MACROOM 2-20

BANDON 2-19

MACROOM achieved an amazing victory over Bandon in the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier Intermediate Football Championship relegation playoff at Kilmurry on Sunday afternoon last.

They saved their own status for next season in the process, while defeat consigned Bandon to the lower intermediate grade in 2026.

Such an outcome did not look likely when Bandon led by 1-7 to 0-0 after 14 minutes and even later in the game, after a Macroom recovery, Bandon still held a four-point advantage, 2-19 to 1-18, in the 57th minute, which looked adequate to see the Carbery men safely home.

The game took a late dramatic turn, however, with the awarding of a penalty to Macroom, blasted home by Pa Lucey, and a minute later Eolan O’Leary kicked the winning point for the Mid-Cork men.

Lucey was a key figure, finishing with a personal tally of 1-12. When Macroom looked down and out after a disastrous opening quarter, his two frees in the 19th and 21st minutes breathed life back into their challenge, and all through the second half his accuracy from long-range frees kept his side in contention. His penalty at the finish was struck with power and composure despite the pressure.

Bandon looked the better team by far from the throw-in and the game was played out almost entirely in the Macroom half in the opening 20 minutes. 

Michael Cahalane opened the scoring with a two-pointer in the fifth minute and five different scorers added points to open up a seven-point lead after 13 minutes. When Macroom goalkeeper Declan Kiely did well to deflect a Sugrue shot out for a 45’ in the 17th minute, the quickly taken free came to Sugrue again and he left Kiely with no chance with a beautifully placed shot away from the 'keeper. Bandon were jubilant, Macroom supporters in near despair.

Nineteen minutes had elapsed before Pa Lucey opened the Macroom account with a two-pointer, followed quickly by another, but Bandon hit back with points from Cahalane and Mulcahy, leaving 1-9 to 0-4 on 24.

The scoreline was transformed in the minutes before the interval, however. Macroom’s Mark Hunt won a ball through sheer persistence and centered for Óisín O’Sullivan to fire to the Bandon net. Eolan O’Leary added a point and Macroom kicked three two-pointers from Seán Kiely, Lucey and Shane Meaney respectively to go into an interval lead of 1-11 to 1-9, hardly an accurate reflection of the trend of the first-half!

The second half was marvellously entertaining. Cillian Donovan had a Macroom point but Tim Twohig fired home a goal for Bandon from close range to level the scoring after two minutes. Kiely saved a Peter Callinan blast and Cahalane and Lucey exchanged points before Darren Crowley and Sugrue put Bandon back in front with a point apiece, making it 2-12 to 1-13 after 42 minutes.

Macroom subs Don Creedon and Fintan Goold added impetus to their play. 

Bandon went three clear, Macroom reined them in to level, but then Darren Crowley kicked over two two-pointers in succession from play. Surely this was enough to break the Macroom challenge?

Not so. A Lucey two-pointer was matched by a third from Crowley which kept Bandon four points clear on 53, 2-19 to 1-18, but the West Cork side were not to score again.

Three minutes from the end of regulation time Lucey kicked a point from play and Macroom introduced two substitutes, Dylan Twomey and Mark Condon, for a final push. In the last minute Twomey bore down on the Bandon goal, was fouled, had a penalty awarded, and Pa Lucey levelled the scores from the spot kick. A minute later Fintan Goold fed Eolan O’Leary on the loop with a perfectly timed pass and the latter sent the ball over the bar to give Macroom a sensational lead that they retained to the final whistle.

Scorers

Macroom: P Lucey 1-12 (1-0 pen, 5 2ptf, 1 45, 1f), O O’Sullivan 1-0, E O’Leary 0-3, S Kiely and S Meaney 0-2pt each, C Donovan 0-1.

Bandon: M Sugrue 1-4 (1f, 1 45), T Twohig 1-0, D Crowley 0-7 (3 2ptf), M Cahalane 0-4 (1 2pt), J Mulcahy 0-2, C Calnan and P Callinan 0-1 each.

Macroom: Declan Kiely; Paul O’Farrell, Mark Corrigan, Johnny Murphy: Shane Meaney, Rory Buckley, Tony Dineen: Cillian Donovan, Caleb Dinneen; Alan Quinn, Eolan O’Leary, Seán Kiely; Mark Hunt, Patrick Lucey, Oisín O’Sullivan.

Subs: Don Creedon for T Dineen (38), F Goold for M Hunt (43), Dylan Twomey for O O’Sullivan, Mark Condon for C Dineen (both 57).

Bandon: Ciarán McCarthy; Dylan O’Donovan, Brian Crowley, Eolann McSweeney; Conor Calnan, Peter Murphy, Jonathan Mulcahy; Robert Long, Tim Twohig; Darren Crowley, Michael Cahalane, Cathal Lynch; Peter Callinan, Mark Sugrue, Jack Cullinane.

Subs: Charlie Long for T Twohig (47), Timmy McCarthy for C Calnan (55).

Referee: Brian Coniry.