Impressive win for Cloyne over Fermoy in tough conditions
TOUGH CONDITIONS: Brian Walsh, Cloyne winning this ball from Adam Creed, Fermoy during their Co-Op Superstores Senior A Hurling Championship match in Youghal, Co Cork. Pic: Dan Linehan
Cloyne have been a team in transition the past few seasons but on Saturday evening in Youghal they began to come of age as they fully deserved their four point win over Fermoy in Group C of the Co-op Superstores Cork SAHC.
Their manager, James Nyhan, could see it coming in the lead up to Saturday night. “Our lads are maturing, the average age is about 23 or 24, some of them have been around the block a long time but they’re maturing an awful lot and I could sense in the past few weeks that there was a big game in them. Conditions were tough tonight. We lost the toss, played with the wind but it benefitted us majorly. We built up a big lead and once we matched Fermoy point for point in the second half, we knew we’d be there or there abouts in the end.”
It’s one thing to have the wind, another thing entirely to take advantage of it but once the excellent Brian O’Shea put them 0-3 to 0-2 ahead after eight minutes, they never looked back. O’Shea had four first half points, Eoin Motherway had two and Diarmuid Byrne hit another two from wing back to help them into a 0-11 to 0-5 lead over a Fermoy side that were overly reliant on Jake Carr up front.
The Cloyne faithful may have wondered if that was enough but their concern was eased when Mikey Cahill struck for a goal after being slipped in by Ian Cahill. The influential Keith Dennehy then traded scores with Fermoy’s David Lardener to give Cloyne deserved 1-12 to 0-6 half time lead.
They then followed Nyhan’s mantra and went point-for-point on the resumption and were still nine clear with twenty to play. Fermoy needed a lifeline, and got it when Aherne rifled to the net after smart play from Carr and Brian O’Sulivan.
Cloyne responded with the next two points through Noel Cahill and O’Shea, a response that left Nyhan more than happy. “We always knew that Fermoy were going to come at us. They’re a very good team, a very good club, very seasoned, good hurlers and they got a goal but we said to our lads during the game that you’re always going to concede, there are times that you’re going to be challenged. They put us under a savage amount of pressure. Keith Dennehy hurled a storm back there as a spare man and they showed good character by responding to that goal.”
They may have only scored once more from there, but the four points Fermoy added weren’t enough and when they did get a sight at goal, Ashley Walsh saved brilliantly from Gary O’Callaghan. Bothe sides will have derby days next weekend, with Cloyne taking on Carrigtwohill to further test their rate of maturation, and Fermoy facing Mallow in a tie that will shape their season.
: B O’Shea (0-7, 0-3 frees, 0-2 ’65), N Cahill (0-4), M Cahill (1-0), C Cahill (0-3), D Byrne (0-2), J Hallihan and K Dennehy (0-1 each).
: J Carr (0-8, 0-6 frees), S Aherne (1-1), D Lardner, D Daly, B O’Sullivan, S Coughlan (free) and G O’Callaghan (0-1 each).
A Walsh; B Minihane, Eoin Motherway, T O’Regan; K Dennehy, S Beausang, D Byrne; C Cahill, Eánna Motherway; J Hallihan, B O’Shea, N Cahill; B Walsh, I Cahill, M Cahill.
Cian Motherway for N Cahill (inj, 53), C Mullins for M Cahill (61).
: S Coughlan; G Lardner, S Shanahan, C Condon; P Murphy, J O’Brien, P de Róiste; M Brennan, A Creed; T Clancy, D Daly, S Aherne; J Carr, D Lardner, B O’Sullivan.
: G O’Callaghan for Condon (36), D O’Callaghan for Clancy (49), J Molloy for Daly (55).
: Conor Lane (Banteer/Lyre).
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