Premier SFC: St Finbarr's come good to see off brave Ballincollig

St Finbarr’s: 2-15 

Ballincollig: 2-10 

St Finbarr’s finished with a flourish to see off the stern challenge of Ballincollig in the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier SFC quarter-final at Páirc Uí Rinn on Friday night.

The Barrs were under the pump for large spells of this one. They trailed by two points at the break and were four points behind after 43 minutes, but came good with a late scoring spree.

Brian Roche’s side will now meet familiar foes Castlehaven in the last four. It will be the fifth successive season that the two teams will lock horns in championship.

There was plenty of drama and needle in this one. There was a likelihood of extra time like the minor meeting between the clubs on Tuesday night, when the Collig won after penalties. The Barrs came good here in normal time to prevail. 

Ballincollig fall at the quarter-final hurdle for a second campaign on the trot. Their chances were dented by a nasty injury to Cork footballer Luke Fahy after 17 minutes. His absence was keenly felt in the second half. Also, losing Darragh O’Mahony for 10 minutes to a black card after 53 minutes was pivotal. They gave it as good as they got.

Played in front of a very decent crowd at the Boreenmanna Road venue, Ballincollig were very competitive, which was rewarded with a Seán O’Neill point following a neat team move. St Finbarr’s were finding it difficult, but did get a score when Steven Sherlock landed an easy free.

The Cork footballer added another free, but the Village were dangerous when going forward and an O’Mahony pass to Peter O’Neill resulted in the leveller. The Muskerry side suffered a setback after 12 minutes when John Wigginton-Barrett scored an outstanding individual goal. The jinky forward sidestepped a number of Ballincollig defenders before finishing low into the net, 1-2 to 0-2 before Fahy had to leave the field through injury.

The sides traded the next four points with Cian Dorgan’s effort, despite being put under huge pressure, the pick of those scores, 1-4 to 0-4 with seven minutes to the break. The teams were level after 25 minutes, a heads up pass from midfielder Seán Dore to Dara Dorgan split open the Barrs defence and the forward finished to the net. A sublime pass.

A Cian Dorgan free from an acute angle nudged the team in green and white ahead, as they defended heroically in the closing stages of the first half. Cillian Myers-Murray thought he was going to net a goal, but Collig defender Shane Murphy, who coughed up possession seconds beforehand, made an inspirational block to deny a certain goal. That man Cian Dorgan gave his side a two-point advantage at half-time, 1-6 to 1-4.

St Finbarr’s needed a good start to the new half, a Sherlock point a minute in was a positive opening for them. Their first score in 12 minutes, including added time. The sides were level for a fourth time when Brian Hayes pointed.

It was short lived when the Collig got a second goal after 35 minutes. Seán Kiely with the green flag after Dore did great work in the build-up, 2-6 to 1-6. The Village were the better team at this juncture as they hit two of the next three points to lead 2-8 to 1-7 after 43 minutes. A pair of Sherlock frees left two points in it.

A 45 from Sherlock cut the deficit down to a point with 10 minutes remaining, but a fisted Cian Dorgan effort was a big point for the Village, 2-9 to 1-10. The sides traded points before John Wigginton-Barrett left a point in it.

Ballincollig’s Darragh O’Mahony received a black card after 53 minutes before a Sherlock free levelled matters. It was crucial as Sherlock converted a free and then Hayes netted after 60 minutes after he pounced on a mistake. The Barrs now leading 2-14 to 2-10.

A close-in free from Sherlock made sure of the win, but it certainly wasn't easy for the city side.

Scorers for St Finbarr’s: S Sherlock 0-10 (0-8 f, 0-1 45), J Wigginton-Barrett, B Hayes 1-2 each, E Twomey 0-1.

Ballincollig: C Dorgan 0-7 (0-2 f), S Kiely, D Dorgan 1-0 each, S O’Neill, T O’Connell, P O’Neill 0-1 each.

ST FINBARR’S: D Newman; F Crowley, J Burns, B O’Connell; E Dennehy, A O’Connor, C Scully; C Doolan, I Maguire (c); E Twomey, B Hayes, W Buckley; C Myers-Murray, J Wigginton-Barrett, S Sherlock.

Subs: D Quinn for F Crowley (18, inj), C Lyons for D Quinn (26, inj), E McGreevy for C Myers-Murray (42), A Lyne for B O’Connell (59, inj).

BALLINCOLLIG: J Gibbons; L Jennings, C Moore, S Murphy; C Dalton, L Fahy (c), JP Murphy; S Dore, F Down; S O’Neill, S Kiely, P O’Neill; D Dorgan, D O’Mahony, C Dorgan.

Subs: B Keating for L Fahy (17, inj), T O’Connell for C Dalton (51), E Cooke for P O’Neill (59).

Referee: Andrew Whelton (Clonakilty).