Daniel Holland lands key extra time scores as Donoughmore move into minor final

Donoughmore 2-12 Glanmire 0-14 (after extra time) 

A Daniel Holland goal five minutes into extra time proved crucial for Donoghmore as they saw off a resilient Glanmire side in a hard-fought Premier 2 Minor Football Championship semi-final at the Mardyke.

Holland also added two monstrous points in the second period of extra time that helped seal the deal for his team.

In the opening exchanges, both teams moved the ball with pace but it took four minutes for Glanmire to take the lead courtesy of a wonderful kick from Calum Austin. A minute later Glanmire extended their lead when Brian Galvin converted a 30-metre free.

Donoughmore were struggling to break down the Glanmire press and they went further behind when Cork minor midfielder Harry Cogan kicked a terrific long-range point. After going 12 minutes without a score Donoughmore produced a moment of magic with Scott O’Hanlon splitting the posts that was immediately followed by Scott Barrett's white flag.

Suddenly Donoghmore looked to be playing with more confidence and were rewarded with the opening green flag on their next possession. After two consecutive shots were saved and taken off the line, David McDonnell eventually found the space to find the back of the net that edged Donoughmore ahead 1-2 to 0-4.

The pressing continued for Glanmire as Donoughmore continued to turn the ball over, but they did manage to increase their lead with five minutes remaining. A superb solo run from Rory Honohan saw him shoot for goal from 20 yards but the Glanmire keeper Sam Allen denied him when palming the ball over.

Consecutive David McDonnell points gave Donoughmore a one-point cushion as the energy shown by Glanmire in the opening 10 minutes was no longer evident. Indeed, a late Brian Galvin point was Glanmire’s first score in over 22 minutes and it was Donoughmore who went in at the break commanding a 1-5 to 0-4 lead.

On the restart Donoughmore missed two good opportunities in front of the posts as the game was now about keeping possession. In the third quarter, the standard of football dropped and with 13 minutes remaining a superb Cogan point tied the game 1-6 to 0-9.

Donoughmore did manage to regain their lead a minute later from the boot of Barrett which was only their second score of the second half before Austin levelled proceedings.

The closing minutes were frantic but with both teams missing easy opportunities the game went to extra time.

In that 20 mintues, the class of Holland proved the difference between two committed sides.

Scorers for Donoughmore: D McDonnell 1-3 (0-1 f), D Holland 1-3, S Barrett 0-3 (0-1 f), S O’Hanlon, R Honohan, P Murphy 0-1 each.

Glanmire: B Glavin 0-4 (0-2 f) H Cogan 0-4, J Austin 0-3, C Austin 0-2, B O’Mahony 0-1.

DONOUGHMORE: C O’Donovan; T Murphy, D Kearney, R McLaughlin; L O’Sullivan, D J Foley, J Murphy; S O Hanlon, R Honohan; D Holland, J McCarthy, D Honohan; S Barrett, R Reardon, D McDonnell.

Subs: P Murphy for R Reardon (43), C Lawton for J Murphy (59).

GLANMIRE: S Allen; D Ryan, C Quirke, Z Seymour; L Hogan, J Huggins, R McCarthy; C Austin, H Cogan; S Bracken, R Barry, J Austin; B O’Mahony, R Higgins, B Glavin.

Subs: C Condon for R Higgins (45), K Mulcahy for S Bracken (46), J Tierney for L Hogan (54), S O’Connell for B O’Mahony (70), L Hogan for B Galvin (73).

Referee: Peter Finnegan (Douglas).