PIHC: Kilworth manager Pat O'Brien relishing clash with Valley Rovers following impressive win over Ballinhassig

KILWORTH went into the last game of the Co-Op SuperStores PIHC group-stages two weeks ago without a win but when all was said and done on that particular Sunday evening, the North-Cork club had booked a quarter-final place where they will face Valley Rovers this Sunday in Caherlag at 2pm.

Not many people expected Kilworth to qualify from the group, especially after a dreadful Division 3 hurling league where they got relegated, winning one and losing eight from nine games. The team in red and white drew with Watergrasshill in the first group match before losing to Castlemartyr by seven points, but they saved the best till last as they beat Ballinhassig 3-15 to 2-15, as the North-Cork side qualified and in the process sent Ballinhassig packing.

For Kilworth’s passionate manager Pat O’Brien, who is in his second season at the helm, the win and qualification meant everything.

“It was a huge win in so many ways, the celebrations after the game told the story really,” O’Brien says.

“We were written off by a lot of people especially after we lost to Castlemartyr and it proved to be part of the motivation before Ballinhassig. Inside the group, we always had the belief that we could qualify and we have done so. We never let the results this season affect us, there is great character and resilience in this team. It's amazing what one win can do, the village has been buzzing since the Ballinhassig victory.

"The performance levels in the first two games weren’t bad, we should have beaten Watergrasshill, we were up seven points and we only ended up drawing. Then against Castlemartyr, we lost by seven points, but there was nothing between the sides, they got off to a great start and we missed an awful lot. But, I knew heading into the last group match, it was in our hands pretty much, win and hope there is a winner in the other game.” 

The Kilworth boss says his charges silenced a few people on the final day of the group when the pressure was at the most intense.

“There were a lot of questions asked of us after we lost to Castlemartyr in terms of where the team was heading. Members of the club were also saying that we will be looking over our shoulder now and that we will have to look at the Bandon and Carrigaline results to see if we avoid a relegation play-off. But, we said to the players, don’t mind the noise, if we concentrate on ourselves we will be fine. We saved our best performance for when it mattered. Ballinhassig are a very good team but we didn’t fear them, we got stuck in. We beat them two years ago so the ability was there. There was pressure on us, but we are well used to big games and it's important now that we drive on from here. We can't allow the Ballinhassig win to be a flash in the pan.” 

League and championship are a totally different ball game and 2023 just proved that. Kilworth, as mentioned above, got relegated from the Division 3 hurling league, winning one and losing eight from nine games while Ballinhassig won all nine Division 4 league matches as well as winning the league title against Valley Rovers.

“The league was disappointing but it didn't affect us going into the championship,” says the Kilworth boss.

“We didn’t dwell on it. The league can be misleading, last season we won seven and lost one from eight games in the league and we ended up finishing bottom of the championship group. There was a nice gap between the end of the league and the first championship match this season and we used it wisely. We played three challenge games in Tipperary and got a lot of work done with the lads.” 

In 2021, Kilworth finished top of their group, winning two and losing one. A one-point win over Ballinhassig in the final group match sent Kilworth through where they lost to Valley Rovers on a scoreline of 1-12 to 0-13 in the quarter-final. O’Brien, who was a selector back then, hopes history won’t repeat itself on Sunday.

“We are under no illusions about the size of the task facing us. Valley Rovers are a big physical side and they can all hurl. They are a great club, I have massive respect for them. We will have to play very well to win the match. The loss two years ago to Valley's was tough to take so hopefully we can make up for that this weekend. I am really looking forward to it. We have to grasp the opportunity.”