Naomh Abán 1-14
Macroom 1-9
BRENDAN KENNEALLY REPORTS
A BLISTERING opening quarter from Naomh Abán in this Bons Secours Premier IFC Group B tie at a packed Cill na Martra on Friday evening was the key to success for the Gaeltacht men in their local derby against Macroom.
Last year, at the same venue, Macroom had enjoyed a 4-10 to 0-9 win over their neighbours but any thoughts they may have entertained that this would be a repeat were quickly dispelled.
Naomh Abán tore into the fray from the throw-in and for the opening quarter the ball seldom left the Macroom half. Macroom staged a remarkable recovery in the second quarter and turned a 0-6 to 0-1 deficit into a one-point advantage. Crucially in the five minutes before half time Naomh Abán regained the advantage, and their confidence, as they led by 0-9 to 0-7 at the interval.
On the resumption, the scoring rate fell, each side only adding a point to the tallies before Naomh Abán struck for a goal in the 43rd minute. Macroom quickly matched this score despite now playing a man down after Mark Corrigan had been dismissed for a second yellow card.
Only one point separated the sides after 50 minutes, 1-10 to 1-9, but Naomh Abán drove on in the closing stages and added four points to be clear winners.
Naomh Abán had Macroom in trouble around midfield from the start, Caoimhín Ó Donnchú and Darragh Ó Laoire dominating, backed by Dara M Ó Loinsigh at centre back. Up front Donal Ó Ceallaigh, Eadbhard Ó Mir and Dermot Ó Ceallaigh were ripping the Macroom defence to shreds and crucially they could find the target. Ó Mír and Dermot Ó Ceallaigh shot early points and when Alan Quinn had a Macroom point in the seventh minute, back came the winners with four in a row from Myers, Darragh Ó Laoire, Aodhán Ó Luasa and Conchúr Ó Críodáin to make it 0-6 to 0-1 after 15 minutes.
To their credit, Macroom responded. After Eolan O’Leary’s point in the 16th minute, three points from Alan Quinn and one from Rory Buckley had the sides level by the 25th minute. Eolan O’Leary then put Macroom into the lead for the first time. Naomh Abán steadied the ship. Dermot Ó Ceallaigh equalised on 29 and then put his side back in front before Ó Mír, from a free, doubled the advantage, 0-9 to 0-7 at half time in favour of the Baile Bhuirne men.
Points were then exchanged in the second half and in the 43rd minute Donal Ó Ceallaigh finished a Naomh Abán move to the net. Macroom were simultaneously reduced to 14 men but responded to these setbacks with a point from David Horgan and a goal from Eolan O’Leary to reduce the deficit to the minimum. A point from an Ó Mír free eased the situation for the winners, and three more unanswered points settled the issue as Macroom just could not get through a dominant defence.
Scorers
Naomh Abán: E Ó Mír 0-5 (3f); Dermot Ó Ceallaigh 0-4 (1f); Donal Ó Ceallaigh 1-0; A Ó Luasa 0-2, Darragh Ó Laoire, C Ó Críodáin, D Ó hAllamháin 0-1 each.
Macroom: E O’Leary 1-2; A Quinn 0-4; D Horgan 0-2 (1f); R Buckley 0-1.
Naomh Abán: G Ó Luasa; E Ó Críodáin, C Ó Deasúnaigh, C de Róiste; N Ó Ceallaigh, D M Ó Loinsigh, J Ó Donnchú; C Ó Donnchú, D Ó Laoire; C (JC) Ó Críodáin, Donal Ó Ceallaigh, S Ó Ríordáin; Dermot Ó Ceallaigh, E Ó Mír, A Ó Luasa.
Subs: S Hendy for Ó Riordáin (ht), D Ó hAllamháin for N Ó Ceallaigh (47, inj), W Mac Cárthaigh for Dermot Ó Ceallaigh (58), P Ó Liatháin for C Ó Críodáin (62).
Macroom: B O’Connell; C Condon, R Buckley, J Murphy; M Corrigan, T Dineen, S Kiely; C Dinneen, D Horgan; M Cronin, E O’Leary, A Quinn; D Creedon, P Lucey, M Hunt.
Subs: F Goold for Creedon (ht), D Twomey for Hunt (ht), B O’Gorman for Murphy (ht), E’Gorman for Lucey (inj ,33), S Meaney for Kiely (47),, D Cotter for Quinn (62).
Referee: J Forbes (Dohenys).
