Delighted boss James McCarthy hails Haven quality and demands more for county final

Castlehaven 1-16 

St Finbarr’s 2-11

NOEL HORGAN REPORTS

PERHAPS the most remarkable aspect of this Bon Secours Cork Premier SFC semi-final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday was that Castlehaven were just two points to the good at the finish.

They played the better football for most of the match, threatening to run out comprehensive winners at times, not least when they powered into a six-point lead with ten minutes remaining.

St Finbarrs’ never-say-die attitude kept them afloat in the closing stages, but the Haven always looked likely to prevail until they conceded a goal a minute into stoppage time.

It left the minimum between the sides, 1-15 to 2-11, before a fisted point from the excellent Michael Hurley eased the Carbery side’s anxiety.

Considering their performance bordered on perfection for so long, it would have amounted to a travesty of justice had the Haven been reeled in at the death.

Castlehaven's Michael Hurley races away from St Finbarr's Sam Ryan.
(Photos: George Hatchell)

Elated manager James McCarthy admitted it would have been a bitter pill to swallow had Haven been denied a place in the county final.

‘I’d have been extremely disappointed if we had lost this game, because I thought we controlled about 80 percent of it, but we were punished for the 20 percent we didn’t control,’ he remarked.

‘We had a scrappy last five minutes in both halves, so the game was in the melting-pot until the very last kick, but you’d have to be delighted with the quality we produced overall.

‘We played like that for about half an hour against Ballincollig in the last round, I think we did it for about 50 minutes today, so maybe we can up it another notch or two in the county final.’

McCarthy was reluctant to accept that a similar display would leave the Haven in with every chance of dethroning Nemo Rangers in the showpiece.

‘Everybody knows Nemo are a law-unto-themselves in a county final, so we just have to be ready for that, but the most important thing at the moment is that we’ve qualified as well. It’s three weeks away, and the place will come alive in our part of the country in the meantime, which I think is what it’s all about,’ he said.

Castlehaven's Mark Collins is challenged by Brian Hayes of St Finbarr's.

That the Haven were hugely impressive for most of the first half is beyond dispute, getting off to a tonic start when Conor Cahalane gathered the throw-in before feeding Jack Cahalane, who drilled the ball to the net with conviction.

It gave them a lead they were never to relinquish, with dynamic duo Brian Hurley and especially Michael Hurley sparkling in the full-forward line as they stretched the gap to five points, 1-5 to 0-3, entering the second quarter.

They appeared to hold most of the aces at that stage, with Mark Collins roaming to good effect from centre-forward, Conor Cahalane and Cathal Maguire also doing sterling work around the middle, and Damien Cahalane and Rory Maguire backboning a defence that wasn’t easily breached.

Predictably, Steven Sherlock carried the main threat up front for the Barrs, and, while he displayed  his undoubted class on occasions, sticky Haven corner-back Ronan Walsh limited his impact as much as could have been expected.

The bottom line is the Haven were far more purposeful and assured as a unit, but, leading by 1-8 to 0-6, they were rocked by a Sherlock goal from a penalty in the 29th minute. It was awarded after William Buckley had pumped a harmless-looking lob into the danger-zone where the referee spotted what could only be described as a needless infringement.

A tasty point from Sherlock followed, leaving the Haven with little to show for their earlier superiority, although they had the last word when Jack Cahalane tipped over a Jack O’Neill delivery to make it 1-9 to 1-7 at the interval.

It didn’t them long to reassert their authority on the resumption, tightening the screw in earnest at the three-quarter stage when a superb individual score from Mark Collins was followed by three well-worked points – kicked by Brian Hurley, Rory Maguire and Cathal Maguire – as they showed a facility to carve out the openings with delightful ease.

Trailing by 1-15 to 1-9 and struggling to function with the fluency and conviction that the Haven brought to the table, the Barrs, despite applying pressure late on, looked a beaten docket until an opportunist goal by Ethan Twomey threw them a lifeline.

It wasn’t enough to knock the Haven off course.

Scorers

Castlehaven: M Hurley 0-7 (1m); B Hurley 0-5 (1f, 1m); J Cahalane 1-1; M Collins, R Maguire, C  Maguire 0-1 each.

St Finbarr’s: S Sherlock 1-7 (3f, 1-0 penalty); E Twomey 1-1; B Hayes 0-2; E McGreevy 0-1.

Castlehaven: Darragh Cahalane; R Walsh, R Maguire, J O’Regan; T O’Mahony, Damien Cahalane, A Whelton; C Cahalane, C Maguire; S Browne, M Collins, J O’Neill: J Cahalane, B Hurley, M Hurley.

Subs: C O’Driscoll for Browne (43), K O’Donovan for Whelton (55), C O’Sullivan for C Maguire (57), J O’Driscoll for O’Mahony (60).

St Finbarr’s: D Newman; S Ryan, B Hennessy,  A O’Connor; C Scully, J Burns, M O’Donovan; I Maguire, B Hayes; E Dennehy, E McGreevy, E Twomey; L Hannigan, W Buckley, S Sherlock.

Subs: C Myers-Murray for Hannigan (ht), C Lyons for O’Donovan (ht), J Wigginton-Barrett for McGreevy (44), B O’Connell for Dennehy (50), C Barrett for Ryan (50).

Referee: P O’Driscoll (Bride Rovers).