IN what we believe was the first penalty shoot-out to decide an adult championship match in West Cork, Glengarriff’s footballers held their nerve to beat Castletownbere last Saturday and advance to the Beara junior B football championship final. There was no separating these two after normal time, Castletownbere’s 2-13 to Glengarriff’s 0-19, and extra-time, 2-17 to 0-23, so penalties were called on in Adrigole.
Glengarriff goalkeeper Jack Hurley became the hero of the night when he pulled off two saves while Shaun O’Sullivan, Cathal O’Sullivan, Eoghan McElhinney and Shane Healy all stayed cool and composed to score their penalties for Gllengarriff. Jack Hurley had been earmarked to take his side’s fifth penalty but, having denied Castletownbere twice, wasn’t needed.
During the game the Glengarriff half-back line of Thomas Harrington, Tadhg McCarthy and Paudie O’Sullivan was very influential, and they’ll need to be at their best for the upcoming final against Garnish who, re-graded from A this season, beat Urhan by 1-9 to 0-8 in the other semi-final on Sunday.
Whatever the outcome there, the drama that unfolded in Adrigole last Saturday should feature as a quiz question in years to come – who won the first-ever penalty shoot-out in an adult championship GAA match in West Cork?
