Champions Nemo Rangers shocked by Valley Rovers as Billy Crowley converts late winner

Nemo Rangers' Paul Kerrigan wins the ball from Valley Rovers' Eoin Delaney at Ballygarvan. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Valley Rovers 1-9 Nemo Rangers 0-11 

Valley Rovers have put an early dent in Nemo Rangers’ three-in-a-row county title bid with this shock win over the back-to-back champions in Group A of the Cork Premier SFC.

Today’s result brings an end to Nemo’s 11-game unbeaten championship run in Cork and marks their first defeat locally since September 2018.

Six days on from winning the delayed 2020 county final, it is hard to know if fatigue was a factor in this rare Nemo defeat given the long run-in to last week's decider and how that fixture would have been their chief focus throughout the summer. Irrespective, far more noticeable was their wastefulness in front of goal, Paul O’Donovan’s charges kicking 10 wides in total, six of those coming during a first half where they could easily have put the result beyond their opponents.

Valley Rovers, to their credit, hung in throughout, refusing to kneel when falling five in arrears four minutes into the second-half following successive points from Conor Horgan and Ronan Dalton within 60 seconds of each other.

Nemo, though, would only raise two further white flags between there and the finish line.

Chris O’Leary and Billy Crowley began the Valleys comeback and although Nemo defender Briain Murphy split the posts to put four between the sides, the men from Innishannon continued to capitalise on the limited number of chances they were creating, as evidenced by the fact that they finished the hour with just two wides.

A Kevin Canty point on 42 minutes left the scoreboard reading 0-10 to 0-7, with Valley Rovers, five minutes later, drawing level for the first time since the fourth minute as top-scorer Crowley drilled the ball beyond Micheál Aodh Martin.

Luke Connolly, who kicked three first-half points and four wides, quickly returned Nemo in front, but this contest was level once again following a point from sub Ciaran McCarthy.

Matters became particularly tense thereafter. Valley Rovers rightly sensed a shock, Nemo left frustrated at how it had come to this.

Both sides squandered two chances apiece before Crowley, five minutes into second-half stoppages, converted a ‘45 that Nemo players had vigorously argued with the referee should not have been awarded. It was the one and only time Valley Rovers stuck their noses in front. Their timing truly could not have been better.

Douglas and Carrigaline are the two other teams in Group A, with Nemo likely needing to win both of their remaining games to keep alive their title defence.

Valley Rovers, who were beaten quarter-finalists last year, have put themselves in a prime position to again reach the knockout stages, even at this early stage in the campaign.

Scorers for Valley Rovers: B Crowley (1-5, 0-3 frees, 0-1 ‘45); J Cottrell (0-1 free), C O’Leary, K Canty, C McCarthy (0-1 each).

Scorers for Nemo Rangers: L Connolly (0-4); C Horgan, J Horgan (0-2 each); B Murphy, P Kerrigan, R Dalton (0-1 each).

Valley Rovers: C Desmond; D Lynch, J Kiely, T O’Brien; D Murphy, A Walsh-Murphy, G Farrell; K Canty, C O’Leary; R O’Sullivan, E Delaney, W Hurley; J Cottrell, B Crowley, E O’Reilly.

Subs: C McCarthy for E O’Reilly (47 mins); J O’Driscoll for Delaney (56).

Nemo Rangers: MA Martin; A Cronin, K Histon, B Murphy; S Cronin, A O’Reilly, J Horgan; A O’Donovan, J McDermott; C Dalton, R Dalton, C O’Brien; C Horgan, P Kerrigan, L Connolly.

Subs: K O’Donovan for C Dalton, B O’Driscoll for Horgan (both 57 mins).

Referee: P O’Driscoll.