TADHG MACCARTHAIGH 3-12
BARRYROE 1-3
GER McCARTHY REPORTS
TADHG MacCarthaigh will face Gabriel Rangers in the 2024 Bandon Co-Op Carbery junior C football championship final following a convincing win over Barryroe in Enniskeane on Sunday.
A heavy surface didn’t detract two teams intent on playing attacking football and, because 13-a-side created extra space, it made for positive viewing.
Tadhg MacCarthaigh fully deserved their win off the back of Dan McCarthy’s 1-6 and restricting a young Barryroe team to a single score in the second period. This was a collective team effort with Denis O’Regan, Shane O’Driscoll, Tadhg McCarthy and Gearoid Hurley providing the spine for Caheragh’s victory.
Gabriel Rangers await in this weekend’s junior C final and will pose a much stiffer challenge.
‘All credit to the lads, 22 of them turned up for training last Friday night in the driving rain,’ Tadhg MacCarthaigh mentor James O’Donovan said.
‘We had a game-plan to cope with the wind in the first half and go for it in the second. Overall, it was a great team performance with all the young lads in our squad.
‘Gabriels will go in as favourites to the final. I’ve seen them in action but we will give them a good run. After today, we will be full of confidence that it should be a close game.’
Barryroe began with the aid of a strengthening wind but made little headway.
Their opponents opened the scoring via a slick move after six minutes – Dan McCarthy released Colm McCarthy who clipped the crossbar for a point when a goal looked likelier.
Barryroe’s response was immediate as Aidan Walsh and Ross O’Donovan split the posts in consecutive attacks. The sides were tied again when Dan McCarthy converted a free after 12 minutes.
The game burst into life with two goals in as many minutes on the quarter hour. Shane O’Driscoll set up Anthony Daly to chip Barryroe goalkeeper Geoffrey Wycherley. Once again Barryroe responded as Gavin Sweetnam slipped a low shot into the net to make it 1-2 apiece.
Despite playing into the wind, it was Caheragh who finished the half strongly. George Gill broke clear and fired over prior to Dan McCarthy being brought down in Barryroe’s square. McCarthy converted the resulting penalty. Additional Denis O’Regan and Dan McCarthy points stretched their team’s interval advantage to six and that margin would have been greater but for five first-half wides.
Barryroe’s cause wasn’t helped by a black card issued to Flor Wycherley shortly after the resumption. Tadhg MacCarthaigh took full advantage with two Dan McCarthy (one free) and Denis O’Regan scores making it 2-8 to 1-2.
Making full use of their extra man, Caheragh’s Shane O’Driscoll burst through and found the net to decide the contest with 20 minutes remaining.
Gavin Sweetnam replied with Barryroe’s first score in 25 minutes but Caheragh continued to press as Tadhg McCarthy (two) and Dan McCarthy (two) added further scores. Heavy showers and a late Gearoid Hurley black card prevented the eventual winners from comfortably seeing out the closing stages.
Scorers
Tadhg MacCarthaigh: D McCarthy 1-6 (1-0 pen, 2f); A Daly, S O’Driscoll 1-0 each; D O’Regan, T McCarthy 0-2 each; C McCarthy, G Gill 0-1 each.
Barryroe: G Sweetnam 1-1; A Walsh, R O’Donovan 0-1 each.
Tadhg MacCarthaigh: S Kingston; B McCarthy, G Hurley; J Hurley, T Farrell, G Gill; S O’Driscoll, T McCarthy; G Crowley, D O’Regan, C McCarthy; D McCarthy, A Daly.
Subs: M Barrett for C McCarthy (40), B Crowley for G Crowley (42), L Gilman Burke for A Daly (47), C O’Sullivan for G Gill (54), C Crowley for B McCarthy (54).
Barryroe: G Wycherley; C O’Regan, F Wycherley; A Walsh, C Tyndall, D Cahalane; K Sheehy, R Coakley; A Walsh, R O’Donovan, S Ryan; B Murphy, G Sweetnam.
Subs: K Griffin for C Tyndall (ht), L Sheehy for B Murphy (40), L Deasy for A Walsh (48), M Sexton for D Cahalane (54), A Hitz for F Wycherley (54).
Referee: Anthony O’Regan (Kilbrittain).
