Ibane Gaels 1-12
Carbery Rangers 0-13 (aet)
JOHN MURPHY REPORTS
THERE were plenty of talking points after this epic Clona Milk U21A football championship semi-final at foggy Ballineen on Sunday.
It was a clash that needed extra-time to separate defending champions Ibane Gaels and challengers Carbery Rangers, but should this game have gone to extra-time?
After 60 rip-roaring minutes, many observers in the crowd had Ross winners by one point, 0-9 to 0-8, but the referee was insistent the game was level 0-9 apiece. It appears the confusion stems from the opening half where many – including this reporter – had Rangers 0-4 to 0-3 ahead by the break, but referee Michael Collins had recorded the score at 0-4 apiece. To add to the confusion, there was no scoreboard at Ballineen either.
This was a game packed with excitement, too. Like the famous wedding feast extra-time specialists Gaels seem to have developed the happy knack of keeping the good wine until the last and that is exactly what happened.
Let’s rewind to the first period of extra-time. With the sides deadlocked at 0-9 apiece. Rangers impressive sub Colm Hayes floated over a beauty. However, enter the irrepressible O’Donovan cousins for Ibane to produce two defining moments of magic that helped steer Gaels back into the final.
Carbery Rangers' Conor Twomey gets to grips with Ibane Gaels' Sean Walsh during the Clona Milk U21 A FC semi-final at Enniskeane on Sunday morning.
Firstly, Olan split the posts twice in rapid succession to nudge his side in front. Then with Tomás Ó Buachalla, Conn Dineen and James Moloney cutting off the route to goal and Rangers losing talisman Ciarán Santry through injury, Ibane began to assume control in crucial sectors.
A brilliant move involving the swashbuckling Ibane quartet of Andrew Guinevan, Adam McSweeney, Seán Walsh and Philip Flynn saw intense pressure on Rangers’ defenders. With the ball bobbing about in a crowded Rangers goalmouth, up popped goal-poacher supreme Ryan O’Donovan to billow the net.
Suddenly, it was a completely new ball game, Ibane ahead by a four-point margin, 1-11 to 0-10, and brimming with new-found confidence.
Rangers, too, are a class act. In Peadar O’Rourke, Barry Kerr, Kelan Scannell, Michael Maguire, Killian Eady and David O’Dwyer, they have footballers who possess silken skills to hold their own in any company.
Despite facing a gridlock of Ibane defenders they pulled out all the stops and roared defiantly into attack. Firstly, Peadar O’Rourke made no mistake from close range, showing his dead-ball skills. Then a magical point from distance by the pacy Barry Kerr left Ross trailing by two at half time in extra time, 1-11 to 0-12.
Ibane Gaels' Tomás Ó Buachalla applying the pressure on Carbery Rangers' Caolan Hayes.
As the home straight beckoned, Colm Hayes got his third point to cut the margin to the minimum, but Ibane finished on a high as the outstanding Seán Walsh found Olan O’Donovan with an inch-perfect delivery and the latter rifled over a class score. Despite Rangers going all-out in attack Ibane held the line.
A low scoring opening half saw Ciarán Santry open up a two-point gap with two well-taken frees. Ibane lost influential midfielder Jack Lawton after just nine minutes with injury but sub Seán Henchion more than justified his selection. Olan O’Donovan pulled one back, but a fantastic Rangers move was rewarded with a cracking point by Santry.
It was nip and tuck, evidenced by a superb Ibane score involving Seán Walsh, Ryan O’Donovan and Andrew Guinevan, the towering Ibane midfielder finding the range from an acute angle. Two early second-half highlights were a Barry Kerr white flag and a brilliant solo score by Tomás Ó Buachalla. Ryan O’Donovan and Ciarán Santry shared the bulk of the second-half scores as the game finished 0-9 apiece, as per the referee’s scoring. Ibane made their move in extra time.
‘It was a super match – two very good teams, good footballers and a high standard of football,’ Ibane Gaels manager Paul Holland said.
‘We lost Jack Lawton early on, went a couple of points down, but rallied well. The more we play top teams, it will improve our standard, that is the concept of Ibane Gaels and our ambition to take back to Timoleague and Barryroe.
‘We face a massive challenge in the final against Castlehaven or Newcestown. But we will give it a real go, you cannot buy experience that you will get facing up to teams like Carbery Rangers and other experienced sides.’
Scorers
Ibane Gaels: Ryan O’Donovan 1-5 (3f); Olan O’Donovan 0-5 (3f); Andrew Guinevan, Tomás Ó Buachalla 0-1 each.
Carbery Rangers: Ciarán Santry 0-5 (3f); Colm Hayes 0-3; Brian Kerr, Peadar O’Rourke (1f) 0-2 each; Evan Brown 0-1.
Ibane Gaels: Cormac McCarthy; Michael Walsh, Seán O’Riordan, Fergal Walsh; Tomás O’Buachalla, James Moloney, Conn Dineen; Jack Lawton, Andrew Guinevan; Adam McSweeney, Seán Walsh, Philip Flynn; Ryan O’Donovan, Lorcan O’Leary, Olan O’Donovan.
Subs: Seán Henchion for Jack Lawton (inj, 9), Diarmuid McCarthy for Michael Walsh (58).
Carbery Rangers: Aaron O’Brien; Sam Linehan, Killian Eady, David O’Dwyer; Eamonn Hodnett, Kelan Scannell, Jack Kevane; Brian Kerr, Michael Maguire; Caolan Hayes, Peadar O’Rourke, Niall Keane; Conor Twomey, Ciarán Santry, Evan Brown.
Subs: Colm Hayes for Caolan Hayes (38), Ben Linehan for Eamonn Hodnett (56), Ronan Hayes for Ciarán Santry (inj, 5, et), Eamonn Hodnett (12, et), Darragh Calnan (14, et).
Referee: Michael Collins (Clonakilty).
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