Mallow hit 2-20 and send Valley Rovers into Premier SFC relegation playoff

Mallow 2-20 (2-6-14) Valley Rovers 1-15 (1-2-11) 

Mallow ended the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork Premier SFC in Blarney on Sunday with an impressive victory over Valley Rovers.

With Newcestown and Castlehaven having advanced from Group 1, they were playing to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.

They applied themselves to the task and as a result it is Valley Rovers who must play Carbery Rangers in that relegation play-off.

Playing into the wind, two goals before the break put them six ahead, and while they pulled away early in the second half to lead by 10 points, Valley Rovers brought it back to four points with seven minutes remaining but Mallow scored the final five points to one, to see this out.

Sam Copps showed their intent when replying to a Fiachra Lynch point in the fourth minute.

A two-pointer from Michael O’Rourke eased them into a 0-6 to 0-2 lead after quarter of an hour.

Lynch was doing most of the Valley Rovers scoring.

They were hit with a blow when midfielder Chris O’Leary had to go off with a leg injury in the 21st minute.

They trailed 0-7 to 0-5 when James Loughrey finished a Mallow goal in the 25th minute - O’Rourke, Jack Dillon and Kevin Sheehan involved in a swift build-up, which all started from a Bill Myers turnover.

The scores continued to flow with Sheehan adding to his tally when he found the net two minutes into stoppage time, this time Dillon and Loughrey provided the assists.

It gave them a hefty 2-9 to 1-6 interval lead with the Valley Rovers' goal coming from Jack Walsh after a quick Lynch free found him in the 33rd minute.

Valley Rovers had a good opportunity to get another goal back straight from the restart but there was no joy for Ciarán McCarthy. Myers picked up an injury for the intervention.

Instead, it was Seán McDonnell who kicked a two-pointer at the other end, he fisted over another point, and Sheehan also obliged to extend the Mallow advantage.

Twice goalkeeper Billy Curtin threw his team a lifeline with two two-pointer frees, 2-15 to 1-14.

Mallow, who finished with nine different scorers, continued to press forward with captain Matty Taylor, Eoin Kelleher, Dillon, Trevor Kiely and Sheehan (two-point free) sealing the win.

Scorers for Mallow: K Sheehan 1-3 (1 2pt f), E Kelleher 0-4, J Loughrey 1-0, S McDonnell (1 2pt), M O’Rourke (1 2pt), J Dillon 0-3 each, T Kiely 0-2, M Taylor, S Copps 0-1 each.

Valley Rovers: F Lynch 0-5 (0-2 f), J Walsh 1-1, B Curtin 0-4 (2 2pt f), D Murphy 0-2, S McEntee, C McCarthy, A Walsh Murphy 0-1.

MALLOW: K Doyle; B Myers, P Lyons, G Daly; T Kiely, M Taylor (Capt), S Copps; S Merritt, A Bolster; M O’Rourke, J Dillon, S McDonnell; K Sheehan, J Loughrey, E Kelleher.

Subs: J Glynn for B Myers (33 inj), B Myers for A Bolster, M Tobin for M O’Rourke (both 47), P Britton for S Copps (50).

VALLEY ROVERS: B Curtin; C O’Keeffe, M Woods, D Muckian; A Walsh Murphy, J O’Driscoll (J-Capt), E Guinane; C O’Leary, C Johnson; J Kiely, A Kenneally, J Walsh; C McCarthy, F Lynch, A Casey.

Subs: D Murphy for C O’Leary (21 inj), S McEntee for A Casey (43), E Delaney for A Kenneally (52).

Referee: Liam O’Shea (Carbery Rangers).