Relief for Christians as another late show saves Cork school from Harty exit
DECISIVE PLAY: CBC's Diarmuid Wall in action for his club Glen Rovers. Pic: Dan Linehan
What is it with this Christians team and their penchant for leaving game-rescuing pushes until as late as is humanly possible?
In their opener against Doon, they trailed by three on 58 minutes. When the final whistle sounded five minutes later, Christians had completed an unlikely six-point swing to escape with a three-point victory.
Against Midleton in Round 2, they pared an interval deficit of 12 down to three by the first minute of injury-time. And while they were unable on that occasion to produce another 11th-hour overtaking manoeuvre, it reinforced that you need to be togging off in the dressing room before you can be sure of the result against this Christians group.
Rice College must surely have thought they had done enough to secure the victory and their progression from Group 1 in Wednesday’s Harty Cup fixture. The staying - and stealing - powers of CBC, though, went to a new level.
No second-half Christians score between the 42nd and 55th minute. No second-half point from play until the 55th minute. And yet they somehow clung on in there long enough to give themselves an opportunity to strike at the death.
Young Diarmuid Wall performed the role of executioner. Four minutes into second half injury-time, the Glen Rovers minor goaled from a 20-metre free to secure the Cork city school a precious share of the spoils.
Where Rice College required a first group victory to jump from fourth into second, Christians knew a draw would keep them second in the group and carry them into the preliminary quarter-finals.
All credit to Wall. The centre-forward was short with a run-of-the-mill free and off-target with a shot from play earlier in injury-time. He put both misses behind him to deliver the equalising green flag and extend Christians’ campaign.
The Sidney Hill establishment had enjoyed a decent vantage point at half-time. 1-11 to 1-8 they led.
In contrast to their reliance on midfielder Peter O’Shea last time out, six different CBC students - Conor McCarthy, Wall, Ben Mayer, Peter Lehane, Michael Brosnan, and Joe Cronin - were on the mark in establishing a 0-8 to 1-2 advantage after 16 minutes.
Eoin Lahiffe provided the Rice College goal. They were level two minutes from the beak. Joe Cronin’s goal a minute later reopened the earlier three-point gap.
The second half, save for Wall’s goal, belonged to the Ennis side. They outgunned their opponents 0-7 to 0-1 between the 38th and 54th minute to command a 1-17 to 1-14 lead.
Padraic O’Donovan, from frees, and Jack O’Neill, from play, kept the white flags waving and kept Rice College in front. The outstanding O’Neill, who struck six from play in total, saved two of his best for last.
Into injury-time, their lead was still three-strong. 1-19 to 1-16.
Christians, as we know well by now, were just getting warmed up. Relief for the Cork lads. For Rice College, devastation mixed in with the realisation that they should have put the result beyond question before Wall’s last act.
D Wall (1-6, 1-6 frees); J Cronin (1-2); B Mayer, P Lehane (0-2 each); C McCarthy (Glen Rovers, 0-1 free), P O’Shea, A Hourigan, M Brosnan (0-1 each).
P O’Donovan (0-7, 0-7 frees); J O’Neill (0-6); E Lahiffe (1-0); F Lyons, C Perill (0-2 each); E Fitzpatrick, D Moroney (0-1 each).
E Coughlan (Blackrock); R Buckley (Whitechurch), J O’Callaghan Maher (Douglas), J Huggins (Sarsfields); D Browne (Blackrock), C McCarthy (Glen Rovers), B Nolan (Erin’s Own); P O’Shea (Erin’s Own), A Hourigan (Mallow); M Brosnan (Glen Rovers), D Wall (Glen Rovers), B Mayer (Ballinora); J Cronin (Blarney), D O’Connor (Sarsfields), P Lehane (Na Piarsaigh).
J Hegarty (Ballinora) for O’Shea (temporary, 35-37); J Hegarty (Ballinora) for O’Connor (39); F Barry (Douglas) for Brosnan (55); C McCarthy (St Finbarr’s) for Hourigan (61).
C Nash (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield); L Pyne (Éire Óg), J Cahill (Clooney-Quin), N Melody (O'Callaghan's Mills); R McDermott (Éire Óg), E McMahon (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield), E Fitzpatrick (Banner); R Mulcahy (Éire Óg), P O’Donovan (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield); N Doyle (Éire Óg), J O’Neill (Clooney-Quin), D Cahill (Clooney-Quin); C Perill (Éire Óg), F Lyons (Corofin Ruan), E Lahiffe (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield).
D Moroney (Éire Óg) for Melody (HT).
S Carey.
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