‘We just never got going,’ admits Ross boss Seamus Hayes after Valley Rovers tear up the script

VALLEY ROVERS 1-14

CARBERY RANGERS 0-11

GER McCARTHY REPORTS

THIS was not in Carbery Rangers’ script. Heading into this final Group A game against bottom-of-the-table Valley Rovers, the Rosscarbery club knew a win would likely see them into the quarter-finals. As it turns out, if Rangers won, they’d be in the knock-out stages. But they came up short.

While Valleys ended Carbery Rangers’ season, they also maintained their own Bon Secours Cork Premier SFC status in Timoleague on Sunday afternoon.

Fiachra Lynch continued his Indian summer with a third influential display in as many Group A matches to help seal Valleys’ unexpected victory. Lynch scored 0-8 and his team-mate Billy Crowley added three points as a previously winless Rovers proved too strong for a disappointing Rangers.

The aforementioned Billy is a brother to Irish international rugby out-half Jack Crowley who made his World Cup debut in Bordeaux 24 hours earlier so it was a memorable weekend for the Crowley household on both the international and local scenes.

Valley Rovers' Darragh Murphy is chased by Carbery Rangers' Tom O’Rourke during the Bon Secours PSFC Group A game in Timoleague.
(Photos: Martin Walsh)

‘I suppose we struggled all year, got relegated in the league and were up against it coming into the championship,’ Lynch told The Southern Star.

‘We were hammered by Clonakilty in the first round but put it up to the Haven who were just better than us on the day. This is massive, a huge performance and a huge win to keep Valley Rovers up. We have a young team who are looking forward to staying up and going at it again next year.’

From start to finish, a Valley Rovers team requiring a first championship win of the year just to stay in the premier senior grade were the better team.

Although their two-point interval lead was hard-earned, a positive third quarter and solid finish culminating in Eoghan Delaney’s injury-time goal delivered victory.

As for Carbery Rangers, a bad day at the office was compounded by talismanic forward John Hayes having to go off injured two minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute. Manager Seamus Hayes made no excuses. They had their destiny in their own hands here: win and it would have been enough to send them into the quarter-finals.

‘I think it is a fair assessment to say we just never got going today,’ Hayes commented.

‘We knew coming over here that Valleys would present a formidable challenge. In the first half we played right into their game-plan.

‘Going forward with the ball, time after time we turned possession over. Different players were doing it, it wasn’t just one player. When you turn the ball over like that against a team set up to hit you on the counter-attack, it is very disappointing.’

Rangers will not have to face a relegation play-off but there can be no getting away from the fact a promising season has ended on a disappointing note.

There was nothing between the teams following a free-flowing opening period with Valley Rovers leading 0-3 to 0-2 after ten minutes. James Fitzpatrick and Barry Kerr scored for Rangers with Billy Crowley, Fiachra Lynch and Darragh Murphy raising white flags for Rovers. Paul Shanahan produced an excellent stop to prevent Ben Murphy from scoring a goal prior to Carbery’s Ciarán Santry and Darragh Hayes firing over in quick succession.

A scrappy period meant the game’s next score didn’t arrive until after 23 minutes as Fiachra Lynch landed two frees in quick succession. A terrific Billy Crowley score made it 0-6 to 0-4 in Rovers’ favour soon after. John O’Rourke (free) and Fiachra Lynch (free) scores ended the first half with Valleys 0-7 to 0-5 in front.

John Hayes’ interval introduction lasted all of two minutes as the former Cork inter-county player was forced off injured. Valleys continued to press forward and two Fiachra Lynch points plus an Adam Kenneally effort made it 0-10 to 0-6. John O’Rourke landed Carbery Rangers’ solitary score of the third quarter in reply.

Kenneally was sent off for a second yellow card offence shortly after, but Billy Crowley and a Fiachra Lynch mark made it 0-12 to 0-6 as Valleys continued to power forward.

Rangers rallied in the final minutes with Peadar O’Rourke, James O’Riordan and Paul Hodnett scoring during a positive spell. Both teams finished with 14 players following Rangers’ John O’Brien’s late sending off.

In the end, Fiachra Lynch and Eoin O’Reilly points preceded an injury-time Eoghan Delaney goal to secure Rovers’ 1-14 to 0-11 success.

‘It took us a while to bed in our game plan during the year,’ Fiachra Lynch admitted.

‘Today’s performance showed all the hard work that we have put in over the last couple of weeks. It is hard, as a dual club, to play hurling and football. Ross had three weeks to prepare for this game while we had a hurling championship game in between.

‘It is difficult but when both teams are going well, hopefully, this win will give the hurlers a boost ahead of the weekend. We are happy with today and happy with our lot.’

Scorers 

Valley Rovers: F Lynch 0-8 (4f, 1 m, 1 45); B Crowley 0-3; E Delaney 1-0; D Murphy, A Kenneally, E O’Reilly 0-1 each.

Carbery Rangers: J O’Rourke 0-4 (1f); P O’Rourke (1f), J Fitzpatrick, B Kerr, D Hayes, C Santry, J O’Riordan, P Hodnett 0-1 each.

Valley Rovers: E O’Sullivan; C O’Keefe, T O’Brien, D Muckian; B Murphy, J O’Driscoll, A Walsh Murphy; D Murphy, J Kiely (captain); W Hurley, A Kenneally, R O’Sullivan; B Crowley, F Lynch, S Lynch.

Subs: E O’Reilly for R O’Sullivan (48), D O’Shea for S Lynch (56), D O’Dwyer for F Lynch (58).

Carbery Rangers: P Shanahan; B Shanahan, K Scannell, C Daly; J O’Riordan, T O’Rourke (captain), B Hodnett; B Kerr, J O’Brien; P O’Rourke, J O’Rourke, J Hodnett; J Fitzpatrick, D Hayes, C Santry.

Subs: J Kevane for J O’Brien (23), J Hayes for B Kerr (ht), D O’Dwyer for J Hayes (32, inj), P Hodnett for D Hayes (42), J O’Brien for T O’Rourke (52).

Referee: David Murnane (Macroom).