HE probably doesn’t want it, but Liam McCarthy surely merits a super-sub tag following his contribution to Kilmacabea’s historic achievement.

BY NOEL HORGAN

The previous weekend he came off the bench to score a splendid goal that was instrumental in smoothing the path to victory over Charleville in the semi-final, and he delivered big-time again following his introduction for the second half against Donoughmore.

McCarthy went close to finding the net on two occasions – his second effort being tipped over the bar by the Donoughmore goalkeeper – and he played a major role in the lead-up to Kilmacabea’s only goal scored by another substitute Ray Shanahan.

While he might have been a little disappointed not to make the starting team for the county final, he accepted competition for places was extremely keen, and he was just delighted to get a chance to make his mark in the second half.

‘We have a strong panel there, we’re all battling for places, and you just have to make the most of every opportunity that comes your way. I was more or less a regular starter until I tore a hamstring in the West Cork semi-final against Kilbrittain, and I’ve been on the road to recovery since,’ revealed the 21-year old attacker.

McCarthy felt the Donoughmore defence hadn’t been tested too much in the first half, and it was easier to take them on a bit more once the game opened up a bit after the interval.

‘When I got a chance to do so, I took it, and it was a great relief to see Ray apply the finish after my shot had been saved,’ he said.

There’s no disputing McCarthy’s input to Kilmacabea’s semi-final and final wins has been immense, but it wouldn’t be too wide of the mark to suggest their top performer over the hour against Donoughmore was Eamonn Shanahan.

Working tirelessly from a corner-forward berth, Shanahan kicked some vital scores as Kilmacabea made the decisive push in a game that remained in the balance until the last quarter.

‘It was in the melting-pot for a while, but we got a bit of breathing-space after our goal, and we just kicked on from there. I thought we finished in complete control to get the result that means everything to us and to the parish,’ Shanahan said.

‘It’s our first county, our first day out in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, so we’re absolutely delighted,’ commented the winners’ ace attacker, who had the distinction of being the game’s top scorer from play.

The honour of collecting the trophy on a historic day for Kilmacabea fell to Ian Jennings, who described it as an unbelievable feeling.

‘It’s just a massive relief to get over the line, and the key thing was we got to grips with it around the middle in the closing quarter, we won a lot of primary possession from their kick-outs, and we converted the chances when we got them.

‘Then we got the goal, thanks to the two boys who came off the bench, and we never looked like losing after that.’

Competing at premier junior level next year is a new challenge for Kilmacabea, and Jennings is in no doubt the players are looking forward to it.

‘We’ll have to relish it, give it our very best shot, and I’d like to think we won’t be out of our depth,’ concluded the Kilmacabea skipper.