Late Tadhg MacCárthaigh goal seals league victory

Tadhg MacCárthaigh 2-8

Kilbrittain 0-6

JOHN MURPHY REPORTS

LIFE without their talismanic Cork senior footballer Brian O’Driscoll, who is now domiciled in Carrigaline, began for Tadhg MacCárthaigh last weekend.

The task facing the Caheragh footballers was a formidable one as they made the trek to Kilbrittain to take on the home side in the Dubliner Cheese Carbery/Beara Division 1 football league on Saturday.

This was a close contest on the superb new playing surface, though the troublesome wind and lashing rain was trying to say the least.

The outcome was in the melting pot until the end of the third quarter when Caheragh led 1-7 to 0-6, and then they crashed home a magnificent second goal. It was set up splendidly by a combination of Colm Crowley and Micheál O’Donovan, leaving Charlie McCarthy to drop in a teasing ball that eluded the clutches of dependable Kilbrittain shot-stopper Owen McCarthy.

When the outstanding Micheál O’Donovan applied the coup-de-grace in the 59th minute, it was all over, despite Kilbrittain’s performance of substance and unyielding resistance.

Caheragh manager Finbarr McCarthy was pleased with his team’s performance, stressing that Kilbrittain are never a soft touch.

‘That second goal gave us a cushion, but only for our goalkeeper making some great saves, especially early in the second half, then anything could have happened, while as a bonus his kickouts were excellent,’ McCarthy said.

‘Brian (O’Driscoll) is a big loss, but his brothers Colm and Kevin excelled again today, their experience there near the end crucial as Kilbrittain pressed,’ the Caheragh boss emphasised.

‘It is our first brace of points on the opening day in difficult conditions; it is hard to find fault with that result, so onwards and upwards to our next assignment.’

Kilbrittain more than matched their opponents until the end of the opening quarter (0-2 to 0-2), Josh O’Donovan their top scoring gun converting a free in the third minute. A fabulous Caheragh move involving Micheál O’Donovan, Charlie McCarthy and Dylan Murray saw the latter bisecting the posts. When the impressive Colm O’Driscoll added a peach of a point Caheragh were up and running.

Undaunted, Kilbrittain replied, Ronan Crowley splitting the posts. But with Caheragh’s midfield of Kevin O’Driscoll and Seán McCarthy winning the early aerial battles, the winners built up a head of steam, chalking up an unanswered 1-4 between the 16th and 23rd minutes.

Cormac O’Shanahan began the scoring barrage, Dylan Murray got another white flag, Colm Crowley added a brace and sandwiched in between came Tadhg MacCárthaigh’s opening goal – O’Donovan’s cross-field delivery was volleyed to the net by Seán McCarthy for a fabulous score in the 21st minute. Caheragh were really motoring and while a Josh O’Donovan free reduced the arrears, Kilbrittain were facing a difficult task, 1-6 to 0-3 in arrears at the interval.

In fairness they upped the tempo and the introduction of some substitutes saw them come close, only the vigilance of Shane Kingston denying them as substitute Declan Harrington saw his shot flash over.

Josh O’Donovan added a brace of frees, while Charlie McCarthy got one back, but increasing Kilbrittain pressure with Josh O’Donovan, Philip Wall, Declan Harrington, Conor Hogan, Colm Sheehan and Mark Hickey all grafting hard looked to be paying dividends until Caheragh’s second goal signalled lights out for the Seasiders.

Our Star: Micheál O’Donovan gave a first-class exhibition of wing-back play, akin to the Scarlet Pimpernel being here, there and everywhere and was instrumental in setting up both Caheragh goals.

Scorers

Tadhg MacCárthaigh: Charlie McCarthy 1-1 (1f); Seán McCarthy 1-0; Dylan Murray, Colm O’Driscoll 0-2 each; Cormac O’ Shanahan, Colm Crowley, Micheál O’Donovan 0-1 each.

Kilbrittain: Josh O’Donovan 0-4 (4f); Ronan Crowley, Declan Harrington 0-1 each.

Tadhg MacCárthaigh: Shane Kingston; Liam O’Donovan, Tadhg Keating, Kevin O’Regan; Micheál O’Donovan, Darren Kingston, Cormac O’Shanahan; Kevin O’Driscoll, Seán McCarthy; Charlie McCarthy, Colm O’Driscoll, Rory Kingston; Colm Crowley, Dylan Murray, Jack McCarthy.

Subs: Dan McCarthy for Jack McCarthy (22), Brian McCarthy for Tadhg Keating (26), David O’Connor for Dylan Murray (29), Brendan Crowley for Colm Crowley (48), Gearóid Hurley for Kevin O’Regan (52).

Kilbrittain: Owen McCarthy; Eoghan Byrne, Ivan Burke, Eoin O’Neill; Charlie Kenny, Colm Sheehan, Seamus O’Sullivan; James O’Donovan, Philip Wall; Aaron Fehily, Ronan Crowley, Josh O’Donovan; Fionn Ustianowski, Mark Hickey, Ciarán Murphy.

Subs: Declan Harrington, Conor Hogan, Ciarán Byrne.

Referee: Oisín Doyle (Bandon).