Clann na nGael 3-7

Garnish 0-12

TOM LYONS REPORTS

CLANN na nGael got their McCarthy Insurance Group Confined Junior B Football Championship campaign off to a winning start, but were pushed all the way by Garnish.

Playing with the breeze in the first half at Kealkill on Friday evening, two goals from Damien Fernandez, the second a superb solo effort in injury time, pushed the Scorchers into a 2-4 to 0-2 lead at the break.

With a few vital positional changes, Garnish gritted their teeth, closed the gap and levelled the game with ten minutes left.

Another Clann na nGael sub, Robbie McQueen, regained the lead for his side with a pointed free, but two minutes later saw his penalty shot – awarded when Fernandez was fouled by Darragh Henshaw, who was black carded – being brilliantly saved by Garnish goalkeeper John O’Driscoll.

The play was stopped for 20 minutes as Clann sub Conor O’Mahony, just on the pitch, went down with a serious ankle injury with six minutes remaining. Sub Brian McCarthy, replaced the unlucky O’Mahony and within a minute of the restart, with his first touch, his shot from an acute angle dipped over the goalkeeper’s head, nestling in the top corner of the net. It was the score that won the game for the beaten semi-finalists of the previous two seasons.

Garnish's Tommy O'Sullivan tries to stop Clann na nGael's Paddy McCarthy. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

‘That was a close one, a little too tight, we’re delighted to come out of it with a win,’ admitted Clann head coach Mike O’Brien.

‘I thought Garnish were very sharp on the breaking ball – we hardly won one. They had a lot of play but our backs were very sticky all through. Our forwards looked a bit more dangerous than theirs.

‘We were hanging on there by a point before the injury, and were lucky to get the goal at the end.

‘We have very little done so far, this week was our first with a full squad. They’re all back now so hopefully, we will be improving from here on in. Tonight was a good start but that form won’t do further down the road. We’ll have to drive it on from here.’

In a first half that was slow to catch fire, there was little between the sides as Garnish, mostly through the efforts of the two outstanding Terry O’Sullivan brothers, Brian and Seán, dominated possession in the middle third but failed to convert it into scores.

With less of the ball, the Clann forwards looked very dangerous in possession, particularly Damien Fernandez and Eric Crowley. The Beara men opened the scoring with a point from Odhran O’Mahony but that was to be the first of only two points they scored in the first half. The second came from a Brian Terry free in the 18th minute.

Looking dangerous in breakaways, Clann rattled off three points from Paddy McCarthy (free), Eric Crowley and James Russell. In the 15th minute, they struck for their first goal, Russell setting up Fernandez. Clann failed to build on that goal against a battling Garnish until Kevin O’Driscoll pointed in injury time before the break and Fernandez came up with his second superb goal. It was 2-4 to 0-2 at the break.

Garnish goalkeeper John O'Driscoll saves a penalty from Clann na nGael's Robbie McQueen. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Seán Terry’s move from centre back to centre forward for the second half paid rich dividends for Garnish – his strength created major problems for the Clann defence. Two pointed frees from O’Sullivan closed the gap before Russell managed Clann’s only point, from a free, in the third quarter.

It was all Garnish as Brian Terry kicked a superb two-pointer, followed with a point, and Jerome O’Dwyer and Shane Mahon added two more. Another two-pointer from Brian Terry levelled the game with ten minutes remaining.

A pointed free from impressive sub Robbie McQueen had Clann back in front before the saved penalty and the long break for the injury to Conor O’Mahony. McCarthy’s goal was the match-winner, with Seán Terry, free, and McQueen, swapping points before the final whistle in the descending dusk.

OUR STAR: Special mention for Seán Terry O’Sullivan (Garnish) and Damien Fernandez (Clann na nGael) but Garnish midfielder Brian Terry O’Sullivan was a colossus all through and almost swung the game with his two two-pointers in the second half.

Scorers

Clann na nGael: Damien Fernandez 2-0; Brian McCarthy 1-0; James Russell (1f), Robbie McQueen (1f) 0-2 each; Kevin O’Driscoll, Eric Crowley, Paul McCarthy 0-1 each.

Garnish: Brian Terry O’Sullivan 0-6 (2 2pt, 1f); Seán Terry O’Sullivan 0-3f; Shane Moran, Odhran O’Mahony, Jerome O’Dwyer 0-1 each.

Clann na nGael: Eoin Daly; Ronan O’Driscoll, JJ Collins, Niall Keating; Ryan O’Donovan, Eoin Daly, Jack Coveney; Kevin O’Driscoll, Luke Hurley; Will O’Donovan, Eric Crowley, Cian O’Reilly; James Russell, Paddy McCarthy, Damien Fernandez.

Subs: Robbie McQueen for W O’Donovan (ht), Séamus O’Regan for Cian O’Reilly (ht), Dan McCarthy for J Russell (50), Conor O’Mahony for R O’Driscoll (55), Brian McCarthy for C O’Mahony (58, inj).

Garnish: John O’Driscoll; Tommy O’Sullivan, Éanna Murphy, Gary O’Sullivan; Cian O’Neill, Seán Terry O’Sullivan, Jack O’Sullivan; Brian Terry O’Sullivan, Alan O’Sullivan; Naoise Jessy, Shane Moran, Odhran O’Mahony; Rory O’Neill, Charlie Murphy, Dylan Henshaw.

Subs: Darragh Henshaw for T O’Sullivan (28), Tadhg O’Sullivan for J O’Sullivan (40), Jerome O’Dwyer for A O’Sullivan (44), Cathal McCarthy for O O’Mahony (52).

Referee: James Kingston (Carbery Rangers).