CARBERY RANGERS 1-9

VALLEY ROVERS 1-9

TOM LYONS REPORTS

FOR 45 minutes this McCarthy Insurance Premier Senior Football relegation playoff in Enniskeane on Saturday offered little out of ordinary as Carbery Rangers looked certain to retain their status for 2026 against a Valley Rovers team that just weren’t at the races up to that point.

Rangers dominated the opening half, their well-drilled defence limiting Valleys to two points while their lively forwards totalled eight points to lead by six at half-time. It could, and should, have been more at the break, so poor were Valleys in that first half.

Although Valleys improved in the third quarter, with the slight aid of a diagonal breeze, little changed on the scoreboard. Rangers, in answer to a Valleys’ two-pointer, had scored a goal from a penalty rebound to increase their lead to seven as the last quarter dawned.

Carbery Rangers’ Timmy Cullinane gets his pass away ahead of the approaching Jacob O’Driscoll of Valley Rovers.

Expectations that Rangers would gallop home following their goal never materialized as the momentum of the game changed completely in the closing 15 minutes. Whether it was Rosscarbery nerves with the finishing line, and safety, in sight or a huge do or die effort by the Innishannon side, it was all Valleys as they swept forward in a bid to haul the game out of the fire.

For a while it looked as if their persistence in trying for two-pointers, which invariably went wide of the posts, would cost them dearly, but four unanswered points in a row from Ciarán McCarthy (two), Fiachra Lynch and Adam Walsh-Murphy had the lead down to a single goal by the 57th minute.

It was certainly squeaky bum time now for the Ross men as the pressure increased, and the almost inevitable goal arrived in the 58th minute when a high ball from Walsh-Murphy was fisted to the net by centre-back Jacob O’Driscoll.

All square – but the drama was only beginning. Three minutes of injury time was signalled by the referee as both sides saw their Premier Senior status hanging by a thread. Neither side was helped by a couple of controversial calls by the referee, but Rangers definitely had the better chances to win the game.

Carbery Rangers’ Mark Hodnett is pursued by Valley Rovers’ Rory O’Sullivan and David Muckian.

Scoring hero Timmy Cullinane tried to work an opening 30m out but was blown for over-carrying, John O’Rourke kicked wide with the Ross camp screaming for a 45, and then, in the last play of the game, Rangers were awarded a free 50m out in front of goal. Up came goalkeeper Paul Shanahan in an effort to kick his side into Premier Senior for 2026 but to the despair of the large Rosscarbery crowd, his kick drifted wide of the right-hand post.

There was time for no more, even though everybody expected extra time, but the regulations state that draws in relegation playoffs must go to a replay. There was almost stunned silence as the final whistle sounded, especially from the Ross camp who were wondering how they had allowed this one to slip from their grasp, almost costing them their Premier Senior status.

'I don’t know how I feel right now,' said a slightly bewildered Carbery Rangers manager, Séamus Hayes. 'I suppose it’s a feeling of relief in a way as the game could easily have swung against us when that late goal went in.

'It’s frustrating, I thought we were the better side. I can’t understand some of the calls the referee made, I was kind of “What is he doing?” But that’s beside the point – we still had chances to win it.

'I thought we were the better team. Should have seen it out and their goal threw a spanner in the works. Two and a half minutes to go, the momentum was really with them then and we really had to dig it out after that. The lads won some great balls, created chances near the end. This bunch of lads never give up.'

Most of the good football in the first half was played by Rangers, with total domination of the kick-outs mostly responsible. The tall John O’Brien and Brian Hodnett lorded the skies as Rangers came forward in waves of attacks. Timmy Cullinane was the dangerman in attack early on with two quick points, followed by the wily John O’Rourke and Paul Hodnett (fist), who was to emerge as top scorer on the day.

Valleys were battling but a slow build-up against the well-organised Ross defence saw them limited to two points from impressive wing-back Adam Walsh-Murphy and lively corner-forward Ciarán McCarthy. It was 0-4 to 0-2 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw Rangers tighten their grip on the game, holding Valleys scoreless and splitting the posts four times. Timmy Cullinane, John O’Rourke (set up by a tremendous Cullinane solo run) and Paul Hodnett, with two from play, found the target, with Darragh Hayes coming close to goaling in the 20th minute.

It was 0-8 to 0-2 at half time, advantage Carbery Rangers – who looked in complete control.

Carbery Rangers’ Paul Hodnett scored his side’s only goal against Valley Rovers in the relegation play-off.

Valleys’ sagging confidence received a boost at the beginning of the second half when Ciarán McCarthy produced a two-pointer but, in the 39th minute, Cullinane again set up John O’Rourke, who was grounded in the square. Up stepped Paul Hodnett only to see his penalty kick saved by goalkeeper Billy Curtin. Luckily, the ball rebounded for Hodnett to tap it into the net.

Adam Walsh-Murphy and Hodnett swapped points and it was Rangers safely in front, 1-9 to 0-5 at the end of the third quarter. Then came the dramatic last quarter that saw Valleys stage a great comeback and both survived to battle another day. The final score was 1-9 each.

'We dominated midfield for long stretches, the ball was hanging up in the breeze and that suited us,' said Hayes. 'But full credit to Valleys, they never give up, always finish strong. It’s like last season, we’ll have to go again. We had storm postponements and so on then, now it’s a replay.

'We had a very enjoyable week’s training up to this and the lads are very disappointed at how it worked out today. But I know the character of these lads and they’ll respond to this, there will be no bother in lifting them again, no bother.'

It is worth nothing that Valleys had four different scorers and Rangers had only three. However, whereas all the Rangers scores came from forwards, half of Valleys' total came from two defenders. Amazingly, there wasn’t a single score from a free in the entire game.

Scorers

Carbery Rangers: Paul Hodnett 1-4, Timmy Cullinane 0-3, John O’Rourke 0-2.

Valley Rovers: Ciarán McCarthy 0-5 (1 2pt), Jacob O’Dricoll 1-0, Adam Walsh-Murphy 0-3, Fiachra Lynch 0-1.

Carbery Rangers: Paul Shanahan; Jack Kevane, Tom O’Rourke, Cian Daly; Sam Linehan, Jerry O’Riordan, John Hodnett; Brian Hodnett, John O’Brien; Mark Hodnett, John O’Rourke, Darragh Hayes; Timmy Cullinane, Conor Twomey, Paul Hodnett.

Subs: Ciarán McCarthy for J. O’Riordan (42), Peadar O’Rourke for M. Hodnett (52), Ciarán Santry for P. Hodnett (52), Brian Shanahan for D. Hayes (58).

Valley Rovers: Billy Curtin; Cian O’Keeffe, Eoin Delaney, Matthew Woods; Adam Walsh-Murphy, Jacob O’Driscoll, Eoin Guinane; Darragh Murphy, Cian Johnson; Adam Kenneally, Johnnie Kiely, Jack Walsh; Ciarán McCarthy, Fiachra Lynch, Seán McEntee.

Subs: Rory O’Sullivan for C. Johnson (h-t), David Muckian for S. McEntee (40), Adam Casey for J. Kiely (55), Luke Casey for A. Kenneally (55).

Referee: Robert Whelan.