PIFC: Macroom relegate Na Piarsaigh after intense battle of attrition
Na Piarsaigh's Cian Hogan manages to hold off the challenge from Macroom's Tony Dineen in the Bon Secours Premier Intermediate Football Championship Relegation Play Off match in Ovens. Picture: Howard Crowdy
NA PIARSAIGH'S miserable 2023 football campaign concluded with a second relegation, as they lost all nine league games and all three championship group games, before a final defeat in the Premier Intermediate Relegation Playoff to Macroom in Ovens on Sunday.
To their credit, the northsiders left it all out there, and will certainly be disappointed to have come away empty handed, but Macroom were marginally the better side and deserving of their win.
Macroom took the lead after 16 seconds, as Eolan O’Leary pointed, and they continued their strong start as Sean Kiely broke through and set up Fintan Gould, but Alan O’Sullivan made an excellent save to tip it over the bar.
He was called into action again as O’Leary ran through on goal with the ball at his feet, and he tried to curl it around Piarsaigh’s goalkeeper, but O’Sullivan dived right to keep it out.
Scores from Gould and O’Leary put the Muskerry side four to nothing ahead after 7 minutes. Na Piarsaigh’s first real chance arrived on minute 12, and they won a close range free that was converted by Alan Hogan.
A mistake from the subsequent kick out resulted in another free for the Northsiders, and Hogan split the posts to make it 0-4 to 0-2.
Strong defending from full-back Eddie Gunning, who was in place for the injured Shane O’Mahony won Na Piarsaigh a valuable turnover and that sparked them into life.
As Na Piarsaigh upped the tempo so did Macroom, and as they countered through Alan Quinn, O’Sullivan was forced into another excellent save to knock it out for a 45.
Gould put the 45 over the bar, but Na Piarsaigh went up the other end and a great piece of play saw Kevin O’Meara bag a goal to put the northsiders in front, 1-3 to 0-5.
Within 40 seconds Macroom had one back, as Kiely picked out John Murphy, who’s deflected strike fell to O’Leary, and the corner forward made no mistake at the second time of asking.
Macroom powered on, and as Quinn found himself one-on-one with O’Sullivan, he looked set to get a second goal, but the Na Piarsaigh keeper made another incredible save to deny the full-forward just before half time.
Na Piarsaigh drew level from a free on the restart, but two points from Macroom put them back in front. The northsiders wouldn’t give in, but Shane Forde was left to rue his brilliant solo effort that struck the crossbar.
Macroom went three in front after 48 minutes as Sean Kiely scored an excellent point from play, and Na Piarsaigh couldn’t find a way through. They came close with a free in a dangerous area at the end, but the Muskerry side held on to remain Premier Intermediate.
E O’Leary 1-2, F Gould (0-1 45), S Kiely 0-3 each, D Horgan 0-1 m.
A Hogan 0-5 f, K O’Meara 1-0, K Buckley 0-1 45.
B O’Connell; J Murphy, R Buckley, D Creedon; J O’Riordan, T Dineen, M Corrigan; F Gould, D Horgan; B O’Gorman, S Kiely, C Dineen; E O’Leary, A Quinn, C Condon.
M Hunt for O’Gorman (41), D Twomey for Condon (43), E O’Gorman for O’Riordan (51).
A O’Sullivan; C Long, E Gunning, A Burke; S Paul Cooke, P Rourke, D McGuire; K Moynihan, G Joyce; K Buckley, S Forde, C Hogan; K O’Meara, A Hogan, R O’Sullivan.
G Healy for Rourke (42, inj).
Jack Forbes (Dohenys).
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