Boss Cormac O’Neill demands more from Garnish for semi-final against Goleen

Garnish 2-12

Lismire 1-7

NOEL HORGAN REPORTS

RECOVERING from an uncertain start, Garnish turned on the style in the second quarter to lay the foundations for victory over Lismire in the county junior B football championship tie at the Páirc Uí Chaoimh 4G pitch on Sunday.

Leading by 2-8 to 1-4 at the interval, the Beara men’s advantage was never seriously threatened in the second half, as their defence, with Tom O’Sullivan a commanding figure at full-back, coped admirably with Lismire’s spirited efforts to get back into contention.

Convincing winners in the end, Garnish’s overall display was most encouraging, although coach Cormac O’Neill wasn’t entirely satisfied with it.

‘I’d be very happy with our performance in the first half, we played some nice football after the goal that Lismire got kinda kicked us into life. At the same time, there’s still scope for improvement, because we could have been a bit more consistent today. I feel we’ll need to up it quite a bit when we’re facing Goleen in the semi-final,’ O’Neill remarked.

Garnish's Sean T O'Sullivan pushing forward against Lismire's Oisin O'Connor during the Bon Secours JBFC quarter-final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh 4G on Sunday evening. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

It wasn’t until ace midfielder Sean Terry O’Sullivan pointed to make it 0-4 to 0-3 that Garnish hit the front for the first time, with ever-threatening full-forward Brian Terry O’Sullivan having bagged their first three scores during the tentative opening exchanges.

Their lead was short-lived, however, as Lismire replied with a goal from Mark Field in the 16th minute.

To say Garnish made light of that setback would be an understatement. They raised their game to new heights, producing a brand of fast, fluent and purposeful football that had Lismire reeling.

It yielded a goal from substitute Cian O’Neill, and another from Tuan Millem, while the ubiquitous Sean Terry O’Sullivan chipped in with a brace of points from play as Garnish finished the first half in control.

Garnish's Donncha Lowney races past Lismire's Diarmuid O'Connor during the Bon Secours JBFC quarter-final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh 4G on Sunday evening. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Lismire, with centre-back Conor Sheahan to the fore, made a promising start in the second half. They managed to cut the deficit to five points before Eanna Murphy – following good work by Sean Terry O’Sullivan, Brian Terry O’Sullivan and Alan O’Sullivan – ended a lengthy barren spell for the winners in the 44th minute.

Murphy’s point helped to steady the ship, with the result that Garnish comfortably held the whip-hand in the last quarter.

Numbered among their leading lights in what was a solid team performance were Tom O’Sullivan and Eanna Murphy in defence, Sean Terry O’Sullivan at midfield, and Brian Terry O’Sullivan up front where Tuan Millem also impressed.

Scorers

Garnish: S Terry O’Sullivan 0-5; B Terry O’Sullivan 0-4; C O’Neill, T Millem 1-0 each; J O’Dwyer (f), Dylan Henshaw (f), E Murphy 0-1 each.

Lismire: D Finn 0-5 (4f); M Field 1-0; J Sheahan 0-2.

Garnish: M O’Sullivan; C O’Driscoll, T O’Sullivan, M O’Leary; Derry O’Sullivan, E Murphy, J O’Sullivan; S Terry O’Sullivan, A O’Sullivan; R O’Leary, B Lowney, T Millem; J O’Dwyer, B Terry O’Sullivan, Dylan Henshaw.

Subs: C O’Neill for Lowney (inj, 16), B Walsh for J O’Sullivan (34), Dean Henshaw for O’Dwyer (46), Donal O’Sullivan for R O’Leary (49), R O’Leary for S Terry O’Sullivan (inj, 56).

Lismire: T Stritch; P Buckley, S McSweeney, S Bourke; D O’Connor, C Sheahan, E Hayes; O O’Connor, D O’Keeffe; M Field, M McSweeney, J Sheahan; D Allen, D Finn, C O’Sullivan.

Subs: J Larkin for Buckley (15), R Sheahan for S McSweeney (inj, 35), J Moynihan for R Sheahan (inj, 38).

Referee: B Crowley (Castlehaven).