14-man Na Piarsaigh win fight for survival
Carrigtwohill's Liam O'Sullivan tries to get away from Na Piarsaigh's Daire Connery and Eddie Gunning, during their Premier SHC clash at Cobh.
Survival at the top level for 14-man Na Piarsaigh as they overcame Carrigtwohill in a competitive Co Op Superstores Cork Premier SHC clash at Cobh.
Na Piarsaigh were reduced to 14 men following a straight red card to Christopher Joyce eight minutes from the interval but when defeat stared them in the face they rose to the challenge, much to the relief of manager Colin O’Sullivan.
“There is history at this club where we were always known for our spirit and heart but for some strange reason that’s been missing all season,” said Colin.
O’Sullivan added: “This result is a major relief as we didn’t want to be dragged into a dogfight of a relegation battle but we must continue to improve to get back in the mix of Cork hurling.”
Carrigtwohill got off to a great start with Sean Walsh showing sheer artistry with consecutive points.
In the opening exchanges Na Piarsaigh were lethargic and with Walsh posing them major problems the east Cork side surged into a four-point lead by the eighth minute.
The city side responded and should have raised a green flag in the 11th minute when Adam Dennehy caught a high ball before playing in Craig Hannifin, who shot wide of the left post with a goal at his mercy.
Up to the water break, Carrigtwohill commanded a two-point lead, 0-6 to 0-4, and they extended it on their first possession following a Liam Gosnell free.
The game turned on its head in the 22nd minute when Christopher Joyce received a straight red card for alleged striking.
Credit to Na Piarsaigh they showed sheer grit and resilience and three consecutive points ensured they reduced the deficit to two points at the break, 0-10 to 0-8.
On the restart, Daire Connery struck over a 65 for Na Piarsaigh and although Gosnell was on target with consecutive points in the 38th minute it was the city side who took total control.
Suddenly Na Piarsaigh began winning the majority of dirty ball and with Connery leading the way they steamrolled Carrigtwohill in a 10 minute period.
Carrigtwohill used the extra man as a sweeper but it gave them little advantage as Na Piarsaigh forwards fought for possession as if their lives depended on it.
Full forward Pádraig Guest was magnificent and when he struck over a classy point in the 46th minute his team led for the first time having completed a 0-9 to 0-2 turnaround.
After the water break, the never-say-die attitude that’s been missing all season for Na Piarsaigh continued as they won possession after possession.
Connery struck over a point from 80 yards and suddenly Carrigtwohill looked deflated.
Gosnell ended a 12-minute drought with 10 minutes remaining but the biggest problem for Carrigtwohill was they lacked the necessary intensity when the game hung in the balance.
Evan Sheehan was another player who found his form at the right time for the Farranree club and his three-point tally was down to sheer determination.
Sean Walsh, who gave a masterclass for Carrigtwohill in the opening 25 minutes, drifted out of the game adding just one second-half point to his tally of five from play in the first.
In the closing minutes, Carrigtwohill got few opportunities to get back in the game as they simply couldn’t win possession.
In the end, it was Na Piarsaigh that proved they had the bottle for the battle and it was evident from the reaction of their players, supporters and management that it was sheer relief to be departing from Cobh with this crucial win.
P Guest (0-8, 6 frees); Evan Sheehan (0-3); D Connery (0-3, 1 65); S Forde Eoin Sheehan (0-2 each), C Hannifin, C Buckley, P O’Rourke (0-1 each).
L Gosnell 0-8 (0-7f), S Walsh 0-6 (0-1f), J Hogan, J Mulcahy (0-1 each).
L O’Donovan; A Dennehy, E Gunning, G Joyce; C Buckley, C Joyce, D Connery; K Moynihan, K Buckley; P O’Rourke, Evan Sheehan, E Sheehan; C Hannifin, P Guest, S Forde.
C Bowen for K Buckley (45)
S Devlin; P O’Sullivan, P Hogan, S De Burca; T Hogan, A Walsh-Barry, J Horgan; B Twomey, D Joseph; S Rohan, L O’Sullivan, J Oke; J Mulcahy, S Walsh, L Gosnell.
Referee: Ian McCarthy (Bandon).
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