Paul Hodnett grabs a hat-trick as Carbery Rangers outgun Douglas

Douglas 2-5 (2-0-5) Carbery Rangers 5-11 (5-3-5) 

Paul Hodnett hit 3-6 as Carbery Rangers hammered Douglas in Division 1 of the McCarthy Insurance Group Football Leagues on Sunday morning.

The West Cork side actually trailed 1-3 to 1-2 at the break and a scoring surge that included goals from Mark Hodnett and Peadar O’Rourke got the win for Robbie Ahern’s side.

The result makes it a perfect week for Carbery Rangers, after the club got their first points of the campaign on Easter Monday by defeating Cill Na Martra.

Ahern’s team wasted no time in asserting themselves in the city as Paul Hodnett got in to get the first goal in just the fifth minute. Louis Dwan Fogarty and an Andrew Cotter 45 got things underway for Douglas, and an Adam Cantwell penalty ensured parity in the 26th minute.

That made it 1-2 apiece and Alan O’Hare sent the home side into the break with a narrow lead by splitting the posts in the dying seconds before the interval.

A Conor Russell free for Douglas, just seconds into the restart, marked a turning point as Carbery Rangers won the ball from the kick-out and Paul Hodnett sent it over for a two-pointer.

Darragh Hayes followed up on that with a white flag, and two quick goals between the 35th and 37th minute saw Paul Hodnett and Peadar O’Rourke hit the back of the net.

Carbery won the ball from the restart and played it to Darragh Hayes, for a two that extended their lead to 3-7 to 1-4.

This stretch continued during their next advance inside the Douglas 45 as there was a penalty that Paul Hodnett was able to put away for the hat-trick in the 42nd minute.

Douglas had nothing to offer in response, while Carbery comfortably led 4-7 to 1-4 as Ahern and his management team emptied their bench.

Douglas did push forward late on and that left space for quick counter that was finished by Mark Hodnett in the 51st minute, with his strike making the scoreboard read 5-10 to 1-4.

David Buckley did raise a green flag near the end for the home side, but it counted for very little despite five minutes left on the clock.

Scorers for Douglas: A Cantwell (1-0 pen), D Buckley 1-0 each; A Cotter (45), L Dwan Fogarty, A O’Hare, C Russell (f), S O’Leary 0-1 each.

Carbery Rangers: P Hodnett 3-6 (1-0 pen, 2 2pt f, 0-1 f), P O’Rourke 1-1, D Hayes 0-4 (1 2pt), M Hodnett 1-0.

DOUGLAS: A Cotter; D Ward, J O’Callaghan Maher, N Lynch; S Aherne, J Burke, D O’Callaghan; D Buckley, N Hartnett; K Shanahan, L Dwan Fogarty, A Cantwell; A O’Hare, C Russell, S O’Leary.

Subs: C Kingston for Ward (HT); P McGrath for Russell (40), C Mac Pháidín for Lynch (50), D Mac Pháidín for Shanahan (50).

CARBERY RANGERS: A O’Brien; C Daly, T O’Rourke, S Linehan; P Tobin, J O’Riordan, B Hodnett; K Scannell, J O’Brien; P Hurley, P Hodnett, J Hodnett; P O’Rourke, D Hayes, M Hodnett.

Subs: B Kerr for O’Brien (40); P Og Hill for O’Riordan (40), J O’Regan for Hurley (45), Caolan Hayes for B Hodnett (45), N Keane for P Hodnett (45), M Maguire for Scannell (50), C McCarthy for Tobin (50), Colm Hayes for D Hayes (55).

Referee: James Bermingham (Bride Rovers).