Ibane Gaels advance to Carbery U21A football final after tense battle with Carbery Rangers in replay

Ibane Gaels 0-9

Carbery Rangers 0-6

JOHN MURPHY REPORTS

JINGLE bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to ride on an Ibane football sleigh! 

The Ibane Gaels football bandwagon rolled relentlessly onwards following this narrow, but deserved three-point win over a resilient Carbery Rangers outfit in the replayed Clona Milk U21A football championship semi-final at a packed and foggy Ballineen on Saturday.

Following all the off-field drama both teams had some unfinished football business to attend to, particularly qualification for the West Cork final and a tilt at Newcestown.

Certainly Santa came early for the huge crowd in the shape of yet another epic football tussle, the result in doubt to the very last whistle. 

The football pendulum of ascendancy swung from one side to the other before finally resting on the centre axis in the dying minutes. Even then Ibane could ill afford to relax until staunch midfield general Andrew Guinevan embarked on a searing solo dash, shook off a couple of Ross defenders and struck a sublime insurance point in the 61st minute.

But there was one final dramatic act left to play out as Ciarán Santry, a huge loss to Rangers and unable to start because of an injury in the first game and introduced in the 51st minute, sent a thunderbolt that just shaved the upright for what would have been the equalising goal and extra-time. But it was not to be and to the victors go the deserved plaudits.

Ibane Gaels' Sean Walsh in control against Carbery Rangers' Michael Maguire during the Clona Milk U21 A FC semi-final replay at Enniskeane on Saturday. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

It was an overjoyed, but relieved Ibane manager Paul Holland who in his post-match summation was lavish in his praise of two superb sides, that given the lateness of the season had served up football cuisine of the highest calibre.

‘A game similar to the first day and given the conditions so late in the year it was an honest display by two committed, evenly matched teams, with plenty of good football touches thrown in. It was close all through, we are just delighted to take the win. We were in total control there at one stage in the second half but the loss of Seán Walsh with a hamstring injury disrupted things’, said Holland.

‘However, we sorted things out and finished in positive mode. Our lads felt we needed to put in a big performance today as reigning champions. I felt we acquitted ourselves well and I am pleased we eked out the win. Our team is very balanced, have a lot of mileage on the clock despite their youth and know each other’s play well, the O’Donovans finish off the moves, but the creativity from defence to attack is a key factor in our success also’.

Despite playing against the stiff breeze, it was Ibane who were the early pacesetters. Andrew Quinevan won an early 45, after Fergal Walsh worked a lovely one-two with twin brother Seán. Unerringly Ryan O’Donovan found the range to open the scoring in the sixth minute.

Two minutes later Conn Dineen was almost in again, but the massed ranks of Rangers – with Killian Eady, David O’Dwyer and Keelan Scannell to the fore – thwarted him. 

Ibane Gaels' Tomás Ó Buachalla tries to get past Carbery Rangers' Sam Linehan during the Clona Milk U21 A FC semi-final replay at Enniskeane on Saturday. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

In a low scoring opening quarter, Colm Hayes flashed over the first of his excellent brace of white flags after Michael Maguire’s quality delivery. The latter was just wide for Rangers in their next sally, but an absolutely magnificent Ryan O’Donovan free gave Ibane the lead in the 19th minute.

Having survived the early Ibane onslaught, Rangers came more into things and Evan Browne, one of their leading lights, was just wide, but more than compensated in the 29th minute bisecting the uprights from an acute angle. Back again came Ibane and when Tomás O’Buachalla’s blistering pace carried him into the Rosscarbery defensive zone, he fed Lorcan O’Leary and when the latter was fouled, up stepped Olan O’Donovan to propel Ibane into a narrow 0-3 to 0-2 interval advantage. 

A pointed free by Ryan O’Donovan, a fabulous score by Olan from an acute angle and another Ryan free opened up an 0-6 to 0-2 lead for Ibane by the 40th minute and given the wind assistance and a number of turnovers enacted Rangers seemed to begin to assume control. 

But the loss of Seán Walsh diluted their momentum for a while and two marvellous scores by Evan Browne and Colm Hayes made it a completely different ball game. When David O’Dwyer soloed up field to fire over a sublime score the bare minimum separated the sides, 0-6 to 0-5 by the 50th minute.

The injured Carbery Rangers' Ciarán Santry came on late in the game and managed to score a point.

Enter Ciarán Santry to put more pep in the Rangers step and after Lorcan O’Leary bisected the uprights, Santry’s free had Rangers snapping at Ibane’s heels. 

However, cometh the hour, cometh the man and after O’Leary sent in a cracking delivery Olan O’Donovan did the business yet again in some style in the 57th minute, the exciting finale already described as Ibane prevailed yet again.

Scorers 

Ibane Gaels: Ryan O’Donovan 0-4 (3f, 1 45), Olan O’Donovan 0-3 (1f), Lorcan O’Leary, Andrew Guinevan 0-1 each.

Carbery Rangers: Evan Browne, Colm Hayes 0-2 each, David O’Dwyer, Ciarán Santry 0-1 (f) each. 

Ibane Gaels: Cormac McCarthy; Michael Walsh, Seán O’Riordan, Fergal Walsh; Philip Flynn, James Moloney, Seán Henchion; Conn Dineen, Andrew Guinevan; Tomás O’Buachalla, Seán Walsh, Adam McSweeney; Ryan O’Donovan, Olan O’Donovan, Lorcan O’Leary.

Subs: Diarmuid McCarthy for Seán Walsh (inj, 51).

Carbery Rangers: Aaron O’Brien; David O’Dwyer, Killian Eady, Sam Linehan; Eamonn Hodnett, Keelan Scannell, Jack Kevane; Brian Kerr, Michael Maguire; Caolan Hayes, Conor Twomey, Niall Keane; Peadar O’Rourke, Colm Hayes, Evan Browne. 

Subs: Ben Linehan for Caolan Hayes (ht), Ciarán McCarthy for Michael Maguire (39), Ciarán Santry for Niall Keane (51), Darragh Calnan for Ben Linehan (58). 

Referee: Ian McCarthy (Bandon).