'We stood up to them': Eoin Ryan salutes 14-man Clonakilty resolve in Newcestown win

Clonakilty selector Eoin Ryan said sheer resolve and honest graft carried his 14‑man side over the line as they edged Newcestown on Saturday evening. 

The Brewery Town prevailed 1-17 to 2-13 in a gripping McCarthy Insurance Group Premier SFC quarter-final in Dunmanway.

Clon are back in the last four for the first time since 2021, where they will meet reigning champions St Finbarr’s. But Ryan admitted the closing stages were “chaotic” after the red card to Dan Darragh before the second half even began.

Ryan didn’t hide the toll the extra‑man disadvantage took on his group.

“We got tired at the end, to be fair,” he said post‑match. 

“That was understandable, I suppose. We made a couple of mistakes we normally wouldn’t make — missed a couple of scores, a few bad passes — but look, they’re wrecked after that. They’re wrecked altogether. But Newcestown never give in.

“This is massive. Just relieved now that we got over the line.” 

Clon had controlled long stretches of the first half before Newcestown goaled to go two points up at the break, and then a skirmish broke their rhythm.

“For the first 20 minutes I thought we played the game on our terms,” Ryan says.

“We were in complete control. But there was a bit of a brawl then that threw us, and they got a goal actually before it. A lapse of concentration. When we were playing football, we were good — but when we go away from it, you see what happens.” 

The goal left Clon suddenly two points down, and the mood darkened further with the sending off. Ryan was blunt in his assessment of the incident.

“I don’t want to talk about that, because that was ridiculous,” he states. 

“That was a joke. I don’t want to say anymore. But look, we were worried about the goal — two points down all of a sudden. We had to react. It was a test of character.” 

Despite the disruption, Clon regrouped and produced a superb spell, moving seven points clear approaching the closing stages. Newcestown rallied to cut the gap to one, but Clon held firm.

“We’re delighted with the one‑point win,” Ryan says.

“We’d have taken your hand off to be in the semi-final. We came out the second half and completely bossed the game the way we wanted to play it. When it gets a bit chaotic and we got tired, that’s what happens. But we stood up to them and came up with the result.

“All the lads there — the lads that came on, the subs on the line — they’re all putting in ferocious effort. All the backroom staff, everyone. We’re working hard at it.

“Dylan Harrington came on — he’s been struggling with injury. He got a great goal and it was a big moment.” 

Clon’s run to the semi-final comes after a couple of quarter-final defeats in recent seasons since last making the last four five years ago, but Ryan said the group always believed they were building towards the championship this year.

“I said to you earlier in the year that we were building for the championship. Our panel is being tested now anyway. But we’re still unbeaten in the championship, and we move on to the semi-final. We are where we want to be.”