Éire Óg hold off Bishopstown comeback to seal SAFC quarter-final win
Eire Óg’s Matt Brady is held back by Bishopstown’s Michael Power during their SAFC quarter-final in Ballyanly. Picture: Noel
Déjà vu here for Bishopstown. Another quarter-final against a freshly relegated Premier Senior outfit, another exit. Last year it was Carrigaline, this time it was Éire Óg in Ballyanly, as Bishopstown’s promising Cork Senior A Football Championship campaign came to an end on Sunday.
With the clock drifting towards the finish, Bishopstown found a pulse nine behind. Conor Dunne clipped a couple of frees, Kieran McFadden polished off a sweeping move, and the arrears were six with two to go. Then came the jolt.
Dunne split open the defence, strode clear, and smashed the ball past Chris Kelly. Suddenly a three-point game, four minutes added.
The Town faithful roared it on. Ballyanly turned maroon and white. Éire Óg were being smothered.
Darragh O’Donovan launched one in, Kelly had to charge out. His next kickout went over the line, Dunne tagged on another free. Two in it – as close as they’d been since just after the break.
And then Éire Óg steadied themselves. Daniel Goulding, cool as you like, struck over a monster two-point free – the only orange flag of the afternoon – to seal a four-point win and release the tension.
The scare was real, they had been coasting. They had also been coasting for a reason.
Dunne’s point in the 35th minute had got the Town back to two, 1-8 to 0-9, but the game was made safe in that 13-minute blitz after half-time when Bishopstown vanished and Éire Óg cut loose.
Seven scores from six different players. Jack Murphy the metronome, four points from play in the first half and provider of two after the break. Colm O’Callaghan clipped the only pair, Brian Hurley and Daniel Goulding off the bench brought instant returns. Fluid, fast, ruthless football, Éire Óg at their best.
Éire Óg’s first half was steadier, but just as effective. They had to ride out a hairy eighth minute when Foley sent Brian Clifford in at the edge of the square and he was hauled down for a penalty.
Liam Hogan struck it well, but Kelly got down low to his left and pushed it away, preserving a one-point lead.
Five minutes later they struck gold themselves – Eoin O’Shea’s hopeful shot fell short, Colm O’Driscoll spilled under Dylan Foley’s pressure, and the ball trickled in.
It might easily have been two goals in two minutes. Rian O’Flynn played a one-two with Darragh Clifford, before unleashing a close-range strike which O’Driscoll saved.
And still they came. Foley again tested the keeper before recycling for Murphy to score, and by the 20th minute the lead was out to six. The Murphy brothers, Jack and Hugh, were causing havoc, O’Flynn was seeing plenty of possession, and Bishopstown were scrambling to stay in touch.
That they did was down to Dunne’s accuracy. His frees kept the margin within sight, and McFadden and Simon Collins offered cameos along the way.
But Bishopstown had left the real work too late. A missed penalty, a blackout after half-time where they only landed one point until the 53rd minute, and Éire Óg’s refusal to let the scoring load fall on any one man – those were the nails.
The late burst was brave, but not enough. Éire Óg survived it, a little frayed around the edges, but still very much on track.
E O’Shea 1-2, J Murphy 0-5 (0-1 f), D Goulding 0-3 (1 tpf, 0-1 f), C O’Callaghan 0-2, R O’Flynn, D Foley, H Murphy, B Hurley, D Clifford 0-1 each.
C Dunne 1-7 (0-6 f), K McFadden, S Collins 0-2 each, B Clifford, D O’Donovan 0-1 each.
C Kelly; C McGoldrick, M Brady, D McCarthy; H Murphy, M Griffin, C Clifford; D Clifford (c), C O’Callaghan; R O’Flynn, R O’Toole, E O’Shea; J Galvin, D Foley, J Murphy.
D Goulding for Foley (39), B Hurley for Galvin (45), J Kelleher for J Murphy (54), D Kelly for O’Callaghan (54-FT, temp) D Dineen for Brady (60).
C O’Driscoll; L Hogan, E Byrne, N Gough; H Wixted, M Power, O Foley; K Murphy, J Murphy; C Dunne, P Casey, K McFadden; S Collins, B Clifford (c), G Holland.
D O’Donovan for Holland (23-HT, temp), B McCarthy for K Murphy (36), O’Donovan for Casey (44).
C Murphy (Glanworth)
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