Bride Rovers secure long awaited Senior A final as Carrigtwohill comeback falls short
Bride Rovers' Ronan O'Connell hammers home his goal past Carrigtwohill goalkeeper Shane Devlin in the Co-Op Superstores Cork SAHC semi-final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Picture; Eddie O'Hare
At the fifth time of asking, Bride Rovers have finally broken through. After four consecutive semi-final defeats, the Rathcormac-Bartlemy men finally cracked the glass ceiling, toppling Carrigtwohill on Saturday evening at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Courtesy of two second half goals, they've reached the Senior A county final, where they’ll face the winner of Blarney and Castlelyons.
Years of frustration give way to possibility now – one more step and they will be champions.
The game itself was a scrap against the elements as much as the opposition. The wind was a constant companion, howling down the field and dictating the first half in particular. Even with it at their backs, Rovers turned only four clear at the break, 1-9 to 1-5.
Every time Carrig threatened in the third quarter, Rovers met fire with fire. At 1-13 to 1-10 with 15 to go, there was the faintest hint of anxiety about them – but then came the lift.
Cork senior Brian Roche cut inside from the flank, brushed past Aaron Walsh Barry’s challenge, and finished with authority to stretch it to six. It was the score that finally bent the game their way.
Carrig, to their credit, refused to wilt. They kept nibbling away, James Mulcahy denied a superb goal chance on 51 minutes by a brilliant Cian Hogan save, and by the 55th minute, the margin was down to three.
Then came the swing – Adam Walsh missed a free he would normally bank, Seán Walsh nailed his at the other end, and a two-point gap felt suddenly perilous.
But Rovers first score since the goal was timely. A mistake from Shane Devlin, punished by Paddy O’Flynn put them three clear again in the 61st minute, 2-14 to 1-14.
Carrig pressed desperately for a goal, forcing passes that weren’t there. Rovers intercepted, broke quickly – Walsh to David Barry, Barry lofting over the top to Ronan O’Connell – and O’Connell buried it to seal victory.
It was a gut-wrenching end to an otherwise impressive season for Carrigtwohill, but there was no stopping Bride Rovers this time. Their moment had finally come.
The wind was the loudest voice in the first half, howling through Páirc Uí Chaoimh and carrying two outrageous efforts from Rovers’ centre-back Cillian Tobin straight over the bar. Yet for all the gale’s persuasion, Bride Rovers only turned around four ahead, 1-9 to 1-5.
Carrigtwohill had begun the better of the two, sharper in touch and cleaner in finish. Twelve minutes had passed before they even struck their first wide, by which time they led 1-4 to 0-3.
Cian O’Riordan and Patrick Walsh clipped fine scores from play, Seán Walsh added two frees, and it was he brothers who buried the game’s opening goal from the spot – Patrick Walsh having floated a teasing delivery onto Liam O’Sullivan, who was felled by Conor Hazelwood.
But the Rovers’ response was instant. Within a minute, Tobin had sprinted back pitch to deny O’Sullivan a second Carrig goal, and immediately after, Brian Roche and Walsh combined to release Conleith Ryan, who lashed home his fifth of the campaign to cut the margin to one.
Carrig still shaded it by 1-5 to 1-4 after 18 minutes, but Rovers soon found a gear. Five points without reply – two of them Tobin specials from distance – had them dictating by the break, wind and all.
Carrig were tidy and determined after the restart, but they never got closer than two. When Roche hit the net in the 46th minute, Rovers weren’t going to be stopped.
B Roche 1-3, P O’Flynn 0-3, C Ryan, R O’Connell 1-0 each, A Walsh (2 fs), C Tobin, D Barry 0-2 each, K Kearney, J Ahern 0-1 each.
S Walsh 1-6 (0-4 f, 1-0 pen, 0-1 65), M Barrett 0-3 (0-2 f), L Gosnell 0-2, P Walsh, L O’Sullivan, C O’Riordan 0-1 each.
C Hogan (c); J Peters, E Roche, D Cashman; C Hazelwood, C Tobin, S O’Connor; D Barry, K Kearney; P O’Flynn, B Roche, C Ryan; R O’Connell, A Walsh, J Ahern.
C O’Sullivan for Kearney (52), L Roche for Ryan (56), C Barry for O’Flynn (60+2-FT temp).
S Devlin; B Twomey, A Walsh Barry (c), P O’Sullivan; D Murnane, S de Búrca, J Horgan; M Barrett, J Oke; P Walsh, L O’Sullivan, C O’Riordan; L Gosnell, S Walsh, J Mulcahy.
S Brennan for O’Riordan (48), C Barry for P Walsh (59).
C Walsh (Nemo Rangers)
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