SEAMUS Hayes would have taken this scenario before a ball was kicked in the Premier SFC ‘group of death’.
His Carbery Rangers team has their fate in their own hands heading into their final Group A game with relegation-threatened Valley Rovers in Timoleague on Sunday (4pm).
No matter what happens in the battle between Clonakilty and Castlehaven – regardless who wins in Bandon or if it’s a draw – if Rangers beat Valleys by seven points or more, they will advance to the quarter-finals. A win by any margin would suffice if there is a winner in the Clon v Haven tie.
‘It’s very straightforward for us: we will focus on ourselves and our own game,’ says Hayes, in his first season in charge of his home club.
‘It’s very important that we go out and win our game. We can’t control what will happen between Clon and Castlehaven. We are fully focussed on our preparation and on what we can do to beat Valleys
‘The reality is that if Valleys beat us we are the ones who could be involved in the relegation conversation so we are under no illusions about the task ahead of us. We are in charge of our own destiny, which is great. This is in our control. If we perform, we’ll be there or thereabouts with Valleys.
‘Valleys are fighting for their life, but so are we.’
Confidence is growing in the Rangers camp after back-to-back draws with Castlehaven (0-11 apiece) and Clonakilty (0-6 each), and Hayes wants to see his side take the momentum into this must-win clash with Valleys.
‘The belief in the group is a big thing. We were written off before the Castlehaven game, told we had no chance. I was surprised that after that game and performance that we were still being written off as underdogs going into the Clon game. I thought it would have been a 50-50 game against Clon. The belief in the group has strengthened hugely,’ the Ross boss explains.
‘We know what we need to do. The lads have put in a sensational effort; it’s over 100 collective sessions together between matches and training. I could not fault their commitment and application to what we are trying to do. I keep telling them, if we put in a performance we’ll be there or thereabouts, and that has proved true in the first two games.’
Hayes also acknowledged that Rangers need a higher scoring return. To date, they have managed a total of 0-17 in two games; the lowest return of any team in the premier senior grade. They haven’t scored a goal either. Of that 0-17, just 0-10 has come from play. Rangers were also the lowest scorers in Division 1 of the county league, too, averaging 0-9 per game. It’s an area that they are working on. On the flip side, Ross has the best defensive record in the PSFC.
‘I think we have come very close to firing up top, and if we can get a little bit more of a return then we’ll be hard to beat,’ Hayes insists.
‘We have been focussing on it at training and we are looking for the percentage improvements in every training.
‘Against Clon I thought it let us down. Granted, there was a terrible wind blowing and both sides found it difficult, but it’s an area that we have focused on for improvement.’
If Rangers bring their shooting boots to Timoleague, they will have a good chance of progressing, but Hayes is wary of a Valleys team battling for survival. This ‘group of death’ could have a few more twists and turns.
