Bantry Blues 1-15
Bandon 0-12
TOM LYONS REPORTS
A VITAL goal in the 45th minute and a strong last quarter were enough to give Bantry Blues victory over Bandon in the second round of the McCarthy Insurance Premier IFC in fine but breezy conditions in Dunmanway on Sunday.
This entertaining local derby was finally balanced until that last quarter as the game was deadlocked on five occasions in the first half, all square at the break.
It all changed in the 45th minute when Bantry scored the only goal of the game to go two ahead and from there to the end, they were the masters as they surged to a clear six-point win, to go with their first-round Group 2 victory, ensuring qualification for the play-off stages.
Bantry Blues' goalkeeper Michael Casey is challenged on his way out by Bandon's Darren Crowley.
Bantry should have put this game to bed much earlier as they missed at least four clear chances of goals in the third quarter before Arthur Coakley finally rattled the net. In the first half, Bandon were more than a match for the Blues but they were very limited in attack where Michael Cahalane’s superb free-taking was their main source of scores. Two losses in a row leave Bandon in trouble.
‘We were worried about this, our second game, as we haven’t been doing well in recent years in our second outing and with a local derby against Bandon, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy,’ admitted Bantry manager David O’Donovan, himself an Enniskeane man who had coached Bandon in the past.
‘Everybody was talking us up and maybe disrespecting Bandon but they’re a proud bunch of players and weren’t going to come over here and lie down. We’re a young team in age but they have a lot of experience garnered over the past two years. We leaned on that experience in the second half. When the goal chances were on, we allowed them to go for it and when it wasn’t, we tacked on a few points.’
Bandon looked the sharper, more eager side in the first quarter against a fairly flat Bantry and, with the breeze, they had quick points from Michael Cahalane (free) and Cian O’Mahony.
Bantry responded with a pair from top forward Arthur Coakley and the flying Shane Keevers, before Coakley put a goal chance over the bar. Livelier Bandon had four of the next five points, from Cahalane (3) and Darren Crowley, Bantry’s only response being a Seanie O’Leary long-range free.
Kevin Coakley and Cahalane (free) swapped scores before Bantry began to show some urgency and had three in-a-row from Ruairí Deane (free), very quiet in the first half, and Coakley (2) to lead by a point. Bandon had the last say of the half, another Cahalane free, with Bandon goalkeeper Ciarán McCarthy bringing off a great save from a Deane pile-driver. It was all square, 0-8 each, at the break, Bantry to restart with the breeze.
Bandon's Peter Murphy tries to get away from Bantry Blues' Dara McCarthy during the McCarthy Insurance Group PIFC in Dunmanway on Sunday.
Bandon refused to lie down in the third quarter and kicked three points to Bantry’s one on the restart. Cahalane (2) and Darren Crowley (free) split the posts with Dara McCarthy answering for the Blues. Two in front, the Bandon supporters were beginning to hope, with great blocking and turnovers by the defenders to prevent Bantry goals. However, their rising hopes were dashed in the 45th minute when Bantry breached the Lilywhite’s defence, Coakley finishing to the net after good work by Seánie O’Leary and the hard-working David Daly.
That goal seemed to puncture Bandon’s resilience and with Seánie O’Leary dominating the middle, Bantry poured forward in waves looking for more scores. In that rampant last quarter, they kicked six points, with a Cahalane free being the only response from Bandon. Ruairí Deane (2), David Daly, Arthur Coakley (2) and Kevin Coakley in the 60th minute all found the target as the Blues coasted to a hard-won but well-deserved victory. Others to play well for the winners were Seth Thornton, Ronan O’Mahony, Conor Cronin, Shane Keevers and Kevin Casey.
Scorers
Bantry Blues: Arthur Coakley 1-6 (4f); Ruairí Deane 0-3 (3f); Kevin Coakley 0-2; Dara McCarthy, Shane Keevers, David Daly, Seánie O’Leary (1f) 0-1 each.
Bandon: Michael Cahalane 0-9 (7f); Darren Crowley 0-2 (1f, 1 45); Cian O’Mahony 0-1.
Bantry Blues: Michael Casey; Seth Thornton, Ronan O’Mahony, Conor Cronin; Mark Óg O’Sullivan, Eoin O’Shea, Billy Foley; Seánie O’Leary, Dara McCarthy; Shane Keevers, Kevin Casey, David Daly; Arthur Coakley, Ruairí Deane, Kevin Coakley.
Bandon: Ciarán McCarthy; Seán Ahern, Brian Crowley, Eolann McSweeney; Conor Calnan, Peter Murphy, Cian O’Mahony; Tadhg Twohig, Dylan O’Donovan; Peter Calnan, Jonathan Mulcahy, Ben Donegan; Charlie Long, Michael Cahalane, Darren Crowley.
Subs: Mark Sugrue for B Donegan (46), Jack Calnan for C O’Mahony (50), Hugh O’Mahony for C Long (59).
Referee: Peter O’Leary (Cloughduv).
