it up.
"We left our shooting boots at home at times but I can't fault them for heart and commitment - they had that in abundance," said Dowling. "Our midfield didn't win important ball at times until the last 15 minutes. They're young and can still improve."
Pat O'Shea probably wishes he hadn't had another fixture added to his busy schedules with club and county but things could have been worse.
"We're probably fortunate enough in the end to come out with a draw. At times we looked in the driving seat but although we had one or two chances it just didn't happen for us today."
Asked about his timetable for the week ahead O'Shea said that he would be continuing as usual. "We'll train two nights with Kerry and two nights with the club and in between try and get home for something to eat and to see the kids."
DR CROKES: K Cremin; K McMahon, L Quinn, S Doolan; B Moriarty, M Moloney, E Kavanagh; A O'Donovan, B McMahon (0-1); B Looney (0-1), A Kennelly, J Fleming capt (0-2 one free); C Cooper (1-4, three points frees), E Brosnan, K O'Leary (0-1). Subs: D Moloney for Moriarty (half-time); V Cooper for Kenneally (45 mins); J Cahillane for Looney (62 mins).
MOOREFIELD: T Corely; I Lonergan, K O'Neill, P O'Flynn; K Duane capt, G Naughton (0-1), J Lonergan; R Glavin (0-1), D Flynn (0-1); P Murray (0-5, three frees), R Sweeney, M Tracey; F Hanniffy (0-1), J Philips (0-2), P Wolfe (0-1). Subs:D Whyte for Glavin (41 mins); P Behan for Hanniffy (45 mins); L O'Callaghan for J Lonergan (54 mins); R Delaney for Wolfe (58 mins).
Referee: B Tyrell(Tipperary).
