Buckley expects to face improved Dohenys in derby final

BY SEÁN HOLLAND 

NEWCESTOWN manager Tim Buckley is hoping to guide his side to an historic county double this Saturday.

With the club’s hurlers having already won their equivalent, Newcestown footballers take on local rivals Dohenys in the Bon Secours Senior A Football Championship final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh (5pm).

The two Carbery teams have already battled in the championship with Dohenys winning 0-9 to 0-8 in the group stages, but Buckley is expecting an improved Dunmanway outfit to what he faced in round one.

‘I saw Dohenys against Knocknagree and they were like a different team that played us the first day out. I was very impressed with them. They create a lot of space up front with their movement. If you give them space they’ll eat you alive,’ Buckley warned.

‘We hope we have learned something from our first game with them. It’ll be an intriguing game to see how it will work out but if we’re to have a chance we can’t give them any space. They’ve three great inside forwards, but you know what, so do we. So they’ll have to worry about them too.’

After the first county senior A hurling final against Blarney was drawn, much was made of the county board's decision to play the replay the week after, pushing the county football final back two weeks further. Not an ideal situation for both Newcestown and Doheny footballers.

‘It would have suited us as football management to have played the game on November 5th but, you know, winning the county was great for the club. Purely from a football perspective, it put us a small bit on the back foot having to get the football team ready for the county final. We had a nice run of games in hurling and it was great to win that but look, that's the way it works with dual clubs,’ explained Buckley.

With limited preparation time, how can Buckley prepare his side to allow them to perform to the best of their abilities? Challenge games are usually a useful advantage but with Newcestown’s success in the hurling not allowing that, Buckley has had to manage the build-up to Saturday’s derby final.

‘Last session we had 29 training, we have a few games amongst ourselves but we can’t go full whack because fellas would be still stiff and sore after the hurling final,’ he explained.

‘It’s all about handling the ball and kicking, getting the skills right. There’s not a whole pile else you can do. We haven’t kicked the football in about a month since the Newmarket game because of the hurling in the replay. It’s a case of fine-tuning now and getting ready for Sunday.’