Division 1 HL: Killeagh hit three goals against Fr O'Neill's to secure crucial win
Fr O'Neill's Jason Hankard and Killeagh's Sean Looney tussle for a high ball during the league match in Aghavine. Picture: Howard Crowdy
A massive, massive result for Killeagh. A thoroughly deserved four-point win, and a first top-flight league win since 2022.
Both Killeagh and Fr O’Neill’s arrived into Thursday night’s Cork Hurling League Division 1 clash without a point between them. And this outcome from Aghavine will certainly carry consequence.
For patches in the first half Killeagh had been excellent; in others, they struggled. There would have been no more than a point between the teams at the interval, were it not for one lucky rebound.
In the 28th minute, David Buckley’s quick pick and jolt to his right gave him the space to shoot. His strike looked like it was going over, then dragged right, hit the upright, and fell straight into Ryan McCarthy’s hand.
He had buried it from point blank before Johnny Swayne could react. A Buckley point gave Killeagh a five-point buffer at the break: 2-9 to 0-10.
But on the restart, they struggled to build on their advantage, and by the 43rd minute, O’Neill’s had only chipped three off Killeagh’s lead. Then, in a sweeping move a minute later, Evan Lane passed to sub Fionn Brennan, who offloaded to John Ogbebor, and he blasted to the roof of the net to grab the third green flag.
Immediately after Buckley tacked on his third to put Killeagh seven clear. But in the final 15 minutes, the hosts continued to fight. Over the next seven minutes they outscored Killeagh 0-4 to 0-1, but Killeagh’s full-back line came up trumps.
Full-back Jamie Fogarty, made two crucial interventions in stoppage time, though his corner-backs Cian Kelly-Budds and Sean Long had been superb all evening, too. Even then, they were powerless to stop Joe Millerick from firing off a goal attempt in added time, but stand-in goalkeeper Brendan Delaney – who, despite being a defender, had to replace Philip O’Neill after he was injured in the warm-up – made his second fantastic stop.
Then, on the counter, Killeagh pounced once more, Sean Walsh setting up Ryan McCarthy for the clincher to put them five ahead, and it was thoroughly deserved.
Killeagh had led early, leading 0-4 to 0-1 after seven minutes, but O’Neill’s would hit seven of the next eight points to lead by three with 18 minutes played.
But, the visitors would find another purple patch in the last ten minutes of the opening act, immediately taking the lead with their first goal, a brilliant long pass in from Ciarán Leahy – who was excellent in midfield alongside Evan Lane – found Ryan McCarthy, and he buried it.
When Leahy set up his midfield partner for the next white flag they were two ahead, and though a couple of Kevin O’Sullivan frees restored parity for the hosts, McCarthy’s second major and a point either side of it would have Killeagh back in front at the break.
And they would not be caught in the second half.
K O’Sullivan 0-10 (0-6 f, 0-1 65), J Hankard 0-3, M O’Neill, P Hassett, B Dunne, W Abernethy 0-1 each.
R McCarthy 2-3 (0-1 f), J Ogbebor 1-1, E Keniry, D Buckley 0-3 each, E Lane, D McCarthy, F Brennan 0-1 each.
J Swayne; M Millerick, D Harrington, R Kenneally; M O’Keeffe, T Millerick, M O’Neill; Joe Millerick, John Millerick; R Cullinane, K O’Sullivan, P Hassett; P Steele, J Hankard, B Dunne.
W Abernethy for Dunne (17 inj), O Steele for P Steele (47), E Rooney for Hassett (57).
B Delaney; C Kelly-Budds, J Fogarty, S Long; R Sinclair, P O’Brien, G Walsh-Wallace; E Lane, C Leahy; D McCarthy, E Keniry, S Smiddy; D Buckley, R McCarthy, J Ogbebor.
F Brennan for Smiddy (42), D Motherway for Buckley, M Fitzgerald for O’Brien (both 50), S Walsh for Keniry (55).
C McAllister (Aghada)
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