PSFC: Goals key as Mallow demote Carrigaline to Senior A
Jack Dillon, Mallow is first to react to a breaking ball ahead of Niall Coakley, Carrigaline during their Bon Secours Premier Senior FC Relegation Playoff match at Blarney, Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan
MALLOW preserved their Premier Senior FC status, as first half goals from Sean McDonnell and Mark Tobin sunk Carrigaline in their PSFC Relegation Playoff in Blarney on Sunday.
It was a slow start, with Mallow taking the lead after 7 minutes without a score, as Sean Hayes’ point while being upended was all that separated the teams.
Though both sides continued to fight hard, their offensive play was disappointing. The teams had five wides each, while Carrigaline also had three attempts drop short in that period.
After another 12 minutes without a score from either side, McDonnell split the posts after 25 minutes to put Mallow two up.
The north Cork outfit quickly followed up with a goal, as Jimmy Glynn picked out Mark Kelleher, who set up McDonnell for the finish to spark some much-needed life into the game.
With Mallow now 1-3 to 0-1 ahead, Carrig needed a quick response. Eanna Desmond gave exactly that with a point from play, while Mark Kelleher’s reply for Mallow retained their four-point lead.
Three minutes after their first goal, Jack Dillon set up Hayes, and he made no mistake as he blasted the ball into the roof of the net to take them eight in front after 29 minutes.
Desmond hit one on the stroke of half time, but they needed something special as Mallow had begun to flourish in the closing stages.
They started the second as they finished the first, with midfielder Darragh Moynihan playing a one-two with Ryan Harkin, before teeing up Tobin for the point.
Carrigaline’s Kevin O’Reilly hit back from a free, before Desmond sent over his third from play to reduce the deficit to two goals.
They traded scores once more, but that marked the end of Mallow’s scoring for 10 minutes as Carrigaline fought relentlessly to get back in the game.
A free from Niall Coakley had it 0-7 to 2-6 after three quarters of an hour, before David Griffin made a great run through and hand-passed it off to Jack McCarthy, and he was brought down for a penalty.
Brian Coakley placed it coolly into the bottom corner, to get Carrigaline within two, but McDonnell gave Mallow a much-needed score with his free on 52.
Two minutes later, Tobin played the ball in front of Dillon, and one-on-one with Callum Dungan, he punched it into the back of the net to raise a third green flag for Mallow.
They traded scores twice more, but Carrig couldn’t overturn Mallow’s commanding lead, eventually losing by five as they ran out of time.
S McDonnell 1-3 (0-2 f), S Hayes 1-1, M Tobin 0-3 (0-1 f), J Dillon 1-0, M Kelleher, P Hennessy (m), 0-1 each.
B Coakley 1-1 (1-0 pen, 0-1 f), E Desmond 0-3, N Coakley 0-2 (0-1 f), O Barry (f), K O’Reilly (f), J McCarthy, D Griffin 0-1 each.
K Doyle; P Lyons, B Myers, S Copps; S O’Callaghan, M Taylor, J Glynn; D Moynihan, S Merritt; M Kelleher, J Dillon, S McDonnell; M Tobin, S Hayes, R Harkin.
P Hennessy for Merritt (33 inj), L Walsh for Kelleher, E Crone for Glynn (both 59), D Hayes for S Hayes (60+2), E Barry for Tobin (60+3).
C Dungan; N Quirke, I Sheerin, C O’Herlihy; Kevin Kavanagh, C Barry, J McCarthy; D Griffin, Kieran Kavanagh; C Barrett, N Coakley, E Desmond; O Barry, B Coakley, K O’Reilly.
T Vaughan for O’Reilly, E Ryle for Barrett, D King for O Barry (all 52), D Greene for C Barry (53-56 bs).
David Daly (Brian Dillons)
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