Fermoy turn focus towards Cill na Martra battle

A total of 119 days separated Fermoy’s first game in this year’s Cork County IFC and their second, but they showed few ill-effects of the lay-off as they beat Cloyne by 11 points at Lisgoold on Saturday evening.

Rory O’Hagan was they key man for the North Cork side, kicking five points in a 0-15 to 0-4 win, while Alan O’Connor also impressed. The win set up a quarter-final meeting with Cill na Martra next week, and left manager Paul Donnellan in great form.

“We hadn’t played since May,” he said, “and it’s always tough to know what’ll happen when you’ve been out of action that long.

“It’s a long delay and often the team that has come through the back door is in better shape but we had prepared well and knew that if we tried to limit Cloyne’s goalscoring opportunities, then we would be in with a chance.”

After playing against the breeze, Fermoy led 0-7 to 0-3 at half-time and then pushed further clear in the second half, conceding just one point. Cloyne’s cause was not helped as they had four players sent off, meaning Fermoy’s progression was never really in doubt.

For manager Donnellan, it was an impressive show of his side’s character.

“A lot of the players would have been on the hurling team that lost to Kilworth, so it was good to react like that,” he said.

“We know that Cill na Martra will be tough now but there is a semi-final place at stake and we’ll be delighted if we get there.”

Also in action on Saturday after a long break were Argideen Rangers, who had a point to spare over Aghada in the IHC fourth round.

Brian Hennessy’s goal midway through the second half, which put the Timoleague side ahead for the first time, was key as it was the catalyst for the building of a five-point lead before a late Aghada rally.

Argideen manager Declan Crowley was pleased to have squeezed past the East Cork side.

“You know what you’re going to get from Aghada, they’re a championship outfit,” he said.

“Even after we pulled clear, they came back and got a goal [through Trevor O’Keeffe] with the last puck, so we were hanging on, maybe we retreated a little bit.”

Tony Wall and Cian Fleming had been on target as Aghada led 0-8 to 0-6 at half-time, but John Michael O’Callaghan and Michael Walsh had Rangers level early in the second half and they pushed on from there, Hennessy’s goal put them into a 1-10 to 0-11 lead.

The final score wa 1-14 to 1-13, and now Crowley looks forward to a quarter-final clash with Meelin as they a return to the Premier grade following last year’s relegation. “It was tough to come down last year, we had a lot of injuries,” he said.

“Obviously the aim is to go back up and hopefully we can do that but Meelin the next day will be a very difficult proposition.”

lDue to an error, the reports from the Fermoy v Cloyne in the IFC and Argideen Rangers-Aghada IHC game failed to appear in yesterday’s paper.

Fermoy 0-15 Cloyne 0-4 Scorers for Fermoy: R O’Hagan 0-5 (0-2f), A O’Connor 0-3, J Campion (0-1f), P De Roiste 0-2 each, J Hutchings, R O’Callaghan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Cloyne: C Smith 0-3 (0-1f), Diarmuid O’Sullivan 0-1f.

FERMOY: I O’Callaghan; P Clancy, B O’Callaghan, J Daly; S Shanahan, D O’Carroll, J O’Sullivan; T Clancy, J Hutchings; B O’Sullivan, R O’Callaghan, A O’Connor; J Campion, R O’Hagan, P de Róiste.

Subs: S McCarthy for P Clancy and A Baragry for B O’Sullivan (55), K Morrison for R O’Callaghan (57), D Conron for T Clancy and K Dorgan for J Hutchings (59).

CLOYNE: E Motherway; J Cotter, B McCarthy, K Dennehy; Domhnall O’Sullivan, E O’Sullivan, M Walsh; Paudie O’Sullivan, B Fleming; C O’Lomasney, Paul O’Sullivan, C O’Sullivan; C Smith, Diarmuid O’Sullivan, J Nyhan.

Subs: A Walsh for B Fleming, R McCarthy for M Walsh, C Mullins for Paul O’Sullivan, D Jermyn for C Smith.

Referee: N Wall (Carrigaline).

Argideen Rangers 1-14 Aghada 1-13 Scorers for Argideen Rangers: JM O’Callaghan 0-5 (0-1f), B Hennessy 1-1, M Walsh 0-3, F Butler (0-1f), J Sheehan 0-2 each, M O’Callaghan 0-1f.

Scorers for Aghada: T O’Keeffe 1-1, T Wall 0-4, C Fleming 0-3 (0-1 65), W Leahy, J Connolly, P O’Neill, S Wall, E Savage 0-1 each.

ARGIDEEN RANGERS: N Coomey; D Connolly, L Harte, R Smith; P Butler, M O’Callaghan, E O’Brien; J Deasy, N Harte; J Sheehan, J Murphy, J M O’Callaghan; M Walsh, B Hennessy, F Butler.

Subs: C O’Brien for N Harte, S Coomey for R Smith, D Sutton for J Deasy.

AGHADA: M Day; T O’Neill, J P O’Connor, K O’Connor; B Hennessy, G Melvin, T Hartnett; S Wall, C Fleming; E Savage, T Wall, J Connolly; P O’Neill, T O’Keeffe, W Leahy.

Sub: R Kennedy for T Hartnett.

Referee: J Larkin (Douglas).

Fermoy 0-15 Cloyne 0-4