Allianz Football League Division 3 – Tipperary 0-11 Offaly 0-8

Tipp win sends Offaly down

Tipperary 0-11 Offaly 0-08

By Jackie Cahill, Clonmel for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Tipperary, already relegated from Division 3, took Offaly with them yesterday as Peter Creedon’s first game in charge of the Premier County produced a deserved three-point win. Offaly’s players knew relegation rivals Cavan were losing to Antrim and victory for the Faithful County would have saved their skins. But this was a desperately disappointing performance from a poor Offaly team as their six starting forwards managed just a single point from play between them, scored by Michael Brazil in the second half. Offaly trailed 0-4 to 0-2 at half-time but spurned three early goal chances. Barry Grogan finished as Tipperary’s leading scorer once again with six points, including three from play. And Creedon’s substitutions worked a treat as Tipp collected their first League win of the season. Bernard O’Brien scored three points after coming on while fellow subs Donagh Leahy and Alan Moloney bagged a point each.

Scorers for Tipperary: B Grogan 0-6 (3fs), B O’Brien 0-3 (1f), A Moloney, D Leahy 0-1 each.

Scorers for Offaly: B O’Connor 0-4, B Allen 0-2fs, A Mulhall (45), M Brazil 0-1 each.

TIPPERARY: P Fitzgerald; R Kiely, P Codd, A Morrissey; A Campbell, R Costigan, C McDonald; G Hannigan, H Coghlan; D Heffernan, P Acheson, A Matassa; M Quinlivan, C Sweeney, B Grogan.

Subs: D Leahy for Matassa (ht), B O’Brien for Sweeney (ht), A Moloney for Heffernan (54).

OFFALY: A Mulhall; J Moloney, E Rigney, J Gallagher; P McConway, B Darby, D Kelly; B O’Connor, A McNamee; M Brazil, A Kennaghan, G Guilfoyle; B Allen, N Dunne, A Sullivan.

Subs: N Darby for Guilfoyle (50), J Coughlan for Sullivan (62).

Referee: P O’Sullivan (Kerry)