O'Donovan Rossa strike late to secure SAFC victory over Fermoy
O'Donovan Rossa's Thomas Hegarty is tackled by Fermoy's Ross O'Sullivan during the McCarthy Insurance Group SAFC at Bandon. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
O’Donovan Rossa beat Fermoy in a tense McCarthy Insurance Senior A Football Championship meeting against Fermoy in Bandon.
Substitute Dylan Hourihane senior got the winner after a Skibb turnover in the middle of the field.
In a first half where Rossa hit eight wides, Fermoy started the game much the better with the first two points.
The first was inside a minute from Ben Twomey before former Cork defender Tomás Clancy hit one of his own after three minutes. The Skibbereen outfit hit back to level as David Shannon and Niall Daly both hit scores inside the fourth minute.
Twomey nailed another free two minutes later to put the Avondhu side back in front but there was a scoreless seven minutes after that. That was before Elliott Connolly injected pace by running down the wing with poise.
After a one-two with Thomas Hegarty, the wing forward roofed the ball to the net with Liam Coleman having no chance. 1-2 to 0-3 after 13 minutes.
Fermoy hit back with the ideal response with four points without reply. The in-form Twomey hit the first of those with his first from play.
The same man hit a free over the black spot before hitting an impressive score on the run after 19 minutes. Padraig De Roiste hit a sweet score nine minutes later to put Fermoy two in front.
It was the West Cork side who finished the half stronger with Kevin Davis score, Fermoy led 0-7 to 1-3 at the short whistle.
It was the Avondhu side who got the first score of the second half too with a Twomey free before Davis got one back for Skibb.
Twomey once again split the posts from a free before O’Donovan Rossa forward Daly made it a one-point game again.
Fermoy went three points ahead as De Roiste and Twomey both scored from play but Skibb battled back.
Tomas Hegarty and a David Shannon free cancelled out two more Twomey scores before the West Cork side hit three on the spin.
Shannon hit a well-worked score while Davis hit two (one from a free). Fermoy sub Arlen Aherne hit one back to level it and set up a grandstand finish.
Davis and Twomey swapped frees before De Roiste levelled it again with a monster score. That set up Hourihane senior to be the hero and win it for Gene O’Donovan’s side.
K Davis 0-7 (0-4 f), D Shannon 0-3, E Connolly 1-0, N Daly 0-2, T Hegarty, D Hourihane Snr 0-1 each.
B Twomey 0-11 (0-7 f), P De Róiste 0-3, T Clancy, A Aherne 0-1 each.
R Price; S Fitzgerald, D Daly, P O’Neill; D O’Donovan, P Crowley, D Hourihane Jnr; C Coombes, D Shannon; B Crowley, K Davis, E Connolly; I Harte, T Hegarty, N Daly.
D Byrne for I Harte (h-t), D Hourihane snr for D Hourihane jnr (48), L Connolly for D O’Donovan (58).
L Coleman, A Creed, S Shanahan, R O’Sullivan; P Murphy, D O’Carroll (capt.), G Lardner; J O’Brien, S Aherne; T Clancy, P De Roiste, D Lardner; B Twomey, G O’Callaghan, D Dawson.
L Aherne for G Lardner (blood) (11-12), D Daly for D Dawson (45), M Brennan for S Aherne (46), R Morrison for S Shanahan (51), A Aherne for J O’Brien (52), J Carr for G O’Callaghan (59).
Peter O’Leary (Cloughduv).
App?
