Robbie O'Flynn shines brightest as Erin's Own draw with St Finbarr's
Robbie O'Flynn rescued a draw for Erin's Own in an incredible Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier SHC tie against St Finbarr's at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
A sensational game in Páirc Uí Chaoimh with Erin’s Own storming back from a ten-point deficit to force a dramatic draw with St Finbarr’s in this Co-op Superstores Premier SHC clash thanks to goalscoring hero Robbie O’Flynn.
The city side were well on top in the first half of this game with Erin’s Own scoring only four points, but O’Flynn’s three goals in the first nine minutes of the second half turned the game on its head, and Erin’s Own might well have won it given the Barrs’ wayward shooting late on.
“I thought we should have won the match,” said Erin’s Own boss Martin Bowen afterwards.
“We never played in the first half, we were concerned we were a bit flat coming into the match, and at one stage we were 1-10 to 0-2 down. That’s our history in a sense, we keep coming back, and while we were very concerned, we felt we could come back, and we did.”
There was only one team in it during the first half.
On four minutes Ben Cunningham found the net for the Barrs with a low shot; in response Maurice O’Carroll looked for an Erin’s Own goal but Shane Hurley saved well and the Barrs took over.
Eoghan Finn and Conor Cahalane pushed the Barrs further ahead, 1-2 to 0-1 but neither side had their radar working early on, hitting some poor wides. Cunningham (free) and Finn pushed the Barrs to 1-4 to 0-1 on 15 minutes before Brian Ramsey got Erin’s Own’s second point but the Barrs still added two points from before the water break, when it was 1-6 to 0-2.
Finn had his third point when play resumed and Brian Hayes pointed well as the Barrs kept complete control of the game.
Sam Guilfoyle and Cork star Robbie O’Flynn hit points for Erin’s Own late on, but the city club still led 1-10 to 0-4 at the break.
“The Barrs outplayed us very much in the first half,” said Bowen. “They were too clever for us. We had some cross words at half-time but they responded, and they were fantastic.”
In the Barrs camp manager Ronan Curran was happy with the first half: “We played some good hurling - the night mightn’t have suited our style of hurling but the first half showed we were well able, fierce energetic all over the field and probably should have gotten another few goals in both halves. If you keep missing those you’re going to get caught.”
Credit Erin’s Own, they started the second half with a good goal smashed one-handed to the net by O’Flynn after a defensive mix-up. Five minutes later the Caherlag side had another goal from the same man: 2-5 to 1-11. Game on.
Jack Cahalane had a Barrs point but Erin’s Own rallied again - incredibly, O’Flynn got a third goal when he appeared to mishit a free which flew to the net (though sub Cian O’Callaghan might have a case to claim that one): 1-12 to 3-5 on 39 minutes.
The Barrs led by two by the second water-break, 1-14 to 3-6 and Ramsey made it 1-15 to 3-8 entering the last ten minutes, with the Barrs beginning to hit some poor wides.
Hurley made a superb save in the 59th minute from sub Mark Collins but Ramsey levelled the game from the resulting 65. The Barrs hit more wides in injury time before Cunningham eventually pointed on 64 minutes - only for O’Flynn to respond with an even better score to earn a deserved draw.
“Disappointed,” was Curran’s immediate reaction. “We had 17 shots in the second half and had twelve wides, we were caught with two goals early on . . . that’s not going to add up to pretty numbers. The goals were silly, we’ll have to look at them again, but they looked very stoppable. That sapped our momentum and cost us the game.”
R. O’Flynn (3-3)(1-1 frees); B. Ramsey (65)(0-3); K. Murphy (0-2); S. Guilfoyle, E Murphy (0-1)(free) each.
B. Cunningham (1-6)(4 frees); E. Finn (0-3); B. Hayes, C. Cahalane, C. Dennehy (0-2 each); J. Cahalane (0-1 each).
S Bowen; C. O’Connor, C. Dooley, A. Moynihan; S. Cronin, J. O’Flynn (c), J. O’Carroll; C. Coakley, M. O’Carroll; K. Murphy, S. Guilfoyle, C. Lenihan; R. O’Flynn, E. Murphy, B. Ramsey.
B. Og Murphy for Cronin (inj, 15); C. O’Callaghan for E. Murphy (HT); R. Twomey for Lenihan (36); S. Kenny for Coakley (40); M. Collins for K. Murphy (55).
S. Hurley; O. Murphy (c), J. Burns, B. Hennessy; G. O’Connor, D. Cahalane, E Keane; C Walsh, C Dennehy; E. Twomey, B. Cunningham, C. Cahalane; J. Cahalane, B Hayes, E. Finn.
J. Neville for Murphy (inj, 26); I. Lordan for Hayes (55) C. Barrett for Dennehy (57); C. Keane for E. Keane (inj, 58).
B. Coniry (Crosshaven).
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
