Skibbereen edge out Bishopstown by a point in brutal conditions
Frank Hurley of Skibbereen Community School.
This was a game of something. We can’t call it football. The weather wouldn’t allow for anything like that.
The rain poured relentlessly for the first 47 minutes of Friday’s Group 4 Corn Uí Mhuirí fixture. When it ceased hammering the drenched players and line of supporters along the car park-side fence, we foolishly thought it might hold off to allow for a finish not completely dominated by the elements. Foolish, indeed.
The Skibb students started out wearing white jerseys with a purple trim. They finished wearing brown jerseys with a purple trim.
It took them and their city opponents only a couple of minutes to realise that attempting to bounce the ball off the sodden surface was a futile exercise. Kickpasses that didn’t go straight to hand equally ran the risk of possession being turned over. Countless were the occasions where the ball skidded away from its intended target. Countless were the point attempts taken by the wind.
At the end of it all, Skibb hung on for a one-point win that brings them back into the frame for knockout progression. Both sides had lost their opener. Both had to win here. Skibb know a second win over Hamilton HS Bandon in their final group outing will carry them through.
Bishopstown, semi-finalists last year, are lurking dangerously close to the exit door. They’d need a series of results going their way, including themselves beating Tralee CBS, to have a chance of jumping from fourth to second in the group.
In what was a repeat of last season's quarter-final, Skibb turned the tables. That they did so without Daniel Cleary, sent off during their opening round defeat to Tralee, and key forward Luke Shorten made this win all the more impressive.
The home side played into the driving wind and rain in the opening half. They were fortunate to be only a point behind - 0-3 to 0-2 - at the break. It was an opening half that produced not a single score beyond the 14th minute.
Adam O’Sullivan (0-2) and Gary Holland were the Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh white flag contributors. The former was denied a green flag, the latter off target with a pair of frees. Plenty more of their teammates spurned chances.
This wastefulness inevitably came back to sting them when Skibb centre-forward Sean Connolly kicked three-in-a-row (two frees) to put the home side in front for the first time on 37 minutes.
Their advantage was short-lived. Neil Crowley’s 38th minute goal returned Bishopstown ahead. They’d not score again, though, for another 13 minutes.
Sub Kevin Werner (free) broke that barren spell. His kick levelled proceedings after Connolly and Danny O’Donovan had edged the West Cork school into a 0-7 to 1-3 lead.
The winner was by a distance the score of the hour. Skibb half-back Kevin O’Driscoll tore up the right flank on 55 minutes. And off the right he split the posts.
A foul on Gary Holland presented Bishopstown with an injury-time opportunity to equalise. Werner’s kick was just wide. The final whistle sounded shortly after. We all dashed to dry off and reheat.
S Connolly (0-5, 0-3 frees); D O’Donovan (0-2); K O’Driscoll (0-1).
N Crowley (1-0); A O’Sullivan (0-2); K Werner (0-1 free), G Holland (0-1 each).
D Heaton Jones (O’Donovan Rossa); D Limrick (Castlehaven), W O’Donovan (Castlehaven), D O’Callaghan (Castlehaven); K O’Driscoll (Ilen Rovers), D Hourihane (O’Donovan Rossa), J Goulding (O’Donovan Rossa); F Coombes (O’Donovan Rossa), F Hurley (O’Donovan Rossa); J Buckley (Castlehaven), S Connolly (Ilen Rovers), M Crowley (Castlehaven); A Fahy (Ilen Rovers), D O’Donovan (Castlehaven), B O’Driscoll (O’Donovan Rossa).
C O’Brien (O’Donovan Rossa) for Fahy (57).
S Cronin (Bishopstown); C O’Sullivan (Inniscarra), M Ahern (St Finbarr’s), C Dineen (Inniscarra); D O’Donovan (Bishopstown), M O’Brien (Ballinora), O Foley (Bishopstown); T O’Keeffe (St Finbarr’s), K Murphy (Bishopstown); J Brady (St Finbarr’s), B Cahill (Bishopstown), S Kirby (St Finbarr’s); A O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig), N Crowley (Bishopstown), G Holland (Bishopstown).
S Connolly (Inniscarra) for Kirby (38); K Werner (Ballinora) for Cahill (42); C O’Donoghue (St Finbarr’s) for Brady (44).
L O’Shea.
