Paudie Kissane on football: Duhallow will test Nemo's mettle and Castlehaven feel they owe the Barrs

IT'S nice to be back discussing football as we reach the concluding stages of the club championships in Cork.

The county board came in for some criticism after the scheduling of three of the football quarter-finals for club venues which came into particular focus once the weather deteriorated for those games. 

You may have some supporters or officials who like games county-wide but I think most players would prefer to be in Páirc Uí Chaoimh when it is a knockout game.  It is the best pitch with a modern design, able to handle heavy rainfall. 

Secondly, the stadium structure and history attached make it a great place to play.

This week I am sure there is a spring in the step of all the teams who are looking forward to their semi-final jousts, knowing they're at the best venue. 

There is the argument the atmosphere would be better in a club venue, but nonetheless, I think supporters now enjoy heading to the city venue to support their club in the knockout stages.

Looking back at the recent quarter-finals, unfortunately, the weather was an issue in terms of quality. 

This can be deemed to give the so-called underdog a better chance of winning as the conditions are not suitable to play good football. The thing that stood out for me though, in the Premier Senior games was ultimately the teams who played the best football won the match irrespective of conditions.

Castlehaven and Nemo Rangers adapted to the heavy conditions better though I must acknowledge I was surprised the game in Bandon went ahead considering the amount of surface water. It was dangerous and luckily there was no serious injury. You felt once the game started it was going to be completed either way.

Clonakilty will have regrets about some of the shot selection late on but the difference was Nemo Rangers were able to create that bit more space to get the shot off resulting in better execution and accuracy. 

Small margins in the end and considering the pitch conditions I am sure Nemo were relieved more than anything to come away with the win.

Nemo face Duhallow next who deserve credit for their performances so far this year. 

Duhallow’s pick may have narrowed in recent years with more clubs now completing at Senior A, but still, they have many players who have represented Cork at different grades, well-conditioned, self-motivated and experienced.

FRUSTRATION

The opening minutes of the Duhallow-Douglas game, may not have been great viewing, but credit to Duhallow overall. They had an effective defensive structure which frustrated Douglas and then combined this with some excellent attacking play.

Fast movement of the ball by hand for foot is always associated with good attacking play but powerful strong runs into space can be just as potent. This was typified by Seamus Hickey’s purposeful solo winning combined with brilliant support play. 

This led to both Duhallow goals in the first which invariably provided them with the platform to win the match. Douglas though I’m sure will be disappointed with how they defended both attacks.

Duhallow will need to improve though as at times players got isolated in possession leading to soft turnovers. 

The short turnaround between games will help momentum and also they will not have many players doubling up with club and divisional games.

Considering Nemo’s attacking threat, you would imagine Duhallow will set up similarly next Sunday. This will be interesting as Nemo struggled previously at breaking down well-organised defensive play. A game to look forward to.

CRACKER

Castlehaven and St Finbarr's know each other well at this stage following their clashes in recent seasons. 

It has the making of another cracking game, with both sides bringing plenty of attacking threat. It will interesting will either team bring something different tactically from last year's encounter.

Castlehaven were very impressive in the first half versus Ballincollig. Great space and control in their play. 

Experienced players the Cahalanes, Mark Collins, and the Hurleys had their moments but nonetheless, their first-half performance had team written all over it.

Good teams often take advantage of poor play from the opposition and that is what exactly what Castlehaven did. Soft turnovers by Ballincollig were quickly punished down at the other end by smart cohesive play from Castlehaven.

Even considering the challenging conditions Castlehaven knew when the kick pass was on and were able to execute effectively. 

Ballincollig in contrast will be disappointed, in the first half they just had too many unforced errors alongside a few missed frees they couldn’t get any momentum going. Aided by Michael Hurley's black card, Ballincollig worked their way back into the game, and through a quick 1-1 it was a draw and game-on with 10 minutes to go. 

They were unfortunate not to a least get one more goal but when the need was greatest it was Castlehaven who executed better finishing strongly with three scores on the bounce.

In last year's semi-final, Castlehaven were well in the game at the end of the third quarter but the concession of two soft goals resulted in a comfortable win for St Finbarr's. Both teams you feel will get further goal-scoring opportunities this Sunday, and it will be the conversation rate here once again which will be crucial.

St Finbarr's are coming in slightly under the radar considering last year's hype so I expect they will be very focused and determined to reach another county final. 

Hopefully, the weather will allow two great contests.