Bandon footballers aim to emulate hurlers

BANDON will aim to keep their dual mandate alive as the club’s footballers clash with Glanworth for a place in the IFC quarter-finals at Ballygarvan on Sunday (3pm).

A clash with Mitchelstown in the last eight is the prize at stake for the Lilywhites, who overcame Ballydesmond in Round 3 a fortnight ago. In between, Kilworth were despatched in the PIHC quarter-final and manager Colm Aherne is enjoying witnessing the progress in both codes.

‘Absolutely, we’re delighted,’ he says.

‘It’s two weeks since the last football game and the hurlers obviously had a great win last weekend too. You can’t beat winning, in my view playing and winning that match against Kilworth was worth ten football training sessions.

‘We’re very lucky that there’s a great relationship with Niall O’Halloran and Paddy Cahalane on the hurling management side, lads are only ever out two or three nights a week whereas before it might have been four.

‘The week of a match, that code takes precedence, but the most they’ll go without training in the other is only seven days.’

Three points separated Bandon from Ballydesmond last time out, but it could and should have been more straightforward after a good first half,

‘I was happy with the first half, but the second was poor,’ Aherne says.

‘Our game-management got a bit ragged, I felt, maybe that came down to a lack of experience. Ballydesmond were a bit cuter and our guys couldn’t react but they managed to hold out, which was the main thing.

‘They’re learning all the time and realising how to cope with different tasks.’

They are certain to be tested again on Sunday, as their North Cork opponents are an experienced outfit who aren’t likely to give much away easily, something Aherne is fully aware of.

‘It’ll be very tough again, because they have a big advantage in that they’re playing in Division 3 and we’re in Division 4,’ he says.

‘You benefit from playing better teams more often, but it’s something we’ll have to deal with. Glanworth a seasoned team, they were top of the league for most of the year and they got to the semi-finals last year so it’ll be a challenge.’

Bandon are in the nice position of not having any injury worries, though Aherne is citing the need for recovery after Pat Prendergast, James O’Donovan, James Walsh, Peter Murphy, Cian O’Mahony, Mark Sugrue and Barry Collins all featured for Carbery against Nemo Rangers on Sunday night, while others will have played U21 on Tuesday night.

Other than that, it’s about ensuring a performance, but he has no fears on that front.

‘Any pressure only comes from within, what the lads put on themselves to perform,’ he says.

‘They set down the standards and anyone who doesn’t meet them is let know about it, there’s no hiding place. That has been a big thing, guys are very honest with each other and there’s no reluctance to pull up people who aren’t putting it in.’