BÉAL ÁTHAN 0-15
O’DONOVAN ROSSA 1-12
GER McCARTHY REPORTS
ONE point gained or one point lost? That was the question being asked by Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh and O’Donovan Rossa following their McCarthy Insurance Group SAFC Group 3 draw in Bantry on Sunday evening.
The night before, Bishopstown had blown the race to qualify from the group wide open with a surprise two-point win over Dohenys. Neither Ballingeary nor Skibbereen were able to follow suit the following evening, having to settle for a share of the spoils.
Béal Átha’n were the better team in the first half, building a three-point interval advantage off the back of Diarmuid Mac Thomáis’ accuracy (who finished with seven points) plus Daire Ó Briain and Conchúir Ó Loinsigh’s marvellous fielding.
O’Donovan Rossa were the better team in the second period, utilising corner forward Elliott Connolly’s 1-2 to move four clear heading into the closing stages.
A late Béal Áthan comeback drew the sides level, however, and with both teams squandering potential injury-time winners, the sides had to settle for a draw.
O'Donovan Rossa's Niall Daly is challenged by Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh's Seán Ó Luasa.
‘I wouldn’t say it was the worst start for us but we felt we let ourselves down in the first half,’ Rossas manager Gene Hourihane commented.
‘This is senior football – if you don’t play for the full 60 minutes then sometimes you get sucker punched.
‘We are absolutely delighted with our lads and the way they came out in the second half. In fairness to them, everything improved, our work rate, scores, everything.’
‘When you are three points up at half time, you target the third quarter to try and kick on and unfortunately that didn’t happen,’ Béal Áthan’s Aindrias Ó Coinceannáin explained.
‘Skibb drew us back in, got level, got their goal and then we were under pressure. Look, our lads showed great character to get a draw in the end. We had a chance to win it but it didn’t work out.
‘There are ifs and buts and you are asking if this and that happened. We have a point and that point might prove valuable by the end of the group stage.’
Diarmuid Mac Thomáis and Kevin Davis exchanged early frees prior to Skibb’s Kevin Hurley blazing a goal chance wide. Mac Thomáis and Rory Byrne scored to level matters for a second time before the classy Mac Thomáis took his and Béal Áthan’s total to four points. Goalkeeper Darren Ó Coill made it 0-5 to 0-2 via a converted 45 after 20 minutes.
Poor shooting blighted Rossa's attempts to stay in the game until a well-worked Ciarán Coombes effort sailed over.
Conchúir Ó Loinsigh responded but quick-fire Kevin Davis (free) and Niall Daly scores reduced the deficit. Béal Áthan changed ends 0-8 to 0-5 in front, as Seán Ó Muimhneacháin and Diarmuid Mac Thomáis found their range.
Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh's Daire Ó Ceallacháin goes past O'Donovan Rossa's Kevin Hurley during the McCarthy Insurance SAFC at Bantry on Sunday evening.
The scores kept coming and it was 0-9 apiece by the 37th minute thanks to Niall Daly, Rory Byrne and Kevin Davis’ accuracy. Seán Ó Luasa replied for the Muskerry team. Then, Elliot Connolly cut in along the byline and fired into the net before adding a point to stretch Skibb’s lead to four.
Béal Áthan struck back thanks to Seamus Ó Tuama, Diarmuid Ó Ceallacháin and Conor Ó Lionsigh. Connolly and Mac Thomáis exchanged scores and it was 1-12 to 0-13 in Rossa’s favour once Thomás Hegarty fisted over.
Mac Thomáis replied from a close-in free after Rossa’s Frank Hurley had been black carded. Deep into injury-time, gaining possession from the ensuing kick-out, Béal Áthan worked the ball to Donagh Seartan who split the posts to secure a draw.
‘That first-half performance hurt us,’ Gene Hourihane admitted.
‘If we played for the full 60 minutes, we felt we would probably have gotten over the line.’
OUR STAR: Béal Átha’n’s Diarmuid Mac Thomáis was the best player on view and scored seven points.
Scorers
Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh: D Mac Thomáis 0-7 (3f); C Ó Loinsigh 0-2; D Ó Coill (1 45), S Ó Muimhneacháin, S Ó Luasa, S Ó Tuama, D Ó Ceallacháin, D Seartan 0-1 each.
O’Donovan Rossa: E Connolly 1-2; K Davis (3f), N Daly 0-3 each; R Byrne 0-2; K Hurley, T Hegarty 0-1 each.
Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh: D Ó Coill; S Ó Donnchú, B Ó hArgáin, E Ó Duinnín; D Seartan, C Ó Nuanáin, G Ó Laoire; D Ó Briain, C Ó Loinsigh; D Ó Ceallacháin, S Ó Luasa, N Ó Laoire; D Mac Thomáis, C Ó Duinnín, S Ó Muimhneacháin.
Subs: D Ó Ceallacháin for N Ó Laoire (43), S Ó Tuama for S Ó Luasa (46), P Ó Tuama for B Ó hArgáin (41, inj).
O’Donovan Rossa: R Price; D Hourihan jnr, F Hurley, P O’Neill; O Lucey, K Hurley, C Coombes; R Byrne, D Daly; B Crowley, K Davis, N Daly; L Connolly, D Shannon, E Connolly.
Subs: L Harte for O Lucey (ht), T Hegarty for D Shannon (41).
Referee: Cormac Dineen (Douglas).
