St Ita's grind out win over Midleton to avoid East Cork JAHC relegation final
Ciaran O'Brien, St Ita's, battles with Darragh Egan, Midleton in their East Cork Oil JAHC game in Castlemartyr last year. Picture: Denis O'Flynn
It was in no way an attractive one, but a Séamus Harnedy-less St Ita’s did enough to hold off Midleton and avoid being condemned to the East Cork Oil Junior A Hurling Championship relegation playoff final.
Conditions were dire in Killeagh. It rained from start to finish on Thursday, leaving it to become a battle of attrition all throughout, but that hardly dampened Ita’s spirits.
With Harnedy ruled out through suspension, and Imokilly defender Ciarán O’Brien struggling for much of the contest, they were under severe pressure.
O’Brien had started brightly in midfield scoring two from play, but his injury forced Ita’s to throw him up to full-forward. He tried for almost half an hour, but could not continue. They would lose him after 45 minutes.
While brother Darragh stepped up in his absence, he wasn’t the only one in green and white to deliver when it counted.
After Ciarán’s withdrawal, Josh Hogan slotted over a Midleton free to leave them trailing by the minimum, 0-12 to 0-11 after 46 minutes. Three minutes later, Jake McCarthy set up sub Daniel Hickey for a beautiful score. In the 51st minute, Darragh O’Brien’s seventh free put Ita’s three up.
Midleton needed a goal.
In the 54th minute, they almost had one. Jack Fitzgerald broke free and shot low, Padraig O’Brien met it with a food save, and Fitzgerald got back in to pull on the rebound, but it trailed wide.
Rory Hartnett would get the Magpies back within two in the 57th minute, but they could not find the goal they needed. It got even scrappier as full-time neared and Midleton grew more desperate, but Ita’s got the win they needed to preserve their Junior A status.
The rain ensured it would always be sluggish, and neither side led by more than two in the first half. They would be level five times in that opening period, the Magpies two ahead after 21 minutes but two behind at the interval.
Harry Connon was lively in the first half and Fitzgerald was busy for Midleton, but four of the last five scores in that period but Ita’s in the driving seat.
O’Brien slotted over from play on the resumption to leave it 0-10 to 0-7, but a couple of Hogan frees got Midleton right back in it. Their opponents would never be safe, but Midleton’s failure to raise a green flag would be the difference.
D O’Brien 0-8 (0-7 f), C O’Brien, C Deane 0-2 each, D Collins, D Hickey 0-1 each.
J Hogan 0-7 f, R Hartnett, P O’Brien 0-2 each, A Power 0-1 f.
P O’Brien, G Griffin, B McCarthy, M Doherty; M Coleman, M Lillis, G Coleman; C O’Brien, H Connon; C Deane, M O’Brien, D Collins; D Doherty, D O’Brien, J McCarthy.
D Hickey for C O’Brien (45 inj), B Bulman for Doherty (55).
Z Smith; M McSweeney, O’Brien, G Bagnell; A Power, D Codd, L Hennessy; S O’Farrell, J Fitzgerald; T Roche, R Hartnett, N Coughlan; J Hogan, C Crowley, P O’Brien.
P Dowling for Roche (45), E Ahern for Crowley (57).
A Murphy (Killeagh)
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