Wasteful St. Michael’s fend off gutsy Town challenge

THEY made hard work of it in the end — kicking a total of 12 second-half wides (15 in total) enabling plucky Bishopstown to stay in their faces — but St. Michael’s deserved their Ulster Bank Cork Co Premier MFC semi-final victory at Glen Rovers yesterday, setting up a final meeting with Ballincollig next Saturday.

Some splendid attacking football in a second-half that lasted 40 minutes, mainly due to an injury to Bishopstown keeper Anthony Seymour, had Bishopstown on the rack until two late pointed frees from Denis Maher made for an uncomfortable finish for the winners.

Indeed Maher had a chance to level matters, but instead elected to play the difficult free chance inside which came to nothing.

For all their pressure and dominance, St. Michael’s were left hanging on and glad to hear Colm Lyons’ final whistle.

It might never have come to that had the menacing Eoin Buckley not missed a gilt edged goal chance in the 56th minute, after being set up by man of the match Eric Hegarty, whose work rate and distribution all through were terrific, also scoring four points.

Yet Bishopstown, despite the loss of Thomas Murray and Eoin Byrne through injury, were plucky and courageous in the opening half and more than matched St Michael’s. Paul Honohan, who had a superb game, Fiachra Ó Deasúnaigh and Conor Luttrell excelled as a couple of points from Maher and one from Gavin Walsh shot them 0-3 to 0-2 clear after the opening quarter. Indeed Honohan was unlucky not to find the net in the 12th minute.

But St Michael’s, with JP Carroll outstanding at full-back, settled down against the wind. A couple of frees from Hegarty supplemented Buckley’s two earlier points and Declan Kelleher should have had a goal in the 27th minute when his blistering shot zipped over the bar as the sides went in level at the break 0-5 apiece. Michael’s, though, with wind advantage, were a different proposition in the second-half, and tore into Bishopstown. But chance after chance went a-begging until Hegarty’s third free and Kelleher’s second point from play earned them 0-7 to 0-5 advantage entering the final quarter.

Honohan, always a menace up front for Bishopstown, got it down to one again but when Ian Giltinan and Hegarty made it 0-9 to 0-6 after 57 minutes it looked curtains for the Town.

Maher, in the 59th an 61st minutes, made sure life would be difficult for Michael’s though with his two free conversions, leaving a rusty Blackrock side know they were in a championship contest.

Scorers: St. Michael’s: E. Hegarty 0-4 (0-3 frees), E. Buckley (0-1 free) and D. Kelleher 0-2 each, I. Giltinan 0-1. Bishopstown: D. Maher 0-4 (0-2 frees, 0-1 ‘45), P. Honohan 0-2, G. Walsh, F. Ó Deasúnaigh 0-1 each.

ST. MICHAEL’S: B. Kavanagh; C. O’Brien, J P Carroll, J. Linehan; C. Coyne, B. Ahern, B. O’Sullivan; B. Lombard, S. O’Sullivan; I. Giltinan, E. Hegarty, K. Leonard; E. Buckley, W. Kennedy, D. Kelleher.

Sub: G. Howard for Carroll.

BISHOPSTOWN: A. Seymour; S. Power, R. Mawe, I. Jones; C. Luttrell, M. Power, M. O’Donovan; F. Ó Deasúnaigh, R. Fitzgibbon; J. O’Sullivan, P. Honohan, D. Maher; C. Jones, G. Walsh, B. O’Callaghan.

Subs: K. Devane for O’Callaghan, S. McCarthy for C. Jones, T. Bonner for O’Sullivan.

Referee: C. Lyons (Nemo Rangers).