Clon dig deep to foil Ballincollig

NEVER-SAY-DIE Clonakilty were forced to dig deep to prevent Ballincollig fashioning a sweet Evening Echo Cork Co SFC first round victory in Bandon on Saturday.

Four points down with 10 minutes remaining, following a goal by the alert John Miskella, Clon looked in big trouble. But their response was dynamic, years of hard championship graft manifesting itself as they whittled back Ballincollig’s lead to earn a replay they richly deserved.

Both sides used the width of the park well, but, though there was commitment aplenty, it didn’t reflect on the scoreboard. Colm Callanan, always a menace, gave Clon a quick lead with a free but, before the tasty Alan Donovan equalised in the 11th minute, Ballincollig were guilty of some poor finishing.