Goals key as Kilmacabea beat Charleville to reach Junior A county final
Kilmacabea's Damien Gore shoots a point from Charleville's Darragh O'Sullivan during the McCarthy Insurance Group JAFC semi-final at Páirc Uí Rinn. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Kilmacabea are through to the McCarthy Insurance Cork County Junior Football final, where they will meet Donoughmore, as they saw off the challenge of Charleville at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday.
The opening half of this game was evenly contested before Kilmacabea got the game’s two goals after the interval. They had to withstand a rally by the North Cork side in the closing stages.
Cork footballer Damien Gore opened the scoring in the third minute as he converted a free for the West Cork side.
Charleville’s Darren Butler opened his side’s account with a point from play, but this was cancelled out as Ian Jennings landed a two-pointer for Kilmacabea. The West Cork side continued to have Charleville pinned back as Donnacha McCarthy added a further point.
Midway through the opening half, the North Cork side began to turn the screw as net-minder Jesse Smith converted a free from outside the Kilmacabea 40-metre arc. Jack O’Callaghan added a further point. This was followed by a two-pointer from play by Butler, which gave Charleville a lead of 0-6 to 0-4.
The North Cork side promptly found themselves on the back foot as Gore levelled matters with a free from outside Charleville’s 40-metre arc.
Kilmacabea regained the lead with a point from Diarmuid O’Callaghan, but Butler replied for Charleville. Gore put the West Cork side back in the driving seat on the stroke of half-time, as Kilmacabea led by 0-8 to 0-7 at the interval.
The West Cork side had Charleville pinned back for most of the second half. Within seconds of the restart, Diarmuid O’Callaghan set up Jennings for the game’s opening goal, to stretch Kilmacabea’s advantage to four points.
Robert Carroll responded with Charleville’s only point of the third quarter. Daniel O’Donovan and Eamon Shanahan tagged on further points for the West Cork side. Jack O’Callaghan responded with a pointed free for Charleville entering the final quarter, to leave three points between the sides.
Shanahan set up Liam McCarthy for Kilmacabea’s second goal to stretch the West Cork side’s lead to 2-10 to 0-9 in the 49th minute.
Charleville, to their credit, refused to give up without a struggle as they outscored Kilmacabea by five points to one in the final 10 minutes. Butler tagged on a point from play and he also got a two-pointer from a free.
Jack O’Callaghan and Gore exchanged points before Smith converted a 45 in stoppage time.
I Jennings 1-2 (1 2pt), D Gore 0-5 (0-1 f, 1 2pt f), L McCarthy 1-0, E Shanahan, D O’Callaghan, D McCarthy, D O’Donovan 0-1 each.
D Butler 0-7 (1 2pt, 1 2pt f), J Smith 0-3 (0-1 45, 1 2pt f), J O’Callaghan 0-3 (0-1 f), R Carroll 0-1.
C McCarthy; L Tobin, D Whooley, D Tobin; O Tobin, M Collins, D O’Callaghan; O Kerrisk, I Jennings; D McCarthy, D Gore, K Whelton; E Shanahan, J Collins, D O’Donovan.
L McCarthy for D McCarthy (40), R Shanahan for J Collins, R Hourihane for Kerrisk (both 49).
J Smith; S Liddy, B O’Connell, D O’Sullivan; J Meade, D O’Flynn, O O’Connell; J Buckley, R Carroll; D Casey, C Buckley, Z Biggane; J O’Callaghan, D Butler, S Bresnan.
D Fitzgibbon for Buckley (33), D Forde for O O’Connell (38).
Robert Whelan (Gleann na Laoi).
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