JAHC: Paddy Murphy's goal the key as Donoughmore overcome Diarmuid Ó Mathúna's to reach final
Diarmuid Ó Mathúana's Jamie Lucey and Donoughmore‘s Adam Dinan battle for the sliotar. Picture: Chani Anderson
The Irish for Donoughmore is Domhnach Mór – strictly speaking, ‘great church’ but, taken literally, can mean ‘big Sunday’.
Having claimed the mid-Cork junior A title for the first time, the county semi-final at Páirc Uí Rinn was a big Sunday and now, having come through a battle with Diarmuid Ó Mathúna’s, they have an even bigger occasion to look forward to.
In a tight game, the major drama came late, with the sides level, as they were so often. With Mathúna’s pushing, Kevin O’Donovan had sight of goal but he was denied by a heroic Seán O’Hanlon block. Having cleared the danger, Donoughmore then fashioned a chance of their own as sub Tom Murphy did well before feeding Paddy Murphy, who cleverly created space before firing to the net for a goal to go with the three points he had already registered.
Mathúna’s main score-getter Caolán O’Donovan did point a free in response but no other chances presented themselves for the Coppeen/Castletownkenneigh outfit and Donoughmore progressed to the final.
Playing against the breeze, Mathúna’s had the opening score with a Jamie Lucey point and then things got even better – Caolán O’Donovan played a searching pass to Kevin O’Donovan in the left corner and he lofted the ball towards the middle, where Gearóid O’Donovan was able to divert it to the net.
Having had some early wides, Donoughmore settled thanks to a pair of points from midfielder Adam Dinan and they were level at 0-5 to 1-2 by the 16th minute thanks for a free from captain Colm O’Callaghan.
The rest of the first half featured Mathúna’s going ahead on three occasions only for Donoughmore to equalise each time. At one end, Mathúna’s number 6 Cathal Mangan excelled in the full-back line as the Donoughmore inside attackers were denied time or space; at the other, Donoughmore’s number 3 Mark Foley made up for a lack of height with impeccable game-reading.
While a low Kevin O’Donovan ball into the Donoughmore goalmouth did cause danger early in the second half, it took Mathúna’s until the 44th minute to add to their half-time tally – in between, O’Callaghan and Paddy Murphy had put Donoughmore ahead for the first time.
After Caolán O’Donovan finally ended the Mathúna’s drought, both sides had goal efforts in quick succession: a nice Mathúna’s move led to Jamie Lucey setting up Gearóid O’Donovan but he was unable to make a clean connection, and moments later Donoughmore’s Daniel Holland was denied by a Micheál O’Driscoll save.
A pair of Caolán O’Donovan frees drew Mathúna’s level and then put them ahead before Donoughmore sub David O’Connell sent over a pair of points in quick succession.
Another O’Donovan dead ball tied the sides on 55; it was the seventh-such time and the last as Murphy’s goal finally put daylight between the teams.
A big Sunday for Donoughmore, with another one to follow.
P Murphy 1-3, C O’Callaghan 0-3 (0-2f), A Dinan, D O’Connell 0-2 each, L O’Sullivan, D Holland 0-1 each.
C O’Donovan 0-7f, G O’Donovan 1-0, R Lucey, K O’Donovan, J Lucey 0-1 each.
S Sexton; D Looney, M Foley, R Honohan; F Honohan, S O’Hanlon, M Lucey; K O’Donnell, A Dinan; S Barrett, L O’Sullivan, D Holland; D McDonnell, P Murphy, C O’Callaghan.
D O’Connell for O’Sullivan, J Twomey for Honohan (both 37), J Murphy for Looney, D Lawton for O’Callaghan (both 49), T Murphy for Dinan (56).
M O’Driscoll; M Daly, S Crowley, C Mangan; J O’Callaghan, J Hurley, R Lucey; C O’Sullivan, M O’Sullivan; M Draper, T Lordan, C O’Donovan; J Lucey, G O’Donovan, K O’Donovan.
P Crowley for Lordan (41), E Mangan for Hurley (48), J Fleming for Draper (59).
B Murphy (Carrigtwohill).
App?
