Fitzgibbon Cup: Second-half surge gives MTU top spot in group
MTU Cork's Joe Egan gets off his pass away despite pressure from Garda College's Lorcan Carr during Thursday's Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup game at MTU. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
MTU Cork pushed on impressively in the second half to see off Garda College on Thursday night, topping Group B of the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup.
While the hosts’ half-time advantage was 0-11 to 0-10 – having almost fallen four points behind coming up to the break – they asserted their supremacy after the restart.
Aaron McEvoy’s 57th-minute goal, following good work from Darragh O’Sullivan, Ronan Walsh, Diarmuid Healy and Alan Walsh, put them into a 1-12 to 0-11 advantage and they gained confidence from there.
When Walsh netted on the three-quarter mark, with hardworking midfielder Joe Egan the architect, the lead was 2-14 to 0-13 and doubts about the outcome dissipated.
However, a home victory was not always the formality that the bookmakers had decreed beforehand. Having won away to UCC as outsiders a week previously, this time the hosts found themselves as the unbackable favourites in the sights of visitors who could certainly play.
Watergrasshill’s Dáire O’Leary, who is set to be included in Cork’s panel for the Allianz Hurling League, played centre-back for the boys in blue and curbed Healy for much of the first half – he even outscored his former Imokilly team-mate two to one in the opening period.
With Cian Boyle a lively outlet in attack, the visitors led on occasion in the early stages and didn’t trail by more than a point in that first half. In the 27th minute, when they led by 0-9 to 0-8, they might have even had a goal – great work for Ciarán Kirwan led to a chance for Daniel but, while the ball went past goalkeeper Grantis Bucinskas, Tadhg O’Leary Hayes took it off the line.
While Boyle put the resultant 65 over to make it 0-10 to 0-8, MTU finished the half well. A long ball from excellent centre-back Darragh O’Sullivan was won by Johnny Murphy, who was fouled for a free that Mikey Finn coverted – his fourth – and then he benefited from good play by Joe Egan and Healy to level.
The clock had ticked into the red by then but there was still time for Finn to land another from halfway to send the home side in leading.
McEvoy’s second goal in as many games owed much to Walsh’s aerial ability and the Kanturk man – also set to be given a chance in the league – used his strength to good effect when Egan set him up.
A third goal might have accrued – Garda goalkeeper Jason O’Dwyer saved brilliantly from Walsh – but with the metronomic Finn continuing to keep the points coming while McEvoy finished with 1-5, MTU were comfortable in the end.
The 13-point margin at the end provides some succour for UCC – a draw would suffice for them in next week’s clash with Garda in Templemore to determine second place.
M Finn 0-10 (0-7 f, 0-1 65), A McEvoy 1-5, A Walsh 1-1, J Murphy 0-2, R Deasy, D Healy 0-2 each.
C Boyle 0-5 (0-2 f, 0-1 65), R Stapleton 0-3, D O’Leary 0-2, D Hand, C Kirwan, T Doyle 0-1 each.
G Bucinskas (Kanturk); F O’Connell (St Catherine’s), J O’Brien (Fermoy), T O’Leary Hayes (Midleton); C Ryan (Brickey Rangers, Waterford), D O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig), R Walsh (Kilmoyley, Kerry); J Egan (Moycarkey-Borris, Tipperary), M Finn (Midleton); R Deasy (Ballymartle), D Healy (Lisgoold), R O’Connor (Feenagh-Kilmeedy, Limerick); A Walsh (Kanturk), J Murphy (Dromina), A McEvoy (Graigue-Ballycallan, Kilkenny).
D O’Leary (Ballincollig) for Ryan, J Galvin (Éire Óg) for O’Connor (both 41), R Troy (Newtownshandrum) for Egan, E Varian (Glen Rovers) for O’Connell (both 54), R Leahy (St Mary’s Clonmel, Tipperary) for Deasy (58).
J O'Dwyer; C Langan, M Carey, J Mulqueen; S Fitzgibbon, D O'Leary, L Carr; T Doyle, D O'Reilly; C Kirwan, R Molloy, D Hand; J Doyle, C Boyle, R Stapleton.
O Ryan for Doyle (44), L Dunne for Kirwan (49), D Brennan for Langan (51), D Bohan for Doyle, D Ryan (both 58).
K Guina (Limerick).
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