Kilmacabea 2-11

Charleville 0-14

NOEL HORGAN REPORTS

IT seemed as if Kilmacabea were firmly on course for victory after substitute Liam McCarthy fired in their second goal inside the last quarter of the McCarthy Insurance Group county junior A football championship semi-final clash with Charleville at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday.

McCarthy’s strike pushed them seven points ahead, 2-10 to 0-9, and they were playing well enough to suggest they’d have little difficulty in maintaining an advantage until the finish.

It was by no means plain sailing for the Carbery standard-bearers in the closing stages, however, as Charleville applied some strong pressure.

While the Avondhu kingpins were unable to breach the Kilmacabea defence for the goal they needed to pull the game out of the fire, they did threaten to make a major breakthrough on a couple of occasions.

Kilmacabea, clinging to a three-point lead, had reason to be grateful for the intervention of wing-forward Keith Whelton, who raced back to smartly dispossess Charleville’s Darren Casey as the latter moved menacingly goalwards in the 58th minute.

After Damien Gore eased the winners’ anxiety with a point, Diarmuid O’Callaghan did well to deflect another shot at goal by Casey out for a 45, which Charleville goalkeeper Jesse Smith converted in stoppage time.

With the clock ticking down, Smith pumped another 45 into the danger-zone where a prolonged scramble for possession ensued before reliable Kilmacabea corner-back Dara Tobin emerged with the ball to ensure their passage to the county final.

They were merited victors as they were the more convincing side overall, but it was certainly a bit too close for comfort in the end.

Kilmacabea manager Donnie O’Donovan agreed, admitting it was difficult to put a finger on the reason for the late fade-out.

‘Maybe the lads got nervous when they saw the finishing line, but I thought we retreated into ourselves a bit. Credit to Charleville, they came back at us strongly after we got the second goal,’ he said.

Kilmacabea's Damien Gore in full flight against Charleville. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

Although obviously pleased with the result, O’Donovan believes the team can play better, and he feels they’ll need to if they hope to come up trumps against Donoughmore in the final.

‘The last three county titles have been won by the Mid Cork champions, so we’ll probably be underdogs against Donoughmore, but the bottom line is we’re there with a chance. Maybe the experience gained from reaching the semi-finals last year will stand to us,’ he remarked.

There was a lot to admire about Kilmacabea’s performance in a contest containing some excellent passages of free-flowing football. They made the better start, with Ian Jennings contributing a two-pointer as they moved 0-4 to 0-1 ahead inside ten minutes.

Following the boost of a two-pointer from a free by custodian Smith, Charleville showed they were equipped to provide stiff opposition.

After going eight minutes without a score, Kilmacabea needed a Damien Gore two-pointer from a free to draw level at 0-6 apiece before regaining the lead, courtesy of an inspirational point from Diarmuid O’Callaghan.

Kilmacabea goalkeeper Colin McCarthy proved his worth when tipping a shot from Charleville’s stand-out performer Darren Butler over the bar in the 29th minute. Damien Gore completed the first-half scoring to make it 0-8 to 0-7 at the interval.

Kilmacabea restarted with wing-back Ian Jennings at midfield – a switch that yielded a rich dividend when Diarmuid O’Callaghan and Damien Gore worked the ball up to Jennings, who completed a powerful run from the left corner with a cracking goal.

The decision to spring Liam McCarthy from the bench ten minutes into the second half also paid off big-time for Kilmacabea, as McCarthy, taking a return-pass from Damien Gore, found the net with conviction six minutes later.

With Gore and Daniel O’Donovan most influential up front, and such as Ian Jennings, Owen Tobin, Martin Collins and Diarmuid O’Callaghan working tirelessly around the middle to give them a territorial edge, Kilmacabea looked ready to coast home at that juncture.

Whether they were guilty of resting on their laurels or Charleville simply raised their game to new heights is a moot point, but, one way or another, the trend of the play took a definite swing in the losers’ favour on the run-in.

That Kilmacabea, ousted by eventual champions Inniscarra at the semi-final stage last year, were relieved to hear the last whistle is beyond dispute.

OUR STAR: Diarmuid O’Callaghan kicked an inspirational point in the first half, had a hand in the lead-up to Kilmacabea’s first goal, foiled a promising Charleville raid near the end, and his work-rate over the hour couldn’t be faulted.

Scorers

Kilmacabea: I Jennings 1-2 (2pt); D Gore 0-5 (2ptf, 1f); L McCarthy 1-0; D McCarthy, D O’Callaghan, D O’Donovan, E Shanahan 0-1 each.

Charleville: D Butler 0-7 (2pt, 2ptf); J O’Callaghan 0-3 (1f); S Smith 0-3 (2ptf, 45); R Carroll 0-1.

Kilmacabea: C McCarthy: L Tobin, D Whooley, D Tobin; O Tobin, M Collins, I Jennings; O Kerrisk, D O’Callaghan; D McCarthy, D O’Donovan, K Whelton; E Shanahan, J Collins, D Gore.

Subs: L McCarthy for D McCarthy (40), R Shanahan for Kerrisk (46), R Hourihane for Collins (46), Collins for O’Donovan (56), D McCarthy for E Shanahan (56).

Charleville: J Smith; S Liddy, B O’Connell, D O’Sullivan; J Meade, D O’Flynn, O O’Connell; J Buckley, R Carroll; D Casey, J O’Callaghan, Z Biggane; C Buckley, D Butler, S Bresnan.

Subs: D Fitzgibbon for Buckley (34), D Forde for O O’Connell (39).

Referee: R Whelan (Kilworth).