Valley Rovers 1-16    

Carbery Rangers 1-10

CARBERY Rangers’ 20-year stay in the top level of Cork club football is over.

The 2016 county champions slipped down to the Senior A grade after losing this premier senior relegation play-off replay to Valley Rovers in Enniskeane on Saturday. This defeat will sting hard in Rosscarbery, especially as Rangers were seemingly in the driving seat late on in the drawn game two weeks earlier.

This time, there was no late drama as the Innishannon side, inspired by the ageless Fiachra Lynch, proved too good for the Ross men. Valleys dominated the second half, pulling away decisively on the scoreboard. The closing 20 minutes belonged entirely to a Valleys’ team that exhibited much more urgency than a strangely lethargic Ross side.

Where did it all go wrong for Rangers this season? After fine performances against Carrigaline, which they should have won, and against St Finbarr’s, which they could have won, they faced Clonakilty in a vital third-round clash in shocking conditions in Ballinacarriga. Their second-half collapse that day condemned them to the relegation play-off against Valley Rovers. It could be argued that they never properly recovered from that Clon defeat. Again, they collapsed in the last quarter of the drawn Valleys’ game when they had victory within their grasp. And again on Saturday, their second-half performance resulted in a defeat that confirmed their demotion.

Carbery Rangers' Mark Hodnett is challenged by Valley Rovers' David Muckian. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

When the dust settled, there was one name on everybody’s lips: veteran Fiachra Lynch kicked 1-9 as he produced another tour de force at full-forward.

‘The goal was vital after half-time and the man who got it, Fiachra, is outstanding, such a brilliant man, how he leads the team, how he plays. He’s a role model for everybody,’ said Valleys boss Denis Kiely.

‘We got out of jail in the drawn game, but we earned the right to get out of jail and we knew we probably had more room to make improvements than they had. We held our status, up premier for 11 or 12 years. It’s all player-led for the last two weeks and when the players lead, you can achieve. That’s what they did.’

As in the drawn game, Rangers looked good in the opening stages and kicked the first two points from Paul Hodnett and John O’Rourke (free). Jack Walsh and Eoin Guinane pointed to level the scores, but then a great two-pointer from Ciarán Santry and a second point from Paul Hodnett had Ross three in front by the 12th minute.

Enter Fiachra Lynch with his first two-pointed free to haul Valleys back into the game, 0-5 to 0-4 at the end of the first quarter. A great move by the entire Rangers’ half-forward line saw Timmy Cullinane kick a point. When Santry added another, the Ross men seemed to be gathering momentum. The opposite proved true as Valleys got a grip at midfield and held Rangers scoreless for the rest of the half. Points from Ciarán McCarthy, Adam Walsh-Murphy and Lynch (free) had the sides level. Another superb two-point free by Lynch had Valleys in front at the break, 0-9 to 0-7.

Valley Rovers' Matthew Woods tumbles under pressure from Ciarán Santry of Carbery Rangers' during the McCarthy Insurance PSFC relegation play-off replay at Enniskeane on Sunday. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

The second half was less than a minute old when a long ball from Eoin Guinane was palmed high to the net by Lynch to open a five-point gap. 

To Rangers’ credit, they refused to panic. John O’Rourke hit back with a score. In the 35th minute, Paul Hodnett set up Timmy Cullinane for a cracking goal. A point from Ciarán Santry immediately followed, and the sides were level for the third time.

Expectations of a real battle for supremacy were not to be realised as Rangers subsequently went completely off the boil, scoring only one more point, from an O’Rourke free. Valleys seized control decisively. Great determination, urgency, and hard work were the ingredients that saw them rattling off the winning points, seven in all, four coming from the immaculate Lynch. Eoin Guinane, Ciarán McCarthy and Seán McEntee added white flags as Valleys preserved their status, while sending Rangers down a grade.

OUR STAR: Marvellous team performance from Valley Rovers but there was one shining light, full forward Fiachra Lynch, with 1-9 to his credit, including three two-pointers, in a real leader’s role. 

Scorers - Valley Rovers: Fiachra Lynch 1-9 (2f, 3 2ptf); Ciarán McCarthy, Eoin Guinane 0-2 each; Jack Walsh, Adam Walsh-Murphy, Seán McEntee 0-1 each.  Carbery Rangers: Timmy Cullinane 1-1; Ciarán Santry 0-4 (2pt); John O’Rourke 0-3 (2f); Paul Hodnett 0-2. 

Valley Rovers: Billy Curtin; Cian O’Keeffe, Eoin Delaney, Matthew Woods; David Muckian, Jacob O’Driscoll, Johnny Kiely; Darragh Murphy, Cian Johnson; Rory O’Sullivan, Jack Walsh, Eoin Guinane; Ciarán McCarthy, Fiachra Lynch, Adam Walsh-Murphy. Subs: William Hurley for D Murphy (40), Jason Cronin for E Delaney (40), Seán McEntee for C Johnson (52), Adam Casey for R O’Sullivan (60). 

Carbery Rangers: Paul Shanahan; Jack Kevane, Tom O’Rourke, Cian Daly; Ciarán McCarthy, Jerry O’Riordan, John Hodnett; Brian Hodnett, John O’Brien; Mark Hodnett, John O’Rourke, Ciarán Santry; Timmy Cullinane, Conor Twomey, Paul Hodnett. Subs: Kealan Scannell for J Kevane (ht), Peadar O’Rourke for M Hodnett (ht), Sam Linehan for C McCarthy (44), Aaron O’Brien for P Shanahan (48), Brian Shanahan for T Cullinane (55). 

Referee: John Ryan (Macroom).