CLONAKILTY SC 4
BUNRATTY UNITED 1
GER McCARTHY REPORTS
CLONAKILTY Soccer Club will defend their Beamish Cup title following a 4-1 semi-final victory over Bunratty United at the Baltimore Road.
An opportunity to make history and claim consecutive Premier Division and Beamish Cup doubles remains very much alive for an-form Clonakilty.
The curtain raiser to the semi-final double-header on Sunday saw the 2024 winners qualify for their fifth Beamish Cup decider in six years (once as Clonakilty Town).
Last May, Clon overcame Drinagh Rangers to finally get their hands on the famous trophy. That triumph ended a run of three consecutive cup final defeats. Now, John Leahy’s side is another successful 90 minutes away from joining Dunmanway Town (2020 and 2021), Drinagh (2017 and 2018) and Bunratty (2010 and 2011) as the only back-to-back Beamish Cup winning clubs since the millennium.
‘Bunratty really put it up to us today, especially in the first half when we couldn’t get our passing game going,’ Clonakilty manager John Leahy told The Southern Star.
‘Bunratty were tough opposition and unlucky that Conor Brosnan got injured just before kick-off. He was a big loss for them.
‘We made some important substitutions that helped us get back control of the game. That says a lot about our squad but, by god, did Bunratty give us a hard game today.’
Leahy’s assessment is fair. There was nothing between two evenly matched teams for close to an hour. Then Clonakilty netted twice in three second-half minutes.
Clonakilty Soccer Club's Rob Downey battling with Bunratty United's Kevin O'Regan.
Chris Collins and Joe Edmead’s goals preceded Bunratty’s Cathal Newman netting at the opposite end. Amid a hectic finale, Reuben Henry’s diving header and Cal O’Mahony’s late strike put a gloss on the final score.
Rob Downey, Liam Anthony White and Ethan Draper excelled for the cup holders. As for United, the relegation-threatened club gave a fine account of themselves with Sean Kelleher, Kevin O’Regan, Shane Bowen and Eoin O’Brien impressing.
Bunratty suffered an early setback when Conor Brosnan was injured during the warm-up. James McKnight came into the starting line-up of a United team that began confidently.
Despite limited possession, it was Clonakilty who carved out the first opening. Edmead brought the best out of Shane Bowen after five minutes. Edmead was in scintillating form throughout and denied another shot on target by a last-ditch Sean Kelleher challenge.
The best chance of a quality first half fell to Bunratty after 13 minutes – Kevin O’Regan met Cathal Newman’s free kick with a header that rebounded back off the crossbar.
Bunratty United's James McKnight is tackled by Clonakilty SC's Ethan Draper.
The chances kept coming as Bowen denied Liam Anthony White before tipping the latter’s rebounded header on to the crossbar for a corner.
O’Brien was at the hub of Bunratty’s brightest moments and fired a daisy-cutter wide after cutting in from the wing. Downey and Mark Irwin’s midfield axis kept the cup holders on the front foot but, despite both team's best efforts, an entertaining first period ended scoreless.
The Schull side had the benefit of a strong wind in the second half. Along with the elements, O’Regan and Milan Vearncombe helped Bunratty press high up the pitch.
Yet, this semi-final was turned on its head during a three-minute two-goal blast. The Premier Division champions underlined their quality when White’s cross was diverted into the net by Collins after 54 minutes.
Reeling from the concession of that goal, Bunratty were unable to prevent their opponents from making it 2-0 three minutes later. Bowen did superbly to repel a curling Irwin attempt but Edmead reacted quickest and tapped in the rebound.
Admirably, Bunratty refused to give up and pulled one back when Iain O’Driscoll couldn’t prevent Newman’s long-range attempt from crossing the line after 72 minutes.
Having looked comfortable heading into the closing quarter, Clonakilty suddenly found themselves on the back foot. That was until Henry stooped low to send a deflected diving header into the net with nine minutes remaining. Utilising their substitutes bench and all their experience, a late O’Mahony goal confirmed Clon’s latest trip to Turner’s Cross.
‘Reaching a fifth cup final in six years is some achievement for our lads,’ John Leahy added.
‘It is all to do with having a squad. Even the lads who didn’t get out on the pitch today, they have played their part for us this season. The commitment they have shown, especially with all our injuries, means it is great to be back in another Beamish Cup final.
‘We have won nothing yet though. We need to get in two or three training sessions before the final to work on things. Please God, all our injuries clear up. Look, it is another day out for the club on St Patrick’s weekend.’
Clonakilty Soccer Club: lain O’Driscoll, Rob Downey, Joe Edmead, Chris Collins, Liam Anthony White, Ethan Draper, Mark Irwin, Rueben Henry (captain), Paul Daly, Alan Ward, Odhran Bancroft.
Subs: Eoin Hartnett, Cal O’Mahony, Shane Buttimer, Alan Murphy, Jack O’Crowley, James Horan, Ben McCarthy Shields.
Bunratty United: Shane Bowen, Stephen O’Driscoll, Killian O’Brien, Mark Brosnan (captain), James McKnight, James O’Regan, Kevin O’Regan, Eoin O’Brien, Sean Kelleher, Cathal Newman, Milan Vearncombe.
Subs: Paddy O’Driscoll, John Farrell, Darragh O’Shea, Aleksandrs Sahovs, Keith O’Driscoll, Darren O’Mahony, Conor Brosnan.
Referee: Niall O’Donovan.
