CORK SENIOR 'A' FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
NEWMARKET 5-11
BANDON 1-8
JOHN O’SHEA REPORTS
Newmarket were comprehensive victors over Bandon in this Cork Senior A Football Championship Relegation playoff clash in Coachford on Saturday afternoon.
After suffering relegation, Bandon will now face into life in 2023 as Cork Premier Intermediate Football Championship club.
Ultimately Bandon could have few complaints with the full time result, with Newmarket the better team on the day and crucially the more clinical in front of goal.
Newmarket were a team switched on from the outset with Ryan O’Keeffe in particularly ruthless form ending the contest with a total of 4-3 to his name.
And they dominated throughout with early scores put on the board courtesy of points by Conor O’Keeffe and Daniel Culloty.
A score by Conor Calnan got Bandon up and running in the 13th minute but Newmarket grabbed even greater control of affairs soon after when Ryan O’Keeffe found the back of the net on the quarter of an hour mark. The same man got a second Newmarket goal on 20 minutes, while he also added to his tally by splitting the posts.
Newmarket had all of the momentum behind them at this stage, as Bandon were left to ponder what might have been.
Newmarket held a very commanding advantage at the half time break of 2-7 to Bandon’s 1-2 with the West Cork-side facing a mammoth uphill task to ensure survival.
Although Mark Sugrue and Cian O’Mahony reduced the gap with early Bandon second half scores, there was no stopping the Newmarket tide at the opposite end of the pitch.
Mikey Cottrell slotted over a Newmarket point, before Ryan O’Keeffe completed his hat-trick midway through the second half.
On 58 minutes Ryan O’Keeffe was in yet again for a fourth goal as his side rubber stamped a fully deserved win.
Newmarket can dust themselves down for another crack of Cork SAFC Football in 2023.
Bandon will look to regroup and bounce back at the first time of asking when the championship campaign rolls around again next year.
Scorers - Newmarket: R O’Keeffe 4-3, D O’Keeffe 1-0, C O’Keeffe 0-3, B O’Connor, D Culloty (2f) 0-2 each, M Cottrell 0-1; Bandon: M McNamara (1-0 pen) 1-0, M Sugrue (3f) 0-3, C Calnan 0-2, C O’Mahony, P Murphy, D Crowley 0-1 each.
Newmarket: J O’Keeffe; M Browne, A Ryan, P Allen; A Browne, TJ Brosnan, B Daly; M Cottrell, C Browne; D Cottrell, K O’Sullivan, B O’Connor; C O’Keeffe, D Culloty, R O’Keeffe. Subs: G Forde for Brosnan (29, inj), D O’Keeffe for D Cottrell (39), C Buttimer for O’Connor (49), D Norton for Daly (55), J Ryan for D Culloty (59),
Bandon: P Prendergast; D O’Donovan, B Crowley, N McCarthy; A O’Mahony, J Walsh, C O’Mahony; P Murphy, D Crowley; C Long, J Mulcahy , C Calnan; M Sugrue, R Long, M Cahalane. Subs: M McNamara for C Long (12, inj), J Calnan for Mulcahy (42), C Burke for McCarthy (49), H Lillis for McNamara, C McCarthy for R Long (51),
Referee: Peter O’Leary (Cloughduv).
