O’Donovan Rossa 2-13
St Vals 2-13
MAIREAD COURTNEY REPORTS
A remarkable second-half comeback, as they rallied from 12 points down early in the second half, has kept O’Donovan Rossa’s hopes of qualifying for the senior A semi-finals alive.
In their first year in the Cork Credit Unions Senior Championship, the Skibbereen side has more than held its own and is now waiting to see if it's them or St Vals who will take their place in the last four of the A competition.
Skibb will be keeping a close eye on St Vals versus Clonakilty in Group 1 this Sunday. Vals must win by six points or more to take the last semi-final spot in the senior A competition, which would leave Skibb to compete in the senior B.
James O’Donovan’s team will take a lot of heart from their performance at home against Vals last Sunday. From the throw-in, Laura O’Mahony showed her blistering pace to cut through the St Vals defense, laying the ball off to the impressive Fionnuala O’Driscoll, who registered the opening score after only 20 seconds.
St Vals, playing with the aid of a strong breeze, struggled to get their kickouts cleanly away under pressure from the Skibb forwards. Points from wing back Emer McCarthy and Cork minor forward Éabha O’Donovan left it 0-3 to 0-0 after five minutes, but Skibb – missing All-Ireland winning Cork minor captain Allie Tobin – should have been further ahead. Fionnuala O’Driscoll’s shot on goal was denied by the upright, and two scorable point chances would later be regretted.
St Vals started to find their rhythm, with scoring powerhouse Ciara McCarthy slotting over a free. Finally getting a handle on their own kickouts, they began to show their experience at this grade. O’Donovan, Mallaidh O’Neill, and Katie O’Donovan traded points with McCarthy (4) and the evergreen Briege Corkery, leaving it 0-6 apiece after 19 minutes. From here to half-time, it was all Vals.
A high press on the Skibb kickout reaped huge rewards for the Cloughduv outfit as Skibb goalkeeper Tara O’Regan struggled to find a red jersey in space. Vals stretched their lead to five with scores from McCarthy (3), Amy Sheppard, and captain Mairead Corkery.
Skibb were then hit by the concession of two goals in a three-minute spell – Briege Corkery scored in the 25th minute, before McCarthy rattled the net two minutes later. Vals led by 11 at the break, 2-11 to 0-6.
Vals opened the second-half scoring with another McCarthy point, but an Amy Sheppard effort after 46 minutes would be their only other score of the half as O’Donovan Rossa took complete control.
Three points from Éabha O’Donovan (including two frees), two more for O’Driscoll, and one for Sinead Farrell had the gap down to seven. In the 47th minute, the home side got the breakthrough they needed. Pinpoint passing from O’Driscoll and Emer McCarthy found half-time sub Orla McCarthy in space, and she made no mistake, blasting the ball to the roof of the Vals net. Another O’Donovan free cut the gap down to three points.
In the 56th minute, Emer McCarthy finished a great Skibb passing move with a long-range shot on goal that crept in over Chelsea Love’s head. Incredibly, it was now 2-13 apiece with four minutes left.
Valiant defending by both sets of backs meant that was the last of the scoring action. Michelle Donnellan and Aoife Whooley for the home side, and Aileen Corkery for the visitors, were particularly impressive in that regard. A draw is probably a fair reflection on an evenly contested game, with both teams having periods of dominance.
Scorers
O’Donovan Rossa: É O’Donovan 0-6 (3f); E McCarthy 1-1; O McCarthy 1-0; F O’Driscoll 0-3; M O’Neill, S Farrell, K O’Donovan 0-1 each
St Vals: C McCarthy 1-9 (3f); B Corkery 1-1; A Sheppard 0-2; M Corkery 0-1.
O’Donovan Rossa: T O’Regan; M Donellan, A Whooley, E Fitzgerald; F Leonard, S Hurley, E McCarthy; L O’Mahony (captain), M O’Neill; T Murphy, É O’Donovan, A O’Driscoll; S Farrell, K O’Donovan, F O’Driscoll.
St Vals: C Love; M Cotter, C Ambrose, B Cotter; E O’Shea, A Corkery, A Keane; L McMahon, C Hughes; A O’Mahony, L O’Shea, M Corkery (captain); A Sheppard, B Corkery, C McCarthy.
Referee: Paul O’Callaghan.
