Buckley 'It was all about getting the win. We dug it out'

Both sides came into their second Group C clash on the back of defeats so winning, however that was achieved, was all that mattered.

Mon, 21 Aug, 2023 - 07:35

Ger McCarthy

Cork Senior AFC Group C

Newcestown 0-14 Ilen Rovers 1-9

They made hard work of it but Newcestown just about deserved their Bon Secours Cork Senior AFC victory over Ilen Rovers at a rain-lashed Rossmore last Saturday evening.

A West Cork derby played out amid awful weather conditions was not easy on the eye, but Newcestown will not care one iota.

Both sides came into their second Group C clash on the back of defeats so winning, however that was achieved, was all that mattered.

“I won’t say it was a great game but it was a good battle,” Newcestown manager Tim Buckley said.

“Conditions were poor, very wet, but we looked comfortable up six points at half time. Ilen came back to within a point of us. It was tit-for-tat until the 63rd minute when we eventually got over the line. It was all about getting the win (today). We dug it out.”

David Buckley and Niall Kelly combined for 0-7 during a first half in which the eventual winners changed ends 0-10 to 0-4 ahead. Colm Dineen added a brace against an Ilen side that struggled to make headway in front of goal despite Alan Holland, Michael Sheehy and Sean O’Donovan (free) scores.

The second period exploded into life once Conor Harrington found the net and it was Rovers’ turn to ask repeated questions of their opposing defence.

Dan Mac Eoin kicked four sublime second half scores and Ilen goalkeeper Damian O’Sullivan made some top class saves as Rovers moved to within a point, 0-13 to 1-9, as the clock ticked past 60 minutes.

An inability to clear their lines cost Ilen deep into injury-time however, and Edmund Kenneally pounced to seal Newcestown’s hard-earned win.

Despite suffering their second Cork Senior AFC loss in a row, Ilen Rovers will head into their final group game with confidence restored.Dual senior club Newcestown will be equally glad to get off the mark following a tough, physical and intense battle.

“I knew that performance was in this (Ilen) team,” Ilen Rovers manager Colm O’Driscoll said.

“A wounded animal can be a dangerous thing. Look, we threw the kitchen sink at them and just came up short. I couldn’t ask any more of the players. They emptied out the tank and gave us everything they had.”

Scorers for Newcestown: D Buckley 0-6 (0-4 frees), N Kelly 0-4 (0-3 frees), C Dineen 0-2, R O’Sullivan and E Kenneally 0-1 each.

Scorers for Ilen Rovers: D Mac Eoin 0-4 (0-1 free), A Holland 0-3, C Harrington 1-0, S O’Donovan (free) and M Sheehy 0-1 each.

NEWCESTOWN: C White; C O’Donovan, C Twomey, G O’Donovan; N Murray, M McSweeney, J Kelleher; C Dineen, L Meade (captain); C Goggin, T Twomey, R O’Sullivan; N Kelly, D Buckley, S O’Donovan.

Subs:S O’Sullivan for C Goggin (48), E Kenneally for T Twomey (48).

ILEN ROVERS: D O’Sullivan; S O’Shea, S Minihane, A Holland; C O’Driscoll, J Collins (captain), D Collins; Peadar O’Drisoll, Peter O’Driscoll; D O’Driscoll, S O’Donovan, D Hegarty, D Mac Eoin, M Sheehy, C Harrington.

Subs: K O’Driscoll for C Harrington (56, inj).

Referee: Alan Long (Argideen Rangers).