BY NOEL HORGAN
MUCH-TRAVELLED Cill na Martra coach John Evans couldn’t have been more candid in his assessment of how the Bon Secours Premier IFC final went as he reflected on the Gaeltacht’s side’s memorable triumph in a thriller.
He said there was great credit due to his charges for the gutsy manner in which they pulled it out of the fire in the closing stages, but he was equally generous in his praise for Bantry’s performance.
‘We took a stranglehold on the game in the first half, but, by god, did Bantry take a stranglehold on the game in the second half. They gave a super display in fighting back, and, to be honest, I thought it was slipping away from us after they went three points ahead,’ he admitted.
Evans felt that pride might well have been the spur for Cill na Martra when the crunch came, making the point that they had been branded under-achievers in some quarters, having lost several county semi-finals by small margins in recent years.
‘I think that stayed with them today, and they had made up their minds it was time to turn the tide,’ Evans said.
‘Another factor that helped us to get over the line was the subs we brought in freshened things up a bit, but I’d say it was a brilliant turnover by Colm McLoughlin near the end that kick-started our recovery.
‘We went up the field to get a point from a free after that, giving us the impetus that wasn’t there for most of the second half.’
Evans noted both teams, having given it their all, were beginning to tire in the closing stages.
‘I saw Bantry had to take off Kevin Casey, my man-of-the match, before the finish, and I suppose our subs really turned it around for us. When you have the likes of Shane Dineen, Mike Desmond and Daire McLoughlin to come in, there’s always a chance you’ll be able to finish strongly, and to show that bit of steel coming down the home straight is what it’s all about,’ he said.
To win it the way they did made Cill na Martra’s success especially sweet, according to Evans, who agreed it could quite easily have gone Bantry’s way on the day.
‘They are a wonderful side, and, there’s no question about it, I’d have been happy with a draw towards the end, although I always believed there might be an extra kick in our lads,’ he explained.
‘It’s on to the Munster club championship now, and we’ll have Tadgh Corkery, who is serving a one-match ban at the moment, back for that, so we’ll be ready to give it our best shot.’
Cill na Martra captain Gearoid Ó Goillidhe revealed he never felt victory was beyond them even when Bantry were very much in the ascendency in the second half.
‘You never write off this team, we’ve instilled in ourselves a never-say-die over the last few years, unbelievable heart, and no team will beat us for that. To win this championship has been our one and only goal for a while now, and it’s a massive relief to have finally ticked it off. The manner in which we won it today is what dreams are made off,’ suggested Cill na Martra’s stalwart midfielder.
‘Fair play to Shane (Dineen), he has been pushing hard for a starting place all year, and no better man to handle the pressure and kick over the winning score for us.’
