Valley Rovers’ puckout press key to toppling Glen in U21 quarter-final

To say Valley Rovers’ win over Glen Rovers was not a shock would be dishonest. Nonetheless, they were fully deserving of the victory.

From the off, Valleys were rampant. Within 15 minutes they led 0-9 to 0-1, the Glen rattled and searching for air under a suffocating press that cut off every route out from defence. The northsiders, so assured and slick in their City final win over Blackrock, found no such fluency here.

“I suppose we had a good start in the first half and probably targeted their puckouts, and it kind of worked to our advantage,” said manager Michael O’Brien after the victory. “We obviously had the wind as well, which helped us, but it was kind of backs to the wall stuff there at the end and the lads stood up, to be fair to them.

“Work rate is obviously important for any team, but we do hone in on that and look, these lads give it their all every time they go out on the pitch,” he said. “And you can see half them there hobbling coming off, so the physio will be busy probably!” 

That first-half burst set the tone. Valleys hit only five wides before the break and finished with nine overall, compared to 11 for the Glen.

Every column of the stat sheet no doubt leaned their way – tackles, turnovers, shot creation – but it was their efficiency from play that was most noticeable, 11 scores from 22 attempts (50%) against the Glen’s seven from 20 (35%).

The start in the first half kind of set us up, we always knew then the second half was going to be a totally different story. So, to be fair to the lads, they stood up in the end. 

For all that early dominance, Valleys still had to survive a storm of a different kind after the interval. The wind that had been so gentle through the earlier Midleton and Ballincollig game picked up with real intent for this one, but Valleys adapted.

And while the result might surprise outsiders, O’Brien never doubted what his group was capable of.

FAITH

“We'd seen the Glen play in the city final and obviously they were on fire that night, but we've great faith in these lads,” he explained. “They're a great group and look, hopefully they can push on again, but it was a great win for the club and we'll see what comes next.” 

What comes next is Shandrum – the Avondhu champions who breezed past Charleville and Mallow on their way to yet another divisional crown. It doesn’t get easier for the Innishannon side, but O’Brien wasn’t about to look too far ahead, as they hope to reach a first decider since 2003.

“They're obviously a great team as well. We lost to Newtown in the Junior B here, but we'll worry about that now, probably tomorrow!” he laughed. “But the lads will probably enjoy it tonight now to be fair to them, and my two boys here will probably enjoy it too!

His two young sons, who curiously wandered over as he spoke, may not yet be old enough for U21 hurling, but they could hardly have had better inspiration. None more so than Cian Johnson, the wing-back was outstanding.

His reading of the game was remarkable, and he pulled off two crucial blocks in the first half that reaffirmed Valleys control over proceedings.

“Cian was outstanding,” O’Brien said. “Cian was sick all week coming into the game, and you can even see him after the game there struggling, so he put in an enormous shift.

“Great player, great attitude, but look, there's 29 other players there as well as Cian, obviously you can single him out if you want, but to be fair, I thought whatever 17, 18 lads we used there all put in a good shift as well.” 

And there were plenty of other standouts, as O’Brien highlighted. Evan O’Shea was sharp from placed balls and almost faultless from play, Joe Twohig put in a tireless shift on the wing, and Shane Ryan was lively throughout in midfield.

Valleys may have shocked a few, but they’re more than capable of bringing down Shandrum – as they showed on Saturday against the Glen.