Division 1 FL: Nemo come good to see off Éire Óg

Éire Óg: 0-14 (0-0-14) 

Nemo Rangers: 2-13 (2-1-11) 

Nemo Rangers finished well to see off Éire Óg in the McCarthy Insurance Group Division 1 Football League contest at Ovens on Thursday evening.

Robbie O'Dwyer’s side were deserving winners in the end with just that extra bit of quality and experience telling factors. As a result of this Round 4 encounter, the city team move on to six points and joint top with Clonakilty and St Finbarr’s, for a couple of days at least.

It was a strange game in the sense that Nemo scored two goals and a point inside the first quarter, but didn’t score for the remainder of the opening 30 minutes. An improved display after the interval did the trick. Éire Óg remain on two points as they suffer a third loss in four games. 

They were without the services of Cork’s 2010 All-Ireland winner Daniel Goulding, but the home side had a nice spread of scorers. They did play their part in an enjoyable game and can count themselves unlucky. They did finish with 14 players after a late Donncha Kelly red card.

On a splendid evening for football, Éire Óg raced out of the traps with two points inside the first three minutes through Diarmuid Dineen and Conor McGoldrick.

The home side had their tails up and should have been further in front if it wasn’t for three wides.

In Nemo Rangers' first attack, it yielded a score that changed the direction of the game for a short while. The city side goaled after seven minutes courtesy of Colm Kiely with a tidy finish.

That was followed by an Oisín Whyte point after an incredible pass with the outside of the boot from Gary Sayers.

It was all Nemo now and they thought they had a second goal after 12 minutes, but Kiely was adjudged to have been in the square when the ball was delivered.

They did raise a second green flag two minutes later when midfielder Barry Cripps slotted the ball into the top corner, 2-1 to 0-2. Nemo wouldn’t score again for the remainder of the first half.

Éire Óg were impressive as they moved the ball between the lines very well. They put together six unanswered points with McGoldrick landing two, one from a free, Mark Griffin, Rian O’Flynn, Eoin O’Shea and a 45 from Cork goalkeeper Chris Kelly, 0-8 to 2-1 at half-time.

The teams traded points on the resumption before Jack Murphy opened up a two-point lead for Éire Óg.

They then were reduced to 14 players for 10 minutes after a Donncha Kelly black card after 34 minutes. The sides did trade the next four points, 0-12 to 2-4.

Nemo struggled to make use of the extra player but an Alan O’Donovan point did keep his team in touch.

A Sayers free drew parity before Kiely nudged Nemo in front as Éire Óg returned to their full complement.

The Trabeg-based outfit were starting to turn the screw as they played heads up football. A pair of Paul Kerrigan points, one from a free, gave his team a 2-9 to 0-12 advantage after 50 minutes.

Kevin Fulignati opened up a four-point gap before a McGoldrick free for Éire Óg ended a 15-minute wait for a score.

Donncha Kelly picked up a yellow card and having got a black card, it resulted in a red with four minutes to go.

A Kerrigan two-pointer from a free was the insurance score. Éire Óg sub Brian Thompson did point, but Conor Horgan made absolutely sure for Nemo with a point from an acute angle.

Scorers for Éire Óg: C McGoldrick 0-6 (0-3 f), R O’Flynn 0-2, D Dineen, M Griffin, E O’Shea, J Murphy, C Kelly (45), B Thompson 0-1 each.

Nemo Rangers: P Kerrigan 0-4 (0-1 f, 1 2pt f), C Kiely 1-1, B Cripps 1-0, C Horgan 0-3 (0-1 f), A O’Donovan 0-2, K Fulignati, G Sayers (f), O Whyte 0-1 each.

ÉIRE ÓG: C Kelly; M Corkery, M Brady, D Dineen; D McCarthy, H Murphy, A McCarthy; D Kelly, M Griffin; R O’Toole, C McGoldrick, J Murphy; E O’Shea, J Kelleher, R O'Flynn.

Subs: D Foley for R O’Flynn (43), B Thompson for D McCarthy (59).

NEMO RANGERS: D O’Leary; C Moore, D Quinn, C Coughlan; A Cronin, S Cronin, K Fulignati; A O’Donovan, B Cripps; O Whyte, C Shalloe; C Horgan; G Sayers, P Kerrigan, C Kiely.

Subs: B O’Neill for C Shalloe (43), C Yelland for G Sayers (45), T O’Brien for O Whyte (57).

Referee: Robert Whelan (Gleann na Laoi).