Sexton goal the killer as Barr’s march on

St Finbarr’s 2-9Macroom 0-6

Not a great game of football, but Barr’s coach Bill O’Connell was still pleased. “I was a bit worried at half-time, I didn’t think our lead was strong enough. They came at us in the second-half, I expected that, but I thought we carried the ball much better than in the opening half and it made a big difference. The lads worked very hard and, following last year’s minor success, it would be nice now to follow up with an U21 victory.”

And they have every chance, though it was hard to believe most of this Macroom side played in last year’s final, a game they lost so narrowly to Castlehaven. The Mid-Corkmen often looked rudderless, gave away too much possession and couldn’t buy a score. Barr’s, on the other hand, were strong, economical and found the net twice.