St Finbarr’s 1-20
Clonakilty 2-15 (aet)
JJ HURLEY REPORTS
If this was the appetiser to the main course, we can’t wait to see what happens when Clonakilty and St Finbarr’s clash in the county premier senior football championship later this month.
When they collided in the McCarthy Insurance Group Football League Division 1 final at Ballygarvan, the Barrs took the honours – and the trophy – after hitting a late, late goal in extra time to settle this epic.
In a game full of drama, a Darragh Gough free on 76 minutes gave Clon a one-point cushion and put one hand on the cup, only for the Togher outfit to grab a dramatic winner through John Wigginton-Barrett two minutes later. Still, a philosophical Clonakilty selector Eoin Ryan wasn’t too despondent speaking to The Southern Star afterward.
Clonakilty's goalkeeper Mark White breaks away from St Finbarr's Jamie Burns.
‘It was a good game of football. The ball was greasy, there were turnovers, there were mistakes made. That’s what happens in extra time – the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins,’ Ryan said.
‘Look, we couldn’t have asked any more from the lads. They gave it everything.’
It was the West Cork outfit who opened the scoring, as Mark White landed the first of his three 45s, before Steven Sherlock opened his account moments later – the first of an incredible 18 points.
Clonakilty edged ahead again when Ross Mannix pointed, but the Togher men hit four unanswered scores, the last of which came from Sherlock after reacting quickest to a rebound from a brilliant White save.
Clonakilty's David Lowney gets the better of Adam Lyne of St Finbarr's during the McCarthy Insurance FL Division 1 final at Ballygarvan on Friday evening.
Motoring well, a Thomas Clancy point seemed to settle Clon nerves on 22 minutes, with the scoreboard reading 0-5 to 0-3 in the Barrs’ favour. Another Sherlock point was answered by three in a row from Clon – White (45), Dara Ó Sé and Conor Daly all on target – to level the game at 0-7 apiece at the break.
The Barrs regained the lead early in the second half, only for Clon to rock them with a brilliant Luke Griffin goal, set up by Daly. With momentum building, Ross Mannix added a point before Sherlock responded. But Clon weren’t letting go – Ó Sé fired over again, and then Darragh Gough rattled the net after a slick move involving Daly and Seán McEvoy. Clon now led 2-9 to 0-9 after 44 minutes.
Sherlock took over from there, continuing his scoring spree as the Barrs edged back into it. They looked like snatching it in normal time when I Maguire fed Thomas O’Keeffe, but Maurice Shanley produced a heroic block to somehow stop the goal-bound effort on 57 minutes.
With time almost up, it was Gough who tied the game with a late score – 2-11 to 0-17 after full time.
St Finbarr's John Wigginton Barrett is pursuid by Clonakilty's Luke Griffin and Ross Mannix during the McCarthy Insurance FL Division 1 final at Ballygarvan on Friday evening.
After swapping a point apiece in the first period of extra time, the sides were level after ten additional minutes. The Barrs hit the front again on 76 minutes, but Clon fought back twice to nose ahead through Ó Sé and Gough. However, it wasn’t to be, as the Barrs capitalised on a quick free and Wigginton-Barrett pounced to hit the match-winning goal and break Clonakilty hearts.
More of the same, please, when they meet again in two weeks’ time.
Our Star: Thomas Clancy and Dara Ó Sé both impressed for Clonakilty, but how can you look past Steven Sherlock after his haul of 18 points!
Scorers
St Finbarr’s: S Sherlock 0-18 (1 tp, 2 tpf, 7f); J Wigginton-Barrett 1-0; B O’Connell 0-2.
Clonakilty: D Gough 1-3 (1f); L Griffin 1-1; M White (45s), D Ó Sé 0-3 each; R Mannix 0-2; C Daly, T Clancy, B Ridgeway 0-1 each.
St Finbarr’s: D Newman; S Ryan, A O’Connor, J Kennefick; B O’Connell, J Burns, E Dennehy; F Crowley, E Comyns; C Doolan, J Wigginton-Barrett, A Lyne; C Barrett, S Sherlock, I Maguire.
Subs: L Hannigan for Comyns (10, inj), B Hennessy for J Kennefick (41), C O’Sullivan for C Barrett (50), T O’Keeffe for A Lyne (52), A Lyne for B O’Connell (60+2), B O’Connell for L Hannigan (65).
Clonakilty: M White; C Kenneally, D Darragh, D Lowney; M Shanley, T Clancy, J O’Mahony; D Ó Sé, B Ridgeway; R Mannix, D Gough, S McEvoy; L Griffin, C Ustianowski, C Daly.
Sub: B White for C Ustianowski (37).
Referee: C Murphy (Glanworth).
