FLOR O’Driscoll believes Ilen Rovers’ disappointment in the drawn county intermediate A football championship final will drive his players to go one better in Sunday’s replay at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Cork senior Neil Lordan’s last-gasp two-point free earned Ballinora another crack at the title and denied Ilen their moment of glory, as the sides finished level at 2-9 to 0-15. The two clubs meet again on Sunday (1.30pm), and Ilen manager O’Driscoll hopes his side can produce a complete 60-minute performance this time.

So, what was the Ilen dressing-room like after having a county title snatched from their grasp?

‘I think, obviously, it was a bit subdued initially,’ the Ilen Rovers manager admitted to The Southern Star.

‘There was a mix of emotions in how the game finished, but also a reflection of the overall performance. Since then, things have evolved again.

‘Now we are definitely back to business mode and preparing for the replay. I think we’re all good. The mood, the camp is in a really good place right now.

‘We are happy with where we’re going and we’ll keep building right up to the game in Páirc Uí Chaoimh again the next day.’

A two-week gap between games has given Ilen Rovers extra recovery time, while Ballinora’s junior A hurlers were in championship action against Belgooly last weekend.

‘I don’t think it (two-week gap) matters so much,’ O’Driscoll said.

‘Every individual probably has a different preference, but the most important thing was to get certainty.

‘Once we knew when the replay was going ahead, we could start making our arrangements from there. You just focus. Whatever the day of the replay is, that’s the day it is. You just focus on your preparation and everything around that. As I said, the two-week break is probably a different preference for different people. Whatever it is, we are focused on it now.’

Ilen Rovers manager Flor O'Driscoll.

There’s no denying Ilen wasted a golden opportunity to clinch silverware in the drawn county decider. They were within touching distance of the cup before a costly infringement – a three-player up rule breach – handed Lordan the chance to force a replay, which he duly took.

Letting slip a six-point lead midway through the first half, requiring goalkeeper Damien O’Sullivan to save a penalty, and spurning several scoring chances, all underline why Ilen will need to improve on Sunday.

‘We need to be better,’ O’Driscoll admitted.

‘Any performance, there’s multiple factors that go into it. I thought our attitude and work rate were excellent, just like they have been every single day this year. We were really, really pleased with that.

‘Obviously, in our own performance, there are things we can do better, but we also need to be realistic. We’re playing against a very, very good team. We went in the last day with our eyes wide open, knowing that Ballinora are a top team. They’ve got top players and beat a number of excellent teams on their way to the county final.

‘Our performance is probably going to be gauged against the opposition, and Ballinora were excellent the last day.

‘Now, it’s a new game all over again. It just depends how both teams play and who’s going to improve, and depending on that, it will decide the outcome.

‘But yeah, we’ll be back going for it again and just have to be ready. We have to look to improve.’

It has been a long and often testing journey for Ilen Rovers in recent years. Successive relegations, coupled with the loss of players to emigration, saw the West Cork club slide into the intermediate A grade before finally turning the corner.

Now, they stand within reach of redemption. Winning Cork GAA silverware and earning promotion would mean far more than just halting a relegation spiral – it would symbolise renewal. Motivation won’t be an issue for Ilen Rovers this weekend.

‘It’s even more than just the last couple of years,’ O’Driscoll reflected.

‘There’s a lot of our players who’ve had long careers and are very grateful to get the opportunity to play in Páirc Uí Chaoimh even once in their lifetime. To get to play there twice is even better again.

‘Outside of all that, you have to go back into your bubble and be focused in terms of your performance. Overall, just the mood in our local community and being involved in that has been a really positive experience.

‘At the end of the day, I think the big motivation for us is, having come so close and to almost feel like we were over the line, just falling short by 10 or 20 seconds.

‘I hope that’s enough motivation to go one better the next day.’