Cill na Martra's late burst gives Bantry the blues in Cork PIFC decider
LATE BURST: Cill Na Martra players celebrate after defeating Bantry Blue's during the Bon Secours Premier IFC final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Picture; Eddie O'Hare
A final always brings about as much heartache as it does joy, but somehow the stakes seemed even higher for Cill na Martra and Bantry Blues when they clashed in the final of the Bons Secours Cork PIFC in Pairc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday.
Bantry had come up short in last year’s final against Kanturk while the Gaeltacht men had thrice come a cropper in the final four.
With five minutes remaining here, it seemed as if the catharsis would be Bantry’s, and they had gone about it the hard way. A wonderful Dan Ó Duinnín goal 4 minutes after the interval had put Cill na Martra 3-6 to 1-6 to the good, and in truth, they were well worth the lead.
However, the goal brought the best out of Bantry as they kicked 1-5 without reply in a sensational ten minutes of football. Ruairi Deane hit 1-1, Arthur Coakley 0-2 while the outstanding Kevin Casey and Cillian O’Brien also delivered white flags.
They then managed to extend their lead over the next ten minutes as points from Coakley and Paddy Cronin outdid a Damien Ó hUrdail effort for the Gaeltacht men. Bantry may have felt like the momentum was theirs, but it was now time for Cill na Martra’s deliverance.
Dan Ó Duinnín pegged one back, but the rest of the game belonged to substitute Shane Ó Duinnín as he kicked the last three scores of the game to deliver redemption from the jaws of despair.
If sport was just this game may have ended as a draw, as it was truly a superb contest from beginning to end. Shane Keevers had the game’s opening score for Bantry after 67 seconds but 48 seconds later his goalkeeper, Mike Casey, was picking the ball out of the net.
Seán Ó Fóirréidh and Ciarán Ó Duinnín twice exchanged passes before Ó Duinnín squared the ball to Criostóir Ó Meachair who tapped the ball into the net.
The West Cork men’s response was impressive. Dara McCarthy, Seanie O’Leary and Keevers combined to set up Arthur Coakley and their star man cleverly clipped the ball to the net off his knee. Coakley followed it up with a trio of points, 2 of which were from placed balls and though Maidhcí Ó Duinnín opened his account for the Gaeltacht side in the interim, they trailed by 1-4 to 1-1.
Cill na Martra did seem to have more purpose to their play, however, and that intent led to their second goal on the quarter hour. Danny Ó Conaill floated a dangerous ball across the square and Maidhcí Ó Duinnín was there to take advantage of some hesitancy to put the ball to the net.
They then controlled the rest of the half, outscoring Bantry by 0-4 to none and could have even had two more goals. It’s not that the Westerners went out of the game, it was just that the Muskerry men were more clinical as Ciarán Ó Duinnín was on target twice with Maidhchí Ó Duinnín and Ó Conaill also raising white flags to give their side a healthy 2-5 to 1-4 interval lead.
Ó hUrdail extended that lead on the resumption but points from Seanie O’Leary and Ruairi Deane soon brought Bantry to within goal. From there the game ebbed and flowed before Shane Ó Duinnín broke Bantry hearts as he sealed a starring role in the Cill na Martra fairytale.
M Ó Duinnín (1-2), D Ó Duinnín (1-1, 1f), S Ó Duinnín (0-3), C Ó Meachair (1-0), C Ó Duinnín, D Ó hUrdail (0-2 each), D Ó Conaill 0-1.
Coakley (1-6, 3f), R Deane (1-2, 1f), S O’Leary, P Cronin, K Casey, S Keevers, C O’Brien (0-1 each).
P Ó Críodáin; C Mac Lochlainn, G Ó Mocháin, F Ó Faoláin; D Ó Conaill, S Ó Fóirréidh, C Ó Fóirréidh; A Ó Cuana, G Ó Goillidhe (c); F Ó hÉalaithe, D Ó hUrdail, C Ó Duinnín; C Ó Meachair, D Ó Duinnín, M Ó Duinnín.
S Ó Duinnín for Ó Goilllidhe (blood, 14 – 16), M Ó Deasúna for Ó Meachair (44), S Ó Duinnín for Ó Cuana (47), D Mac Lochlainn for C Ó Fóirréidh (55).
M Casey; T Cronin, S Thornton, C O’Brien; M Óg O’Sullivan, E Minehane, J O’Neill; B Foley, S O’Leary (c); D McCarthy, K Casey, S Keevers; P Cronin, R Deane, A Coakley.
C Cronin for Minehane (39), D Daly for McCarthy (56), S Coughlan for Casey (61).
Cormac Dineen (Douglas).
