IS it too soon to say Ilen Rovers are back on the right track?

They still have a McCarthy Insurance Group Intermediate A Football Championship semi-final against Adrigole on Saturday in Bantry (4pm) to get through, but a win would secure a county final spot.

Four games unbeaten in this season’s competition, having faced the likes of 2024 finalists Boherbue, Munster junior champions Kilmurry, and an inter-county riddled Mitchelstown, is impressive, considering how challenging the previous few seasons were, dropping from the top tier to the fourth level.

But they have certainly steadied the ship, pointing it back in the direction.

Ilen’s last county championship semi-final was all the way back in 2008, when Douglas defeated them in the senior football championship (now premier senior) 0-11 to 0-9.

‘You’d be really looking forward to a semi-final. We haven’t been in a semi-final for a very long time. Only one third of the teams get to this stage, so you have to embrace it. We are going to try and enjoy it but also go out and put our best foot forward,’ Rovers boss Flor O’Driscoll told The Southern Star.

‘You can’t get too carried away with a semi-final either. You have to focus on the game itself and the opposition, but mainly on your own performance. Hopefully we can get that right. It’s a balancing act to enjoy the occasion and play well, while keeping your focus. It’s just the next championship game you have to overcome.’

The 2-12 to 1-10 quarter-final win over Mitchelstown  – a team featuring two Cork seniors and Mark Keane returning from the AFL – was a fantastic result. The manner of the victory and the performance was ideal for O’Driscoll and his management. Judging by their showings this season, their spot in the last four is well deserved.

‘We’re very pleased. It was all about getting the result in the knockout stages. There was a lot in our performance that we were happy with, but also areas to improve. Overall, we’re happy, especially with the commitment the guys are showing. It’s really shining through,’ O’Driscoll explained.

‘Our approach has always been one game at a time. The most important game was Boherbue – to get that win was a monkey off our back. It gave us the confidence to keep going in the championship. Starting well and building from there has been key. So far, so good.’

This fourth-tier competition has thrown up some close games, and Ilen’s key players have stepped up. Adrian O’Driscoll (1-16) and Dan MacEoin (0-12) have led the attack, while Seán Connolly, Barry Collins, and Mícheál Sheehy have also shown bright sparks. This comes despite former Cork U20 captain Peter O’Driscoll being ruled out for the season. With games often decided by small margins, the team’s performances have been vital.

‘I think that’s the same in all grades with the new structure. Margins are very small between teams. Championship is always difficult. It usually comes down to the last ten or 15 minutes – that’s where games are won and lost. Same thing applies next Saturday. We’re hoping we’ll be in it with ten or 15 minutes to go and we’ll see what happens,’ Flor O’Driscoll noted.

Aside from Peter O’Driscoll, everyone seems fit and ready.

‘At this time of year, you have lots of niggles, but nobody is ruled out so far. It’s a long season – you’ve been on the go for over nine months – and it’s all about keeping bodies right. That’s going to be a factor for all teams. We’re hoping to have everybody good to go,’ the Ilen boss concluded.