Castletownbere 1-12
Macroom 0-14
B KENNEALLY REPORTS
A LATE Declan Dunne point sealed a dramatic win for Castletownbere as they edged Macroom in the opening round of the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier IFC Group 3 at Aughaville on Saturday evening.
This was a repeat of last year’s result – and just as significant. With Iveleary strong favourites to top the group after their win over Kiskeam, the scramble for second place is already heating up. Castletown now have momentum, while Macroom are facing into a dogfight to avoid the relegation trapdoor.
Over the hour, Castletown were full value for the win. They played the sharper football for most of the game and were excellent in a first half that saw them lead 1-7 to 0-4 at the break. Macroom’s sluggish start left them with a mountain to climb.
After Alan Quinn opened the scoring for Macroom in the fourth minute, Castletown kicked into gear. Fintan Fenner levelled four minutes later, before two quick points from the lively James Spencer and a two-pointer from Tomás Murphy had them 0-5 to 0-1 ahead by the 15th minute. They played with energy and intent, in contrast to Macroom’s slow, deliberate build-up that allowed the Beara men to drop deep and frustrate.
The game’s only goal came in the 21st minute and it was a well-worked strike. A sweeping attack down the left saw Jack Hanley meet a cross in full flight and rifle it past Declan Kiely. Macroom responded with a two-point free from Pa Lucey, but James Harrington cancelled that out with a similar effort from play.
Macroom goalkeeper Kiely prevented further damage with a fine stop from Harrington before the break, but another Lucey point still left Castletown with a six-point cushion at half-time.
Macroom introduced three subs at the restart and the changes brought renewed urgency. The third quarter was closely fought – points from Hanley and a Fenner free were answered by a two-pointer from an Alan Quinn free and a score from Oisín O’Sullivan. Trevor Collins added another for Castletown to leave them 1-10 to 0-7 ahead entering the final quarter.
Then came Macroom’s purple patch. With 2010 All-Ireland winner Fintan Goold now on the pitch, they mounted a furious rally. Goold set up a point for O’Sullivan and then clipped one himself. O’Sullivan added another, followed by scores from Goold and Eolan O’Leary – suddenly the margin was down to one.
Just when Macroom looked like they might steal it, they coughed up a soft free. Line dissent saw a free from midfield advanced to within scoring range, and Fenner punished them to edge Castletown two clear.
But Macroom weren’t done. Alan Quinn landed a crucial two-pointer to level in injury time, and the drama wasn’t over yet.
Castletown, under pressure, pushed forward once more. Then, in the 68th minute, up stepped Declan Dunne to swing over the winner from the left wing – a classy finish to secure a vital two points for the Beara men, who were particularly well served by Jonathan Rosales, Trevor Collins, Fintan Fenner, Jack Hanley and James Spencer.
Scorers
Castletownbere: J Hanley 1-1; F Fenner 0-3 (2f); J Spencer, T Murphy, J Harrington 0-2 each; T Collins, D Dunne 0-1 each.
Macroom: A Quinn 0-5 (2 2ptf, 1f); P Lucey 0-3 (2ptf); O O’Sullivan 0-3; F Goold 0-2; E O’Leary 0-1.
Castletownbere: C Murphy; B Murphy, S McCarthy, J Rosales; J O’Neill, T Collins, D Hanley; A O’Sullivan, T Murphy; M Orpen, F Fenner, J Hanley; J Spencer, D Dunne, J Harrington.
Subs: O Byrne for D Hanley (inj, 35), G Murphy for D Dunne (50), D Dunne for T Murphy (60).
Macroom: D Kiely; M Cronin, R Buckley, M Corrigan; J Murphy, A Quinn, D Creedon; T Dineen, C Dinneen; J O’Riordan, O O’Sullivan, C O’Donovan; E O’Leary, S Kiely, P Lucey.
Subs: C Burke, C Buckley, D Twomey for D Creedon, J O’Riordan, C O’Donovan (HT); F Goold for P Lucey (44), C O’Donovan for T Dineen (53).
Referee: N Hayes (Carbery Rangers)
