Summerhill 1-9

Tullamore 1-7 

REFEREE BARRY TIERNAN was pushed to the ground and also subjected to verbal abuse following controversial scenes in second-half stoppage time of Sunday’s Leinster club championship match between Summerhill and Tullamore.

Tullamore, who were either level or in front right up until Kevin Ryan’s fortuitous goal after 56 minutes, trailed by two points after four minutes of injury time at Glenisk O’Connor Park.

A high ball into the Summerhill goalmouth was fielded but ultimately handled on the ground inside the large parallelogram by Adam Flanagan of the Meath champions.

Tiernan initially awarded a 13-metre free, but then changed his decision to a penalty, on the advice of his umpire. He then reverted to a free kick after an intervention from his linesman, just as Tullamore full-back Paul McConway stood over the spot kick.

Over three minutes of delay was followed by John Furlong attempting to find the net from the free kick.

With 13 Summerhill players on the line, his shot was blocked, but there was still more play until the final whistle sounded with roughly 72 minutes on the clock.

Immediately on the final whistle sounded, a number of players, officials and supporters from the Tullamore club crowded around Tiernan to remonstrate with the Dublin referee.

One spectator ran onto the field and pushed Tiernan from behind, knocking him to the ground, while many more remonstrated aggressively but verbally, and this too is likely to feature in his report when he submits it to Leinster Council.

While there is a very real chance that the club as a whole may be sanctioned for events after the final whistle, Tullamore will also look back with no small amount of regret on their own failure to convert chances during this game.

They missed a host of frees and were far more potent from play, while they also could easily have added another couple of goals.

Club and county captain Declan Hogan scored a superb goal just before half-time to push them 1-5 to 0-4 in front, but Summerhill responded with two frees just before half-time and two more points after the restart to draw level.

Nigel Bracken – the fifth player from the home side to take over freetaking duties – edged Tullamore in front with two dead ball scores, but the script was flipped when an attempt on goal from Dardis ricocheted off goalkeeper Corey White and rebounded off Kevin Ryan into the net, and after Eoghan Frayne’s fourth free of the day pushed the lead out to two points, Tullamore needed a goal – and chaos was about to ensue as they pursued it.

Summerhill now advance to a Leinster quarter-final meeting with Naas, scheduled for a fortnight’s time.

Elsewhere in the Leinster senior club football championship today, Westmeath champions St Loman’s of Mullingar saw off Wexford’s Shelmaliers by 1-10 to 1-8.

They will now play Longford’s Killoe Young Emmets at the quarter-final stage.

Last night Carlow’s Éire Óg enjoyed an extra-time win by 2-18 to 3-13 against Laois outfit St Joseph’s. The victors will play Dublin kingpins Kilmacud Crokes in the last eight.

Scorers for Summerhill: Eoghan Frayne 0-4f, Kevin Ryan 1-0, Barry Dardis 0-2f, Conor Frayne 0-1, Diarmuid McCabe 0-1, Jamie O’Shea 0-1.

Scorers for Tullamore: Declan Hogan 1-1, Nigel Bracken 0-2f, Diarmuid Egan 0-1, Cormac Egan 0-1, Harry Plunkett 0-1, Michael Brazil 0-1f.

SUMMERHILL: Sean Muddiman; Iarla Hughes, Ronan Ryan, John Lavelle; Jamie O’Shea, Ross Ryan, Padhraig Geraghty; Adam Flanagan, Micheal Byrne; David Larkin, Eoghan Frayne, Diarmuid McCabe; Conor Lyons, Conor Frayne, Barry Dardis.

Substitutes: Padraig Jennings for O’Shea (44), Kevin Ryan for McCabe (47), Davy Dalton for Lyons (51), Eamonn McDonnell for C Frayne (55).

TULLAMORE: Corey White; Declan Hogan, Paul McConway, Daire McDaid; Nigel Bracken, John Furlong, Oisin Keenan-Martin; Aaron Hensey, Ciaran Egan; Michael Brazil, Diarmuid Egan, Luke Egan; Harry Plunkett, Luke Plunkett, Cormac Egan.

Substitutes: Dan Fox for L Plunkett (half-time), Mike Fox for Ciaran Egan (42), Niall Furlong for H Plunkett (47), Jay Sheeran for Hensey (60+3), L Plunkett for Keenan-Martin (60+3).

Referee: Barry Tiernan (Dublin).