GABRIEL Rangers are buzzing as they prepare for their intermediate A county semi-final showdown against Glanmire this Saturday in Clonakilty (4pm).
Fresh off a hard-fought 0-13 to 0-10 quarter-final victory over Mitchelstown, the Ballydehob side is relishing the opportunity to take another step towards county glory.
Reflecting on their win against Mitchelstown, Gabriel Rangers manager Mike O’Brien acknowledged that going into the game as underdogs suited his team.
‘I knew we were going well, and I said to the lads, "Look, we're ready.” We were very focused and I knew my own lads were ready, but I knew we had a savage battle ahead of us. Mitchelstown are a huge team and a fine footballing side. It was a savage battle, right down to the end, really, but a great game of football.’
The game was closely contested, especially in the first half, where it was level at the break 0-7 all. Gabriels really kicked into gear in the second period as O’Brien explains.
‘I thought the first half was very even-stevens. We gave away too many frees in the first half. They got five of their seven scores from frees, so we’ve got to make sure that we don’t give away as many in the first half again,’ O’Brien noted.
‘In the second half, we were a lot tighter defensively, and we only conceded three points, which was very good. As a team, we played really well. We worked hard for each other off the ball, and while we had a couple of goal chances we didn’t take, I think we probably should have won by a few more points. Overall, it was the perfect result heading into the game this weekend.’
O’Brien couldn’t hide his pride in the team’s overall performance, especially how they worked as a unit.
‘Gabriels would be known down the years as having some very good individual players, but I thought Sunday we really played as a team,’ he said.
‘Every man worked for each other. We worked our socks off and the ball was given to the man that moved. It was a joy to watch, really. All the coaching, all the time I've been emphasising that we're a team, and we showed that on Sunday. I couldn’t be prouder of the performance, really.’
Looking ahead to the semi-final against Glanmire, O’Brien is under no illusions about the challenge his side faces.
‘There’s a good buzz now because of the win, but I told the lads Sunday after the game, we refocus straight away because we’re on again this weekend,’ he explained.
‘Glanmire are a big, big test for us. They are a couple of leagues ahead of us and they did very well in their group, qualifying straight to the semi-final. We know we’re going against a really tough side. They’ve a very good, young, fast team, so we have to be ready for that.’
With momentum on their side, Gabriel Rangers will be looking to deliver another team-first performance and keep their county dream alive.
