Na Piarsaigh in relegation peril as Cill na Martra motor on

Famed city club staring down the barrel of another relegation, this time to Cork's IAFC

Sun, 10 Sep, 2023 - 13:13

Darragh Leen, Cloughduv

Cork Premier IFC: Cill na Martra 5-13 Na Piarsaigh 2-7

A SATURDAY cruise into the Cork Premier IFC for well-drilled Cill na Martra, but furrowed brows for the famed Na Piarsaigh club on Cork city’s northside.

This comprehensive defeat sends them into a relegation play off with Macroom, with the victims falling down to the Intermediate A grade in 2024 - the Cork championship’s fourth tier. It isn’t so long since Na Piarsaigh were dining at the top table in both codes in Cork - they were playing senior football championship as recently as 2012.

They were well beaten here, Cill na Martra setting up a tasty Muskerry derby quarter-final against Iveleary. They weaved some magical play in Cloughduv, with Shane Ó Duinnín and Micheál Ó Deasúna embroidering a lot of the build-up play.

Despite Na Piarsaigh scoring the opening goal of the game, a powerful strike from Kevin O’Meara, the first-half belonged to Cill na Martra. A push on Shane Ó Duinnín in the small square presented Cill na Martra with the penalty present on 15 minutes that Micheál Ó Deasúna gratefully took.

Five minutes later Dan O Duinnin came onto a lay-off from his brother Ó Duinnín and fired it home to give his side a seven point advantage.

The first-half drama did not end there. In what appeared an attempted pass to a colleague, Na Piarsaigh's Alan Hogan saw his effort loop into the net three minutes before the break to give the city side a lifeline, 2-10 to 2-4 at the break.

The second half was a stop-start affair. An injury to Cill na Martra midfielder Antón Ó Cuana halted play for nearly ten minutes but Na Piarsaifh had their own troubles - Gordon Joyce received a second yellow for a trip while Ross O’Sullivan saw black for back-chatting the referee. Understandably the game tilted in Cill na Martra's favour after this. Críostóir Ó Meachair palmed the ball into an empty net to extend the lead and man of the match Shane Ó Duinnín would bag two more goals for himself with only moments left on the clock to compound Na Piarsaigh’s misery.
Scorers for Cill na Martra: S Ó Duinnín (2-5), M Ó Deasúna (1-3, 2f), D Ó Duinnín and C Ó Meachair (1-0 each), D Ó Conail (0-3), D Ó hUrdail and F Ó hEalaithe (0-1 each).

Scorers for Na Piarsaigh: S Forde (0-5, 1f), K O Meara and A Hogan (1-0 each), E Dorgan and A Burke (0-1 each).

CILL NA MARTRA: P Ó Criodain; C Mac Lochlainn, G Ó Mocháin, F Ó Faoláin; D Ó Conail, T Ó Corcora, C Ó Fóirréidh; A Ó Cuana, G Ó Goillidhe; D Ó hUrdail, C Ó Duinnín, D Ó Duinnin; S Ó Duinnín, M Ó Deasúna, M Ó Duinnín.

Subs: F Ó hÉalaithe for T O Corcora (17), C Ó Croinín for A Ó Cuana (43), C Ó Meachair for M Ó Duinnín (54), A Ó Loingsigh for M Ó Deasúna (62), E Ó Conaill for D Ó hUrdail (62).

NA PIARSAIGH: A O’Sullivan; D McGuire, E Gunning, S Bowen; D Spillane, G Joyce, E Dorgan; P Rourke, A Burke; K Buckley, S Forde, S Cooke; K O’Meara, A Hogan, C Hogan.

Subs: K Moynihan for A Burke (40), R O’Sullivan for K O Meara (52) , A Burke for D McGuire (58).

Referee: Shane Scanlon (Newcestown).