Bantry into another PIFC final after dramatic one-point win over Kilshannig
Bantry Blues' Mark Og O'Sullivan wins the ball from Kilshannig's Killian O'Connell Alan O'Connell and during the Bon Secours Cork PIFC semi final at Coachford. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
BANTRY held on to beat Kilshannig by a point in a thrilling Premier Intermediate FC semi-final in Coachford on Saturday evening. Their clash was filled with all sorts of twists and turns, and with Bantry only a point up heading into injury time, it was too close to call.
Bantry won a penalty at the death to seal the win, but Paddy Cronin’s strike rattled off the post and back in to play.
Shane O’Connell countered for Kilshannig, and as they worked it up the pitch, they won a free on the 45, and an extra time looked a certainty.
Kieran Twomey stepped up, but his free came off the post. Crucially, it fell to his teammate Jack Twomey, but his strike was off target, and with that, Kilshannig’s hopes of back-to-back titles were crushed.
It was an intense affair from start to finish, with Kilshannig taking an early two-point lead, but Cork senior Ruairi Deane responded with a brilliant goal.
He made an unstoppable solo run through three defenders, before blasting the ball beyond Gavin Creedon.
Kilshannig had all the ball, and continued to trouble Bantry but they were wasteful at times, and the absence of Killian O’Hanlon was noticed.
They had little to show for their high levels of possession, with the score 0-4 to 1-0 after the opening 10. A well taken mark from Cronin and a free from Arthur Coakley restored the Bantry lead.
A point from Ciaran O’Sullivan levelled it, but scores from Blues’ Deane and Cronin made it 1-4 to 0-5 after 28 minutes. With the Carbery outfit well settled, their handpassing proved too much for the north Cork side.
Kilshannig full-back Eoghan Burke made a headline save off the line that kept his side in the game, as Deane’s goal was all that separated the two at the break.
Burke repeated the trick in the second half with an even better save to keep a rocket from Deane out, and with momentum in their side after Burke’s monstrous save, Kilshannig went up the other end and won a free.
As Kieran Twomey dropped it in, it was an awkward one for Eoghan O’Donoghue, and the Bantry keeper spilled it to Cunningham, who buried it from close range.
Subsequent scores for Casey and Twomey made it 1-8 to 1-6 in favour of last year’s Intermediate A winners, but Bantry wouldn’t subside.
Four scores without reply brought the west Cork side back in front, while Conor McMahon’s inspirational score for Kilshannig reduced the gap to the minimum with less than 15 to go.
After trading scores, a point between them was all that remained up until the game’s conclusion after five minutes of injury time.
R Deane 1-3 (0-3 f), A Coakley 0-5 (0-2 f), P Cronin 0-2 (0-1m), K Casey, S O’Leary 0-1 each.
T Cunningham 1-2 (0-1 f), K Twomey 0-3 (0-1 f), C O’Sullivan, J Twomey, E O’Hanlon, B Curtin, A O’Connell, C McMahon 0-1 each.
M Casey; S Thornton, T Cronin, C O’Brien; J O’Neill, M Óg O’Sullivan, E Minihane; B Foley, D McCarthy; K Casey, S O’Leary, S Keevers; P Cronin, R Deane, A Coakley.
E O’Donoghue for M Casey (18 inj).
G Creedon; C O’Shea, E Burke, S O’Connell; B Curtin, B Guerin, M Twomey; J Twomey, C O’Sullivan; A O’Connell, E O’Sullivan, T Cunningham; K Twomey, E O’Hanlon, Diarmuid O’Sullivan
B Creedon for O’Hanlon (8, inj), K O’Connell for Guerin (30+1, inj), C McMahon for Diarmuid O’Sullivan (33), Darragh O’Sullivan for M Twomey (42).
Peter O’Leary (Cloughduv)
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