Clonakilty cling on to repeat dreams

CLONAKILTY’S hold on their Evening Echo Cork SFC crown came under severe pressure in Rosscarbery on Saturday night, but the defending champions held their nerve in a pulsating finale to pull through ahead of Ilen Rovers in this fourth round tie.

When Conor O’Driscoll boomed over a massive kick in the 56th minute to tie up the match, the momentum looked to have shifted irrevocably in Ilen Rovers’ favour.

They had shaved off a five-point interval deficit with a stirring second-half display and seemed poised to plough in front in the finale. But Clonakilty put a sloppy second-half performance behind them to summon the key scores at a critical time.