No classic but Nemo get the job done to book semi-final spot
NET GAIN: Barry O'Driscoll, Nemo Rangers turns away from goals after scoring a goal against Carbery Rangers in the Bon Secours Cork County Club Football Championship.
Unconvincing Nemo Rangers held on at the end of a terribly poor Cork football quarter-final to position themselves one hour from a third county final appearance in four years.
Behind by 1-1 to 0-5 at the break, Nemo snuck their noses in front for the first time in proceedings on 34 minutes when Barry O’Driscoll gratefully gathered a Jack Horgan point attempt that came back down off the post and buried the ball past Rosscarbery ‘keeper Paul Shanahan.
Luke Connolly’s opening point shortly after shoved the men from Trabeg three in front, but from there to the finish, Nemo did not protect their lead with the usual authority you’d expect from the men in black and green.
Carbery Rangers’ Alan Jennings and John Hayes (free) kicked back-to-back points approaching the hour mark to leave the scoreline reading 2-3 to 0-8, and while sub Ronan Dalton edged Nemo two back in front on 63 minutes, there was still a bit of road to run in what was an otherwise forgettable contest.
Carbery Rangers goalkeeper Paul Shanahan converted a 64th minute ‘45, with the same player trying for the equaliser in the subsequent passage of play, his shot blocked down.
As mentioned above, a fairly dire first-half ended with Carbery Rangers 0-5 to 1-1 in front.
The Rosscarbery men had travelled up from the west with a clear plan, and while you couldn’t fault their execution, the problem from a neutral’s perspective was that their 13-men-behind-the-ball approach was not at all easy on the eye.
Nemo had been exposed to blanket defence West Cork football in their 0-8 to 0-7 Round 3 win over Clon two weeks ago, but there was little doubt that Rosscarbery employed a far heavier fabric when so diligently packing the zone in front of their own goal.
Their counter was efficient too, Peadar O’Rourke, Jerry O’Riordan, and Darragh Hayes (mark) sending the underdogs three clear inside nine minutes.
O’Rourke and Hayes, along with John Hodnett, were showing themselves to be more than capable when given early ball to create one-on-one situations deep in the Nemo half.
For all that, mind, Rosscarbery’s bright start was wiped out in one intricate passage of Nemo play, a necklace of handpasses in the 10th minute finishing with Jack Horgan shaking the opposition net.
Hodnett and Nemo Rangers full-back Briain Murphy traded points, with this incredibly poor quarter-final then going scoreless for 11 full minutes; this barren spell a microcosm of the game as a whole.
A John Hayes free on 28 minutes handed Carbery Rangers the interval lead, but their ability to engineer just one second-half point from play had a heavy hand in there being no requirement for extra-time at the end of six injury-time minutes.
Stating the obvious here but Nemo have some improving to do if they are to finish this season as county champions.
: J Horgan, B O’Driscoll (1-0 each); B Murphy, L Connolly, R Dalton, A O’Donovan (0-1 each).
: J Hayes (0-3, 0-3 frees); P Shanahan (0-1 ‘45), Jerry O’Riordan, A Jennings, D Hayes (0-1 mark), J Hodnett, P O’Rourke (0-1 each).
: MA Martin; K Histon, B Murphy, K Fulignati; C McCartan, S Cronin, K O’Donovan; B Cripps, A O’Donovan; C Horgan, P Kerrigan, J Horgan; M Cronin, B O’Driscoll, L Connolly.
Subs: L Horgan for Cripps (HT)’ R Dalton for Fulignati (42); C Kiely for Kerrigan, G Sayers for C Horgan, C O’Donovan for O’Driscoll (all 54).
: P Shanahan; K Scannell, T O’Rourke, James O’Riordan; Jerry O’Riordan, J Kevane, B Shanahan; A Jennings, J Fitzpatrick; J O’Rourke, D Hayes, M Hodnett; P O’Rourke, J Hodnett, J Hayes.
Subs: C Santry for Fitzpatrick (44); C Daly for Shanahan (49, inj); J O’Regan for D Hayes, P Hurley for Scanell (inj, both 55); J Fitzpatrick for J Hodnett (57).
: J Ryan.
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