Lyre Rovers 1

Clonakilty AFC 6

GER McCARTHY REPORTS

CLONAKILTY AFC earned local bragging rights and maintained their perfect start to the new PremierHiSpecCars.com Premier Division season with a derby win away against Lyre Rovers on Sunday.

Two weeks into the new campaign, it’s hard not to view the Premier title battle as a two-horse race.

For the second weekend in a row, Clonakilty AFC dominated talented opponents and maintained their 100 percent league record. Drinagh Rangers weren’t in action, but the defending champions and Clonakilty AFC already look a class apart.

Chris Collins’ hat-trick helped decide this derby, as last season’s Premier runners-up continued their positive start.

‘Overall, I’m satisfied with all the lads and all the commitment they are putting in at the moment,’ Clonakilty AFC manager John ‘Mousey’ Leahy said.

‘It’s back-to-back wins. I am repeating myself over the last 30 years, but the first five games are so important and dictate your whole year. There is a long way to go yet though but we have had a good start.’

The visitors were looking to build on a comprehensive opening day victory over Dunmanway Town. On the same weekend, Lyre’s 2-2 draw with Bunratty represented a positive result.

The first half was played at an unrelenting tempo as both teams counter-attacked at the earliest opportunity.

The opening goal arrived after seven minutes, its finish as simple as its build-up. Breaking down the left wing, Chris Collins’ low centre was turned in by Odhran Bancroft.

Unwilling to sit on their early lead, the visitor’s Finn O’Mahony’s daisy-cutter missed the target by inches.

Lyre struggled to gain a foothold and Clon’s pressure intensified before the Ballyvackey club made it 2-0 courtesy of another superb move.

Chris Collins, Finn O’Mahony and Jonathon Leahy combined for the latter to send a cross deep into Rovers’ penalty box. Arriving at speed, Odhran Bancroft met Leahy’s delivery with a thumping header for his second goal.

Things got even worse for an overworked Lyre defence. Maintaining a high press, Joe Edmead collected possession, held off a defender and laid the ball into an in-rushing Chris Collins’ path. The Clonakilty playmaker side-footed home the game’s third goal from 20 yards.

A scrappy spell followed where few chances were created apart from a Leahy effort that clipped the crossbar.

Matthew Buttimer, Mattie Lyons, David O’Sullivan and Aaron Griffin’s combined efforts enabled Lyre to settle and the score remained unchanged at the half-hour mark.

Lyons was the home team’s most potent attacking threat and fired narrowly wide when Clon’s defence stood off.

Despite Lyre’s steady improvement, Clonakilty put the seal on a derby victory with a fourth goal. Rob Downey’s slide-rule pass sprung Rovers’ offside trap for Collins to race clear and give goalkeeper Liam Ryan no chance.

Ryan produced an excellent stop to deny O’Mahony ahead of a much closer second half. That was a period Collins completed his hat-trick and Cal O’Mahony was also on target as Clonakilty notched their 15th goal in two league games.

Mattie Lyons had the final say, scoring a terrific free kick for the hosts.

OUR STAR: Clonakilty AFC’s Chris Collins was on top form and led from the front.

Lyre Rovers: Liam Ryan, Matthew Buttimer, Conor O’Neill (captain), Barry Kirby, Cormac McCarthy, Alan Brickley, Mattie Lyons, Rohan Powell, Aaron Griffin, David O’Sullivan, Roy O’Driscoll.

Subs: Kieran Fitzpatrick, Dylan Murphy, Thomas Clifford, Cameron Pendlebury, Alan McKennedy, Eoin McKennedy.

Clonakilty AFC: Iain O’Driscoll, Rob Downey, Finn O’Mahony, Joe Edmead, Chris Collins, Ethan Draper, Mark Irwin, Odhran Bancroft (captain), James Horan, Jonathon Leahy, Conor McKahey.

Subs: Cal O’Mahony, Alex O’Regan, Jack Wycherley, James O’Donovan, Alan Murphy, Mark Shorten, James Calnan.

Referee: Conor McCarthy.