Carbery Rangers get that winning feeling again after four-point victory over Carrigaline
Carbery Rangers' John O'Rourke scores from a penalty past Carrigaline's Callum Dungan, during their Cork Premier SFC clash at Bandon. Picture: David Keane.
Carbery Rangers 2-10 Carrigaline 1-9
CARBERY Rangers re-discovered the winning feeling after registering blanks last season following a four-point victory over Carrigaline in Bandon on Saturday evening.
How there was so little between the teams at the end of this Bon Secours county PSFC Group A tie must be a mystery to the Rosscarbery side because they dominated for long periods.
But, a combination of 13 wides, 10 in the opening 20 minutes, three more dropping short, and Carrigaline scoring 1-1 in the final minute of four added on for injuries at the end shed some light.
The story of the first half was one of Rosscarbery’s squandermania despite holding a 1-5 to 0-4 interval lead.
There was little to suggest what lay in store after Carrigaline began brightly, Kevin O’Reilly playing a super pass into the path of Callum Barrett, who forced keeper Paul Shanahan into a brilliant tip-over save after only 30 seconds.
Rangers, though, began dominating, applying fierce pressure on the short Carrigaline restarts monopolising possession, when keeper Callum Dungan went long instead.
And yet, even though they were under the cosh, Carrigaline actually led by 0-2 to 0-1 after 11 minutes, courtesy of Barrett for his second from only his side’s second excursion into Ross territory.
That was primarily because of Ross’s woeful shooting, averaging a wide every two minutes in the opening 20 as Carrigaline somehow hung on.
Dungan came to his side’s rescue with a timely save from Sam Linehan in the 14th minute before it finally took a defender, centre-back Jack Kevane, to show the way for the forwards by levelling a second time, three minutes later.
Carrigaline finally ran out of lives after a short re-start backfired, John Hodnett gaining possession before passing to John O’Rourke, who was hauled down for a blatant penalty.
The Cork attacker picked himself to send Dungan the wrong way with a low shot to the keeper’s right and the lead for the first time, 1-2 to 0-2.
Ross added a couple more points, the first from Peadar O’Rourke which hopped wickedly in front of Dungan, who managed to usher it over the crossbar and the other from Kevane off his left.
The sides exchanged points on the run-in to the break, O’Reilly landing a close-in free before Ross keeper Shanahan converted a ’45 and then Darragh King, with his back to the posts, registered Carrigaline’s fourth point.
And when Brian Coakley added a fifth within 25 seconds of the resumption, it hinted at a possible revival only for it to be dashed a few moments later.
A speculative high ball into the danger zone from Jack O’Regan ended with Peadar O’Rourke somehow outjumping two opponents to deflect it to the net.
It knocked Carrigaline for six, but, in fairness, they never dropped their heads and realising the importance of scoring difference kept tipping away even though the result appeared inevitable.
Ross held a 2-8 to 0-7 advantage entering the closing quarter following a John O’Rourke point, but Eanna Desmond typified Carrigaline’s resistance with another effort via an upright, eight minutes from the end of regulation time.
Fittingly, Alan Jennings, whose leadership and use of possession caught the eye, cancelled it out with a well-earned score before John O’Rourke stretched the lead even further.
But, in stoppage time, O’Keeffe pointed a free and Ian Sheerin squeezed in a goal in the closing act to offer Carrigaline encouragement going forward.
J O’Rourke 1-2 (1-0 pen), P O’Rourke 1-1, J Kevane 0-2, P Shanahan 0-2 45, J O’Riordan, A Jennings, J O’Regan 0-1 each.
I Sheerin 1-0, K O’Reilly 0-3 (0-2 f), C Barrett and E Desmond 0-2 each, B Coakley and D King 0-1 each.
P Shanahan; S Linehan, T O’Rourke, K Scannell; J O’Riordan, J Kevane, C Daly; B Hodnett, A Jennings; J O’Regan, P O’Rourke, J Hodnett; B Shanahan, J O’Rourke, D Hayes.
J Hayes for D Hayes 40, P Hurley for Daly 44, J Fitzpatrick for Kevane 59.
C Dungan; C Murphy, C O’Herlihy, L Boyle; Kieran Kavanagh, I Sheerin, N Quirke; Kevin Kavanagh, D Greene; D King, J McCarthy, C Barrett; B Coakley, K O’Reilly, E Desmond.
D Drake for Greene 44, N O’Keeffe for Quirke 47.
C Dineen (Douglas).
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