KILMACABEA 1-11

CARRAIG NA bhFEAR 0-5

MATTHEW HURLEY REPORTS

KILMACABEA are back in the county junior A football championship semi-final for the second year in a row. This time, they are determined to take the next step.

The Carbery champions’ quarter-final win over Imokilly kingpins Carraig na bhFear was not the greatest game of football but the Leap men got the job done to qualify for the last four.

After 25 minutes in Newcestown on Saturday, the sides were level 0-1 apiece after Kilmacs’ Damien Gore and Carraig’s Colm Murphy traded scores. But after Daniel O’Donovan nailed a score with the outside of the boot, the Carbery champs never lost the lead.

‘Carraig na bhFear won the East Cork for the first time in 50 years on Monday, we had been out Sunday too so the game had a flat feel to it. It’s hard to build up a team after the last day but we’d be happy enough,’ Kilmacabea boss Donie O’Donovan told The Southern Star.

‘We face Charleville or Ballygarvan in the next game. The standard goes up and whether we are good enough for that, we don’t know.

‘We are back in the same position as last year and that felt a long way off when leaving Páirc Uí Rinn 12 months ago (after the loss to Inniscarra) but here we are. You just have to keep at it and hope things fall your way.’

Kilmacabea's Keith Whelton is challenged by Carraig Na bhFear's Jack Ahern.

The only goal of the game came on 39 minutes to give Kilmacabea a 1-7 to 0-1 lead as a Daniel O’Donovan effort from outside the 40-metre arc dropped all the way into the net, much to the surprise of everyone in the ground.

Carraig did rally but the goal killed this game as a contest.

‘It was as flukey as they come! He loves the outside of the boot shot and I’d be saying, “Jeez Dan, will you stop!” If it’s dropped short, it should have been caught but it went into the back of the net and it gave us a bit of breathing space,’ the Leap manager explained.

‘Look, we played all the ball out there, they were sitting back so much. It was hard to play against in the first half and we should have had more scores. We probably controlled the game from start to finish.’

The performance of Daniel O’Donovan was the highlight, not just for his 1-1, but his general play.

O’Donovan won a free on the stroke of half time outside the arc, which Gore converted for a two-pointer. It gave the West Cork side a 0-4 to 0-1 lead at the break, as they played with the breeze in the second period.

‘Dan is in the twilight of his career at this stage. We took him off for the last few minutes when the legs were getting tired but we probably missed him in those last ten minutes – that presence and a bit of a calm influence. He’s a fantastic footballer,’ Donie O’Donovan explained.

Gore (2) and wing-back Diarmuid O’Callaghan fired Kilmacabea into a 0-7 to 0-1 lead before the goal. Carraig did reel off three unanswered scores through Sean O’Donoghue and Sean Whelan and could have even goaled when Murphy blasted wide.

Ruairi Hourihane and Ray Shanahan came on to steady the ship as the reliable Gore and Eamon Shanahan finished off the game.

Scorers

Kilmacabea: Damien Gore 0-8 (5f, 1 2ptf); Daniel O’Donovan 1-1; Eamon Shanahan, Diarmuid O’Callaghan 0-1 each.

Carraig na bhFear: Colm Murphy (1f), Sean O’Donoghue 0-2 each; Sean Whelan 0-1.

Kilmacabea: Colin McCarthy; Liam Tobin, Darren Whooley, Dara Tobin; Owen Tobin, Martin Collins, Diarmuid O’Callaghan; Odhran Kerrisk, Ian Jennings; Donnacha McCarthy, Daniel O’Donovan, Keith Whelton; Eamon Shanahan, Joe Collins, Damien Gore.

Subs: Ray Shanahan for O Kerrisk, Ruairi Hourihane for D O’Donovan (both 46); Declan O’Sullivan for K Whelton, Cillian Whelton for J Collins (both 55); James O’Sullivan for O Tobin (59).

Carraig na bhFear: Aaron Ryan; Rory McCarthy, Shane Farrell, Paul Geaney; Paul Sheehan, Tadhg O’Donoghue, Timmy Geaney; Mike Ahern, Adam Bowen; Rob Sheehan, Evan Flynn, Jack Ahern; Sean Whelan, Colm Murphy, Sean O’Donoghue.

Subs: Billy Connolly for J Ahern (ht); Oisin Crowley for P Sheehan (41); David Sweeney for R Sheehan (58).

Referee: Peter O’Leary (Inch Rovers).