St Michael’s 1-8
Carbery Rangers 0-8
JOHN MURPHY REPORTS
THE late, great sports commentator Micheál Ó Hehir had a famous catchphrase that went ‘there was a goal in the game!’
How apt and relevant the description would have been for this tense McCarthy Insurance Premier Senior Football Championship Group 2 clash at balmy Brinny on Saturday night between Carbery Rangers and St Michael’s.
Given the fact that scores were at a premium, turnovers six-a-penny and every ball fought for so keenly, it was obvious that a goal would have a huge bearing on the result. And so it proved to be, but from a Carbery Rangers perspective it was a disaster.
St Michael's Keith Hegarty is pursued by Carbery Rangers' Patrick Hurley.
They had a monopoly of possession in the third quarter, yet led by just two points, 0-7 to 0-5, by the 53rd minute. The lead was fragile. The ironic part was that it came from yet another turnover as St Michael’s flying winger Rory Cavanagh embarked on a solo dash up the right flank, delivered a peach of a cross into the path of Fionnán Leahy, who billowed the Rangers net from close range for a golden goal of huge importance.
A stunned Rangers had scarcely time to draw a breath before the Saints, now with the bit between their teeth, hammered three more nails into the Rosscarbery coffin as two brilliant points (one from a free) by ace marksman Luke O’Herlihy and a fabulous point from distance by Keith Hegarty signalled lights out for Rangers.
It mattered little that the Saints finished with 14 players, Eoin Hickey receiving a second yellow card in the dying embers. A late consolation score in the shape of a pointed free by the reliable Mark Hodnett was of little solace.
Little wonder that Carbery Rangers manager Seamus Hayes was disappointed at the final whistle, realising how this was a major setback for his charges, but giving an honest summation of how it all went wrong.
‘We were two points up, gave away that goal, they (St Michael’s) had their tails up then and in fairness closed out the game,’ Hayes reflected. ‘We scored just one more point while they added three.
‘We struggled to score last year, and again today, but the turnovers were our bugbear. You just cannot give away that many and expect to win. A combination of poor decisions, great defending on their part, they closed us down superbly, proved costly at the end’, the Rangers manager explained.
‘It is a failing on our part, we just cannot put a team to bed, going up the extra few scores. You saw it there today. It is something we must try to eradicate. We now face another mammoth task, a local derby with Clonakilty.’
Carbery Rangers' Padraig Hodnett on a solo from Rory Kavanagh of St Michael's during the McCarthy Insurance PSFC round one at Brinny on Saturday evening.
Keith Hegarty had the opening score for St Michael’s but a fine Rangers move involving Kealan Scannell and Daragh Hayes saw the roaming John O’Rourke grounded – the unerring Mark Hodnett bisected the uprights. Soon afterwards Paul Shanahan brought off a point-blank save to deny Emmett Sheehan, but in his heroics got an accidental blow of the ball to the face. However, he recovered to play a key role between the posts.
Rory Cavanagh and Brian Hodnett exchanged white flags before two beauties from Luke O’Herlihy made it a double score game, 0-4 to 0-2, at the close of a competitive opening quarter. Ross seemed to be handed the initiative in the 19th minute when Joe Golden received a black card.
Frustratingly, even though Mark Hodnett and Peadar O’Rourke did level things up, while the creativity was good the finishing left a lot to be desired. Jerry O’Riordan did produce a spark of genius when after a fantastic solo dash, he shot over the point of the match, leaving Rangers ahead by the minimum at the break, 0-5 to 0-4.
Now wind assisted St Michael’s upped the ante but Rangers’ defence – with James O’Riordan, Thomas O’Rourke and Killian Eady to the fore – were giving little away and held their ground. John O’Rourke (free) and Rory O’Shaughnessy swapped scores on resuming, both sides emptying the bench, as a booming Kealan Scannell point in the 50th minute looked like Rangers would hold out, until that disastrous last ten minutes that cost them dearly.
Our Star: Luke O’Herlihy enhanced his reputation and football ability with a five-star performance, three fantastic points ample testimony of his undoubted skills.
Scorers
St Michael’s: Luke O ’Herlihy 0-4 (2f); Fionnán Leahy 1-0; Keith Hegarty 0-2; Rory O’Shaughnessy, Rory Cavanagh 0-1 each.
Carbery Rangers: Mark Hodnett 0-3f; Brian Hodnett, Kealan Scannell, Jerry O’Riordan, Peadar O’Rourke, John O’Rourke (f) 0-1 each.
St Michael’s: Martin Burke; Billy Cain, Joe Golden, Fionnán Leahy; Rory Cavanagh, Daniel Meaney, Emmett Sheehan; Eoin Hickey, Rory O’Shaughnessy; Keith Hegarty, Andrew Murphy, Tom Grainger; Adam Hennessy, Eoin O’Donovan, Luke O’Herlihy.
Subs: Sam Murphy for Adam Hennessy (41), Eoghan Buckley for Eoin O’Donovan (51).
Carbery Rangers: Paul Shanahan; James O’Riordan, Thomas O’Rourke, Killian Eady; Jerry O’Riordan, Pádraig Hodnett, Patrick Hurley; Barry Kerr, Kealan Scannell; Brian Hodnett, John O’Rourke, Ben Linehan; Mark Hodnett, Peadar O’Rourke, Daragh Hayes.
Subs: John Hodnett for Ben Linehan (ht), James Fitzpatrick for Barry Kerr (41), Ciarán McCarthy for Pádraig Hodnett (48), Ciarán Santry for Patrick Hurley (55), Paul Hodnett for Kelan Scannell (58).
Referee: Cormac Dineen (Douglas).
