Newcestown power into county hurling semi-final

Newcestown 1-19

Killeagh 2-10

JOHNNY CAROLAN REPORTS

IT WILL be a case of novenas for Newcestown as they hope for a clean bill of health for their Co-op SuperStores Cork SAHC semi-final against Carrigtwohill.

A good second-half display at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last Saturday saw the Carbery club past Killeagh in their quarter-final. Now, with many of the team involved in the senior A football quarter-final against Kanturk this weekend, manager Charlie Wilson will be praying that there are no new injuries.

‘We had a number of fellas carrying injuries’ he said.

‘Conor O’Neill played today, he had been missing with a broken foot. Thank God the timing came right, but we’re tight and you’re back into football now next week and they’ll need those.

‘We’ll be crossing our fingers and toes, hoping that they could get out of it safely – and safely is fine but how do you get them fresh to go at it again the next day?’

Having gone in level at 0-8 to 1-5, Newcestown pushed on after the resumption, with Edmund Kenneally’s goal helping them into a six-point lead that Killeagh were never likely to erode to any considerable degree.

‘I’m not sure we were at our best by any means in the first half but we stuck in there,’ manager Wilson said.

‘A few things just didn’t come off for us. Maybe we could have had a couple of points’ lead at half-time but maybe we were lucky to be level as well.

‘That’s the way it goes, you face into it and get yourself organised for the second half. Now, we got a fortuitous goal but we took off after that and began to take over.

‘We were getting the pockets of space that we weren’t getting early on. I think the wind was a hard one – there were a couple of efforts I was sure were gone over and they just tailed off and it happened to Killeagh in the second half. That was a killer for them when they were trying to catch up.

‘At the Blackrock goal, they seemed to go straighter.’

Newcestown's Trevor Horgan breaks past the challenge of Killeagh's Eoin Keniry and Ciarán Leahy.

Newcestown had a lot of the ball in the first half but didn’t always make good use of it – they had ten wides in the opening period. Killeagh hit the front with a goal as Seán Walsh’s sideline cut was touched to the net by Gary Leahy and Leahy followed that with a superb point. However, while they led by 1-2 to 0-2 following Dylan McCarthy’s point on 11 minutes, they couldn’t push further ahead.

With Luke Meade coming to the fore at centre-back for Newcestown and Tadgh Twomey and Niall Kelly getting on top at midfield, Newcestown created a lot but couldn’t capitalise. They had seven wides by the 21st minute, trailing by 1-4 to 0-5, but Kenneally’s late points ensured they were level at the break.

Kenneally started the second half as he ended the first as Newcestown regained the lead and, though Darragh O’Brien set up Seán Walsh to level, Killeagh would endure 16 scoreless minutes after that.

Newcestown moved 0-9 to 1-5 in front as Luke Meade sent a free to Colm Dinneen on the right flank and he fired over his second after good interplay with Richard O’Sullivan. A Meade free was also the source of the score to move them two in front, as he found Kenneally in splendid isolation and the attacker sent over his fifth point of the evening.

His sixth, a 65, made it 0-11 to 1-5 before the goal buttressed the advantage, which reached nine points at its apex in the 49th minute.

A pair of Dylan McCarthy frees did end Killeagh’s drought but Newcestown stayed in front as Jack Meade (two) and David Buckley – by this stage joined on the pitch by his Killeagh namesake – ensured a healthy advantage.

Killeagh did have late hope as a long-range Eoghan Keniry point was followed by a well-taken goal from corner-back Seán Long but even then it only brought them back to within four points and Jack Meade and David Buckley had the final say with points at the death.

Carrigtwohill await, having had a break after bypassing the semi-finals.

‘They’ll be focusing on hurling – but you never know, maybe they’ll get bored of it!’ Wilson laughed.

‘On our side, winning is a habit and it’s a case of which one is the better one? I honestly don’t know.

‘Obviously, as a dual club, you’d prefer to avoid the quarter-finals but it is what it is. It’s up to ourselves now.

‘You have to take your chances when they come. We’ll have 15 on the pitch and they’ll have 15 on the pitch.’

Scorers

Newcestown: Edmund Kenneally 1-8 (6f, 1 65); Jack Meade 0-3; Colm Dinneen, Richard O’Sullivan, Niall Kelly, David Buckley 0-2 each.

Killeagh: Dylan McCarthy 0-7 (6f); Gary Leahy 1-1; Seán Long 1-0; Seán Walsh, Eoghan Keniry 0-1 each.

Newcestown: Cathal Wilson; Micheál McSweeney, Gearóid O’Donovan, James Kelleher; Conor O’Neill, Luke Meade, Eoghan Collins; Tadgh Twomey, Niall Kelly; Seán O’Donovan, Richard O’Sullivan, David Buckley; Colm Dinneen, Edmund Kenneally, Jack Meade.

Subs: Trevor Horgan for Seán O’Donovan (52, inj), Ciarán O’Donovan for O’Sullivan (55).

Killeagh: Philip O’Neill; Seán Long, Patrick O’Brien, Dylan Hogan; Ryan McCarthy, Kevin Murphy, Darragh O’Brien; Ciarán Leahy, Seán Walsh; Dinny Walsh, Eoghan Keniry, Shane Smiddy; Colm Leahy, Gary Leahy, Dylan McCarthy.

Subs: Cathal Fitzgibbon for Seán Walsh (36), Andy Leahy for Dinny Walsh (56), David Buckley for Smiddy (55).

Referee: Wayne King (Banteer).