O'Callaghan the hero as Clyda's late show secures semi-final spot
Clyda Rovers' Aidan Walsh breaks away from O'Donovan Rossa's David Shannon during the Bon Secours Cork SAFC at Coachford.
THE old adage that goals win games rang true in Coachford on Saturday as Clyda Rovers defeated O’Donovan Rossa in Group A of the Cork SAFC. Clyda scored three goals, Rossa scored one, Dan O’Callaghan scored two from the edge of the square, as well as three points, as the Avondhu side topped the group and earned a place in the semi-finals of the championship.
The fine margins were highlighted by Eoin Walsh’s last point for Clyda. At the micro level it was the score that ensured the win while in the bigger picture it pushed them one point clear of Béal Átha ‘n Ghaorthaidh on scoring difference to jump straight into the final four on another night of high drama.
Clyda coach, Barry O’Leary, is a big fan of the system. “It epitomised what this championship is about, it’s a brilliant structure. You could see that at the end, there we were watching the Newmarket game, watching other results, we never realised that Eoin Walsh’s insurance point at the end all of a sudden put us into a semi-final. It’s an added bonus, as the big thing here was just to get a win tonight. There’s a great Clyda spirit, we haven’t shown it all year, but you could see it in the last twenty minutes tonight.”
Timing is everything, and the timing of all three Clyda goals proved crucial as they gave them a grip at times when the game seemed to be slipping away from them. The Skibbereen side looked sharper from the off as a pair of Kevin Davis frees and a Donal Óg Hodnett point from distance saw them lead by 0-3 to 0-2 after fourteen minutes, O’Callaghan and David Cooney with the scores for Clyda.
Niall Daly then played a smart one-two with Davis before cracking the ball home, Hodnett kicked his second and Rossa seemed in total control. Then came a cameo from Conor Corbett. He tapped over a point after being fed by the excellent Paudie Kissane and then turned provider, passing to David Cooney who finished past Ryan Price in the Rossa goal.
Still though, two Davis frees meant his side led by 1-6 to 1-3 at the break but O’Callaghan soon brought the sides level on the resumption, as he claimed a long delivery by Conor Flanagan before slipping home his first goal of the evening.
Again, Skibb reeled off the next four points through Davis (2), Daly and Elliot Connolly to lead by 1-10 to 2-3 with ten to go. From there to the end, the Clyda spirit took over. O’Callaghan landed his second goal, slotting home after Price had saved brilliantly from Eoin Walsh and from there two each from O’Callaghan and Walsh saw Clyda take the win when it was offered to them.
It all means a date with Dohenys for Rossa in the quarter-finals. Said manager, Gene O’Donovan: “It’s a football match, its fifteen against fifteen. Like our old coach Dinny Kelly used to say long ago, everyone in the dressing room has to put the jersey over their head, they can’t put it over their legs. So I wouldn’t be playing it up at all.”
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