John Kerins the hero as St Finbarr's avenge Castlehaven defeat in another penalty epic
Super keeper: St Finbarr's goalkeeper John Kerins was the hero after he saved a penalty and scored his own penalty kick to beat Castlehaven in the Bon Secours Cork Premier SFC semi-final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Pic: Larry Cummins
St Finbarr’s avenged last year’s county semi-final defeat to Castlehaven when coming out on top in this latest titanic semi-final battle between the pair, with penalties once again required to find a winner.
Where it was the Haven who triumphed in last year’s sudden-death penalty shootout, all five Barrs penalty-takers found the net on this occasion to send Paul O’Keeffe’s side into the county final for the first time since 2018.
Barrs goalkeeper John Kerins proved to be the match-winner as he saved Castlehaven’s fourth penalty struck by Rory Maguire before then stepping forward himself to convert their fifth and final penalty.
In fairness, both sides gave an exhibition of penalty-taking, a credit to the players involved when you consider they had just come through an absorbing 80-plus minutes of fare.
Indeed, to park the result for just one second, this was a simply superb game of football. Steven Sherlock and Brian Hurley, at either end of the field, delivered stunning displays before then dispatching their respective penalties in the shootout. Sherlock finished with 2-10, Hurley one behind with 2-9.
Penalties were required as the sides were inseparable during the two 10-minute periods of extra-time, the same as had been the case across the initial 60.
Castlehaven did look poised for victory when moving three clear five minutes into the second half of extra-time. Brain Hurley’s ninth point arrived at the end of an unanswered burst that saw Castlehaven throw over five-in-a-row either side of the quick turnaround to come from 3-13 to 3-11 behind on 65 minutes to now lead by three.
The Barrs, to their credit, refused to bend. The outstanding Sherlock kicked three points coming down the stretch to force penalties for the second year in succession. His levelling score was a free roughly 35 metres out after he himself had been hauled to the ground.
Half an hour or so earlier, extra-time was called for after Brian Hurley sailed a controversial ‘45 between the posts in the sixth minute of second-half stoppages. Hurley had kicked wide in the previous play, but referee John Ryan subsequently halted proceedings after his linesman informed him that a ‘45 be awarded, a decision the Barrs were not best pleased with.
Hurley’s point was Castlehaven’s first since the 44th minute, that a mark from the same player to crown a devastating third-quarter from the Cork forward. Hurley was simply untouchable in the 15 minutes between half-time and the second water break, his 2-1 taking Casltehaven from 2-7 to 1-7 in arrears at the break to 3-9 to 2-8 in front entering the final quarter.
Back came the Barrs, though, a Conor McCrickard goal on 49 minutes followed by two points from Sherlock and one from McCrickard to leave the Barrs 3-11 to 3-9 in front two minutes into injury-time.
Frustrating the city outfit will not alone have been their failure to protect a two-point lead in second-half stoppages, but also the significant number of scoring chances they squandered. Eight second-half wides spoke of their wastefulness.
The Barrs had deservedly led 2-7 to 1-7 at the end of a most open and entertaining game of football, a half an hour that saw numerous goal chances created at either end.
The game’s opening green flag arrived within 90 seconds of the throw-in, the in-form Steven Sherlock at the end of a move that began with a superb Brian Hayes fetch. The Barrs full-forward would add a point on three minutes, as clear a message as any to his marker Damien Cahalane and, indeed, the rest of the Haven defence that he was intent on doing damage.
Brian Hurley, who’d finish the opening half with four points, could have had a Haven goal in the ensuing passages of play, his shot flashing across Kerins’ goal and wide. Kerins was called into action shortly after to save from Michael Hurley.
Castlehaven did eventually get their opening goal just before the first water break, Michael Hurley finding the net. In truth, though, it should have been the Barrs, not the Haven, celebrating a green flag as McCrickard had worked himself into a goal position but took the incorrect option in attempting to offload to Ian Maguire who had his back turned to goal.
The Haven cleared their lines, quickly sweeping down the field where Hurley punished the let-up at the other end to shove the men from West Cork in front - 1-4 to 1-3 - for the first time.
It was a lead that didn’t last very long at all, the Barrs returning in front shortly upon the resumption of play when Sherlock, set up by the lively Colm Scully, bagged his second major of the afternoon. And in keeping with the ebb and flow nature of this semi-final, their opponents almost immediately cancelled out this second Barrs major, Brian Hurley’s shot taking a deflection as it flew the wrong side of the left post at the City End.
From there to the break, it was largely tit for tat, Sherlock kicking three points (two frees) to bring his first-half tally to 2-4, with Conor O’Driscoll contributing his second of the day for Castlehaven.
As it transpired, this county semi-final was only warming up. Once again these two went the distance, the Barrs on this occasion sneaking through.
S Sherlock (2-10, 0-4 frees); C McCrickard (1-2); B Hayes, D O’Brien, C Myers Murray, C Walsh (0-1 each).
B Hurley (2-9, 0-3 frees, 0-2 ‘45, 0-1 mark); M Hurley (1-1); C O’Driscoll, S Nolan (0-2 each); C Maguire, M Collins (0-1 each).
J Kerins; S Ryan, J Burns, C Lyons; B Hennessy, A O’Connor, C Scully; I Maguire, B Hayes; D O’Brien, E Dennehy, C Barrett; C Myers Murray, S Sherlock, C McCrickard.
E Comyns for O’Brien; E McGreevey for Myers Murray (40); M Shields for Dennehy (46); C Walsh for Barrett (61); D Callanan for McCrickard (68); B O’Connell for Scully (70); L Hannigan for Lyons (75).
A Seymour; J O’Regan, D Cahalane, R Walsh; D McCarthy, R Maguire, D Whelton; J Walsh, M Collins; C Cahalane, B Hurley, C Maguire; C O’Driscoll, J Cahalane, M Hurley.
R Whelton for Maguire (37); R Minihane for J Walsh (52); A Whelton for M Hurley (58); S Nolan for C O’Driscoll (62); C Maguire for J Cahalane (60); Darragh Cahalane for C Cahalane (70).
J Ryan.
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