Macroom 1-13

Aghada 0-8

BRENDAN KENNEALLY REPORTS

MACROOM will head into their final McCarthy Insurance Group Premier IFC Group 2 game against Kiskeam in mid-September with their status secured and qualification for the knock-out stages up for grabs.

After beating Aghada at Ovens on Friday evening, Macroom sit on three points after two games. Given they have been involved in relegation play-offs for the previous three seasons, this is a welcomed change of pace.

It was a fine evening for football and the slight breeze favoured Macroom in the first half. Aghada scored first with a Tim Hartnett point in the seventh minute. Macroom could have had a goal but Dylan Twomey, set up by Eolan O’Leary, saw his shot from close range hit the side-netting.

Macroom got a lucky break in the 11th minute when Pa Lucey’s attempt from outside the arc fell short into the goalmouth before bouncing over the bar for a two-pointer that gave Macroom a lead they never lost. It was a massive confidence-booster.

Macroom then kicked two successive wides but Tony Dineen, who formed a very effective midfield partnership with Caleb Dinneen, had another two-pointer in the 14th minute to maintain their momentum, as Aghada found it challenging to add to their single point.

The play in the second quarter was not overly exciting. Alan Quinn, put through by Eolan O’Leary, kicked a point to increase the Macroom lead. There was no element of luck when Pa Lucey sent a free kick off the ground over the Aghada bar for another two-pointer to open up a six-point gap.

Late in the half, Aghada kicked two points in a row, Hartnett and Diarmuid Phelan each on target. But any boost they could have had from these scores quickly evaporated when Macroom corner back Johnny Murphy kicked a two-pointer from way out on the sideline with the last kick of the half to leave his side 0-9 to 0-3 in front, and growing in confidence.

Pa Lucey converted a Macroom free following a foul on Don Creedon which earned a yellow card for whole-hearted Jack Colbert. Jamie O’Hanlon replied for Aghada but two smashing points in quick succession for Macroom – one each from Lucey and Quinn – had the Muskerry men leading by 0-12 to 0-4 in the 38th minute and looking likely winners.

Aghada introduced their injured Cork All-Ireland winner Pearse O’Neill at midfield after 43 minutes but even this lion-hearted warrior could not make an impression now as Macroom were in control.

The winners introduced David Horgan for the last quarter, Lucey pointed another free before Alan Quinn’s goal ten minutes from time was the icing on the cake on a night when things mostly went their way.

Oisín O’Sullivan landed a long ball into the goalmouth, Quinn and two defenders went towards it and the Macroom man caught them by surprise by back-heeling the ball, which slowly crossed the goal line.

Aghada made a late scoring burst that yielded points from a Jamie O’Hanlon free, a 45 from Cian Hegarty and a late two-pointer from Diarmuid Byrne but this was Macroom’s night and they remained undefeated.

Scorers

Macroom: P Lucey 0-7 (1 2pt, 1 2ptf, 3f); A Quinn 1-2; T Dineen (2pt), J Murphy (2pt) 0-2 each.

Aghada: T Hartnett, J O’Hanlon (1f), D Byrne (2ptf) 0-2 each; D Phelan, C Hegarty (45) 0-1 each.

Macroom: Declan Kiely; Johnny Murphy, Rory Buckley, Ryan Sabas; Michael Cronin, Mark Corrigan, Alan Quinn; Tony Dineen, Caleb Dinneen; Don Creedon, Seán Kiely, Oisín O’Sullivan; Pa Lucey, Eolan O’Leary, Dylan Twomey.

Subs: David Horgan for Creedon (44), Mark Condon for Murphy (inj, 58).

Aghada: Ray Savage; Ronan Murphy, Jack Colbert, Jack Norris; Jordan Tynan, Ed Leahy, Kyle O’Shea; Jack O’Donoghue, Seán Morrissey; Cian Hegarty, Tim Hartnett, Seamus Maloney; Jamie O’Hanlon, Diarmuid Phelan, Joe McKenna.

Subs: Pearse O’Neill for McKenna (40), David Wallace for Tynan (44), Diarmuid Byrne for Morrissey (47), Conal Rooney for Norris (52).

Referee: Andrew Whelton (Clonakilty).