Aghabullogue made fight all the way for another semi-final berth

Aghabullogue crest

Cork IAFC quarter-final: Aghabullogue 3-9 Kildorrery 1-10 

Top seeds Aghabullogue looked anything but for the first 39 minutes of this quarter-final before shaking off a fiery Kildorrery challenge.

It’s a third semi-final appearance in a row for the Muskerry men, where they face Boherbue, but they’ll have to improve on a display where they failed to score from play for those 39 minutes before trebling their tally with 2-6 from there to the final whistle.

David Thompson top-scored with 2-5 against a Kildorrery side that entered with the best defensive record of all 52 teams in the group stages (0-28 against) a year on from having the worst record of all 52 teams (10-50 against).

Aghabullogue were also yet to concede a goal this year but with seven scored in their last two games and 4-20 drilled into Kildorrery last year, one defensive record looked more likely to fall than the other.

The first three minutes were symptomatic of the error-strewn nature of this contest. Kildorrery, lining up without key defender James Keating, had an attacking mark cancelled for taking too long before an Aghabullogue kick-out was also thrown up for the same offence.

Tony Watson’s clean-sheet streak was broken in the 10th minute; Ian Butler penalised for a foot block on Thompson, who drilled the spot kick to the roof of the net.

Aghabullogue were otherwise out of ideas to break down Kildorrery and failed to score from play in the opening half. Kildorrery dominated the middle third, with William Fouhy, James O’Sullivan, Jamie O’Gorman, and Peter O’Brien setting the tone, while Fintan Daly made some vital interventions in defence.

Aghabullogue called on reinforcements before the break, surprise omission Matthew Buckley and Adam Murphy drafted in as Kildorrery scored five of the final seven points. 1-3 to 0-6 at the half.

Kildorrery had a string of four costly misses after the resumption as Aghabullogue continued to not so much misfire as fail to get into position to shoot at all. But when they finally did, they overran Kildorrery and were so much more clinical – posting two wides all game and none in the second half.

Thompson slotted 1-2 from play as Aghabullogue outscored Kildorrery by 1-5 to 0-1 in the first 25 minutes of the half, the goal arriving on 42 minutes.

O’Gorman was the only Kildorrery player to score in the second half, finishing with 1-6. His goal came in the first minute of stoppage time; John Buckley, who saved from Anthony Crowley and Fouhy, beaten after Fouhy intercepted a short kick out.

It was briefly game on, 2-9 to 1-10, but John Corkery surged upfield to feed Brian Dineen for the clinching goal.

Scorers for Aghabullogue: D Thompson (2-5, 1-0 pen, 0-3 frees); B Dineen (1-0); J Corkery, C O’Sullivan, E O’Sullivan (free), N Barry Murphy (0-1 each).

Scorers for Kildorrery: J O’Gorman (1-6, 0-5 frees); W Fouhy, S Fitzgerald, J O’Sullivan, P O’Brien (0-1 each).

AGHABULLOGUE: J Buckley; P Dilworth, S Tarrant, T Long; B Casey, P Ring (capt), P O’Sullivan; R Dennehy, B Dineen; D Quinlan, E O’Sullivan, C Smyth; C O’Sullivan, John Corkery, D Thompson.

Subs: M Bradley for P O’Sullivan (30), A Murphy for Long (30+2), P Twomey for Tarrant (48), N Barry Murphy for Quinlan (53), I Barry Murphy for Thompson (58).

KILDORRERY: T Watson; I Butler, C Ó Baoill, F Daly; C Kent, W Fouhy, D MacNamara; S Fitzgerald, D Kent; A Crowley, P Piggott, J O’Sullivan; J O’Gorman (capt), P O’Brien, L Keating.

Subs: M Walsh for Piggott (23 inj), T O’Sullivan for D Kent (43), K Hurley for Keating (46), S Cunningham for J O’Sullivan (53), C Harrington for Crowley (53).

Referee: P O’Sullivan (Bishopstown).