Muintir Bháire 1-15
Tracton 2-8
JOHN MURPHY REPORTS
LAZARUS, take up thy bed and walk to Durrus! How else could one describe Muintir Bháire’s remarkable second-half performance against South East outfit Tracton in this enthralling McCarthy Insurances Confined Junior B FC Group 2 opening joust at sunny Enniskeane on Saturday?
Granted, the winners were only a point adrift, 1-5 to 1-4, at the interval, but on reflection one has to say that most of the good football and finishing ability rested with the vanquished during the opening 30 minutes.
Muintir Bhaire's Calvin Cronin turns away from the challenge of Tracton's David Good.Spearheaded by a potent half-forward trio of Mark Byrne, John Good and Cormac Kelly and with full forward Alan Kiely causing serious problems on the mark, it came as no surprise when Mark Byrne billowed the Muintir net in the 23rd minute after a smashing move involving Alan Kiely and Mark Castleton.
It opened up a commanding 1-5 to 0-2 advantage as the opening half drew to a close. Still, one sensed if Muintir’s midfield duo of Fionn Doonan and Dave O’Mahony got good quality ball up to Calvin Cronin, Teddy O’Donovan, Brian Johnson, and the full-forward division of Ray and Jason O’Sullivan and the impressive Jack O’Driscoll, then all six were capable of inflicting damage on Tracton.
And so it was graphically illustrated when O’Donovan, Cronin and dynamic wing-back Ben Egan were all involved as James Mallon shot low past Edward O’Callaghan in the 26th minute. It had a twofold objective, bringing Muintir back into the game and boosting sagging morale. However, it was only thanks to the brilliance of full back Alex Young and some wonderful goalkeeping by Brendan O’Dwyer that deprived Tracton of a second goal; two great saves by the Muintir shot-stopper in rapid succession from John Good and Alan Kiely standout moments.
But few in the sparse attendance could have envisaged Muintir’s second-half transformation. Throwing off the shackles, they upped the ante, getting an ideal restart with two cracking points from Jason O’Sullivan. It signalled a tsunami of white flags as Jack O’Driscoll, Ray O’Sullivan, Owen Stock and Fionn Doonan all got in on the scoring act.
Tracton's Alan Kiely is pursued by Muintir Bhaire's Dave O'Mahony.Shell-shocked Tracton did their best to respond, but it took until the 50th minute before a David Flaherty free got them on the scoreboard. Mark Castleton added a second, but any hopes of a revival were dashed by two delightful scores from rampant duo Jason and Ray O’Sullivan.
In fairness, Tracton refused to capitulate and snatched a consolation goal from substitute Luke Kiely and a point from a free by David O’Flaherty deep into injury-time. It was too little and much too late as Muintir Bháire cruised past the post with furlongs to spare.
What magic potion did Muintir Bháire trainer Brendan O’Mahony give his troops at the interval that transformed their fortunes?
‘We simply asked them to give another 15 percent more. Not alone did they respond, they gave 50 percent, upped the commitment, showed great hunger and got the crucial scores. Teddy O’Donovan is back this year which is a huge advantage, while the substitutes delivered in spades, Owen Stock was an example. We are thrilled with the win, a real morale-boost,’ beamed a well-satisfied O’Mahony.
Scorers
Muintir Bháire: Jason O’Sullivan 0-4; James Mallon 1-0; Ray O’Sullivan, Jack O’Driscoll (1f) 0-3 each; Joe Egan, Teddy O’Donovan, Calvin Cronin, Owen Stock, Fionn Donnan 0-1 each.
Tracton: Mark Byrne, Luke Kiely 1-0 each; Alan Kiely 0-3; David Flaherty 0-2 (2f); Mark Castleton, Robin O’Donovan, Cormac Kelly (1f) 0-1 each.
Muintir Bháire: Brendan O’Dwyer; David Ward, Alex Young, Colm Hegarty; Ben Egan, James Mallon, Ben Egan; Fionn Doonan, Dave O’Mahony; Calvin Cronin, Teddy O’Donovan, Brian Johnson; Ray O’Sullivan, Jason O’Sullivan, Jack O’Driscoll.
Subs: Owen Stock for David Ward (24), Colin Arundel for Ben Egan (51), Michael Gingell for Ray O’Sullivan (55), Peter Ozubkc for Colum Cronin (56), Damien O’Sullivan for Brendan O’Dwyer (63).
Tracton: Edward O’Callaghan; Eoin O’Donoghue, Stephen Noonan, Jamie Kingston; David Good, Tom McGuinness, Shane Hurley; David Byrne, David O’Flaherty; Mark Byrne, John Good, Cormac Kelly; Mark Castleton, Alan Kiely, Robin O’Donovan.
Subs: Cian Breathnach for Eoin O’Donoghue (27), Luke Kiely for Mark Byrne (43), Joe Fouhy for Stephen Noonan (53).
Referee: James Kingston (Carbery Rangers).
