SAFC: Dohenys set up Carbery derby after draw with Kiskeam

Dohenys 0-11 Kiskeam 1-8 
DESPITE drawing on Saturday night in the Bon Secours Cork Senior A Football Championship, Dohenys can look forward to a quarter-final outing against O'Donovan Rossa.

Dohenys opened the scoring at Macroom with a Gavin Farr point in the second minute. This was to be followed by a curling effort from play Jerry Collins. 

However, Kiskeam a soon found the back of the net. Punishing a mistake in the Doheny’s defence, Kiskeam’s Tom O’Sullivan planted the ball to the net from close range.

The exchanges were proving to be tight as the opening half progressed and scores were exchanged at either end of the pitch.

Dohenys pointed through Mark Buckley and Barry O’Donovan, while Kiskeam responded in kind through Sean O’Sullivan and Thomas Casey.

At the half time break Kiskeam held the advantage at 1-3 to 0-5, with Dohenys left to rue a number of missed scoring opportunities in the opening half.

A fine Colm O’Shea point for Dohenys brought the teams level in the opening stages of the second half before Cork Footballer Fionn Herlihy put his side in front.

Midway through the second half Kiskeam went into the lead as O’Sullivan fired over a free. Dohenys though were to get the next four scores in a row to lead 0-11 to 1-5 after 55 minutes played on the clock.

Those Dohenys scores came through Buckley, Barry O’Donovan and Herlihy, as they now had a route to knockout stage football firmly within their reach.

Kiskeam however rallied strongly as the game headed into the closing stages. AJ O’Connor was to get a fine score for Kiskeam from play, which was subsequently followed by a Michael Casey score.

Kiskeam had a golden chance to turn this game and this championship group on its head in second-half stoppage time, but Sean O’Sullivan blasted wide from a great position a few yards out with a brilliant goal opportunity.

The equalising score for Kiskeam arrived through Gene Casey with what was more or less the last kick of the game.

At the end of it all and an absorbing encounter, Dohenys were the team left standing and they will be chomping at the bit for that quarter-final encounter to come around with O’Donovan Rossa.

The winner of Dohenys-Skibb will then be facing St Michael’s in the semi-final stages of the competition.

Scorers for Dohenys: M Buckley 0-3, F Herlihy (0-1 mark) , B O’Donovan 0-2 each, Jerry Collins, C O’Donovan, G Farr, C O’Shea 0-1 each.

Kiskeam: T O’Sullivan 1-0, S O’Sullivan (0-2 f) 0-3, T Casey 0-2, M Casey, AJ O’Connor, G Casey 0-1 each.

DOHENYS: S Daly; J Farrell, David Collins, D Rice; J Collins, J McCarthy, B O’Donovan; C O’Donovan, J Kelly; M Quinn, F Herlihy, E Lavers; G Farr, K White, M Buckley.

Subs: C O’Shea for Farr (h-t), R Coakley for Quinn, C Barry for J Collins, Declan Collins for White (60).

KISKEAM: A Casey; S Carroll, D Linehan, J O’Connor; M Casey, AJ O’Connor, J Daly; T Dennehy, S Meehan; D Fitzgerald, M Herlihy, C Murphy; T Casey, S Sullivan, T O’Sullivan.

Subs: G Casey for Murphy (40), D Scannell for O’Connor (50).

Referee: Cormac Dineen (Douglas).