Dohenys make short work of city side to cruise to crucial first round victory

Dohenys 4-15 St Nicholas 0-5

A STRONG wind-assisted first-half showing laid the foundations for Dohenys to comfortably see off St Nicholas at Brinny yesterday.

Leading by 10 points at half-time, the West Cork men kept things steady at the outset of the second half and when Mark Buckley struck for a 40th-minute goal they were 2-10 to 0-3 in front. From there, a fightback by the Nick’s never looked likely and Buckley and Fionn Herlihy impressed in the Dohenys attack as they eased clear in the closing stages.

Dohenys had the benefit of the strong wind in the first half and they made the most of that as they retired at half-time with a lead of 1-9 to 0-2, only registering one wide in the opening half-hour.

They had the lead through midfielder Johnny Kelly inside four minutes as he intercepted a loose pass before driving through to score and when Donal Rice — operating as a spare man to good effect — set up Brendan McCarthy for the second, they pushed on.

Though Mark Buckley’s point to make it 0-3 to 0-0 was answered by a pair of Nick’s scores from Liam Coughlan and Danny Morris, it proved to be only a brief interruption to the green tide.

Fionn Herlihy went close to a goal as he fired over to make it 0-5 to 0-2 for the Dunmanway side and they almost had a goal on 18 minutes but Eddie Fuller did well to save from Niall Hurley.

However, the chances continued to come and, after two Mark Buckley points opened up a five-point advantage, they raised a green flag when Herlihy netted the loose ball as Buckley’s goalward delivery wasn’t dealt with.

Buckley added two points before the interval and only another good Fuller save in injury time denied Herlihy a second goal.

Buckley and Nick’s Evan Kearney exchanged scores on the resumption but Dohenys never looked like ceding too much ground, with Eoin Lavers and Brendan McCarthy performing well.

They had their second goal when Herlihy set up Buckley with 20 minutes left and Herlihy followed that with a fine score, his second. Though Nick’s had scores from Coughlan and Kearney, their cause suffered with the dismissal of Kenneth McCarthy Coade with 10 minutes left.

In those closing stages, Dohenys made full use of the extra man and they scored a third goal in the 55th minute. Midfielder Cathal O’Donovan, another who was quietly efficient throughout, sent in a delivery and though Nick’s corner-back David Dunlea almost intercepted, Buckley produced a smart finish for his second goal.

He got his seventh point just after that before sub Jamie Carroll got his second and, at the death, Buckley and Carroll combined to set up full-back Seán Daly for another green flag, leaving them winning by a commanding margin.

Scorers for Dohenys: M Buckley 2-7 (0-6 f), F Herlihy 1-3, S Daly 1-0, J Carroll 0-2, J Kelly, B McCarthy, K White 0-1.

St Nicholas: E Kearney, L Coughlan (f) 0-2 each, D Morris 0-1 each.

DOHENYS: S Daly; J O’Farrell, S Daly, D Rice; B O’Donovan, E Lavers, C Barry; J Kelly, C O’Donovan; B McCarthy, B Murphy, N Hurley; K White, M Buckley, F Herlihy.

Sub: J Carroll for Rice (30, injured).

ST NICHOLAS: E Fuller; D Dunlea, K McCarthy Coade, A Hosford; A Lynch, A Evans, C Horgan; D Brosnan, J Morrissey; D Morris, S Kennefick, L Coughlan; G Kennefick, E Kearney, D Busteed.

Sub: T Spain for Evans (26, injured).

Referee: P O’Driscoll (Bride Rovers).