Carbery Rangers secure qualification with a game to spare

Carbery Rangers 2-11

Éire Óg 1-12

JOHNNY CAROLAN REPORTS

CARBERY Rangers will face county champions St Finbarr’s in the final round of Bons Secours Hospital Cork Premier SFC group A fixtures safe in the knowledge that they will compete in the knockout stages whatever happens.

At Charlie Hurley Park in Bandon, goals from Alan Jennings and Darragh Hayes were key as the Rosscarbery side followed up their earlier win over Carrigaline with victory against Éire Óg. 

With the Barrs also recording two wins, it means that, having not qualified in 2020 or 2021, Ross are through with a game to spare and the final match will decide who finishes first and second.

Naturally, manager Declan Hayes was played.

‘Obviously, the objective at the start of the season when the draws were made was to come out of the group,’ he said.

‘We’ve done that with a game to spare, which is great. We’re now into knockout and we’ve another four or five weeks, so there’s a chance to work hard now in the meantime.

‘We were hanging on to them for the first 15 or 20 minutes, definitely – they looked like they could pull away from us and we weren't happy at all with a lot of aspects of it.

‘But, we know that the lads have savage work put in and that they’re in great condition. We were confident that, if we were there with 15 minutes to go, we’d push on.

‘I don’t know were the lads thinking too much about the conditions and the heat, as they’d heard so much about it all week and they stood off a bit. I think the way they opened up in the last ten minutes was excellent and we were happy with that but obviously we weren’t happy with the start.’

Eire Óg's Ronan O'Toole is challenged by Carbery Rangers' Alan Jennings during the Cork PSFC round two tie at Bandon.

It took Ross a while to get going, however. Points from Jack Kevane and the excellent Jerry O’Riordan were their only response as Éire Óg enjoyed a good start that could have been even better as Joe Cooper put a goal chance wide. Even so, captain Daniel Goulding was in good scoring form for the Ovens side, who were missing Cork’s John Cooper.

They were 0-5 to 0-2 ahead after the opening 20 minutes but an Alan Jennings goal – set up by O’Riordan and John O’Rourke but not unsaveable for goalkeeper Chris Kelly – levelled the match.

Kevane might have added another immediately after that after being set up by John O’Rourke but his shot hit the outside of the post and went wide. Colm O’Callaghan’s point sent Éire Óg in leading at half-time, though they went close to a goal just before the break, with Paul Shanahan saving from Dylan Foley.

Ross were ahead inside two second-half minutes thanks to points from John and Peadar O’Rourke only for Goulding to respond with a quick Éire Óg double.

The former Cork start was on hand again after Darragh Hayes levelled but it was the last time they led. Jack O’Regan and Brian Shanahan made it 1-7 to 0-9 for Ross with Joe Cooper tying matters before the game’s key score.

Shanahan’s massive kickout allowed John Hodnett to pick up possession and head for goal but he unselfishly set up Darragh Hayes, who finished to the net. Again, there was a chance of another but Kelly saved from Jack O’Regan, set up by O’Riordan. Goalkeeper Shanahan pointed the 45 for a 2-8 to 0-10 lead.

While Brian Hurley and Goulding brought Éire Óg back to within two, O’Riordan was the provider for O’Regan to give Ross breathing space before John Hayes tacked on a free after his introduction as a sub.

Eire Óg's Donnacha Kelly tries to get past Carbery Rangers' Kealan Scannell.

After Peadar O’Rourke’s second made it 2-11 to 0-12, O’Callaghan did have a late Éire Óg goal but they could not come any closer, leaving Ross and Declan Hayes looking ahead to the Barrs challenge.

‘It might give us a chance to try playing a different way or whatever,’ he said.

‘The Barrs are a super team and they’re different to a lot of other teams in that they have savage scoring forwards, which might mean approaching things differently.

‘This format is great, you’re coming up against teams who play different ways all the time.’

Scorers - Carbery Rangers: Darragh Hayes 1-1 (1f); Alan Jennings 1-0; Peadar O’Rourke, Jack O’Regan 0-2 each; Jerry O’Riordan, Jack Kevane, Brian Shanahan, John O’Rourke, Paul Shanahan (0-1 45), John Hayes (f) 0-1 each. Éire Óg: Daniel Goulding 0-7 (4f); Colm O’Callaghan 1-2; Joe Cooper, Kevin Hallissey, Brian Hurley 0-1 each. 

Carbery Rangers: Paul Shanahan; Cian Daly, Thomas O’Rourke, Kelan Scannell; Jerry O’Riordan, Brian Hodnett, Pa Hurley; Jack Kevane, James Fitzpatrick; Brian Shanahan, John Hodnett, Alan Jennings; Darragh Hayes, John O’Rourke, Peadar O’Rourke. Subs: Sam Linehan for Daly (35), Jack O’Regan for Fitzpatrick (35), John Hayes for Darragh Hayes (50), Barry Kerr for Shanahan (59).

Éire Óg: Chris Kelly; Michael Corkery, Mark Griffin, John Mullins; Daire McCarthy, Dermot O’Herlihy, Diarmuid Dineen; Colm O’Callagahn, Ronan O’Toole; Kevin Hallissey, Joe Cooper, Donnacha Kelly; Dylan Foley, Daniel Goulding, James Kelleher. Subs: Brian Hurley for McCarthy (48), Diarmuid Kirwan for Dineen (51), Rian O’Flynn for Kelly (53), Brian Thompson for Corkery (50).

Referee: James Bermingham (Bride Rovers).