Football as it used to be as Muskerry edge Avondhu
UP FOR GRABS: Avondhu goalkeeper Denis O'Sullivan wins the ball under pressure from Muskerry's Liam O'Connor, during their SFC Divisions clash, at Glenville. Picture: David Keane.
A footballing rarity in Glenville on Wednesday night as Muskerry edged into the final four of Cork SFC divisional series.
Neither the winners or Avondhu tied themselves up in knots with the defensive structures that are central to fevered debates on the game’s wellbeing - and the spectacle was all the better for it with 35 scores over the hour.
Muskerry now progress to the final four of the divisional series with Carbery, Duhallow and UCC but for Avondhu it’s one game and they’re gone from this year’s championship - not necessarily their doing, as Beara and Imokilly pulled stumps before firing a shot.
Avondhu didn’t go down without playing some enterprising football and were somewhat unlucky to be six down at the interval, 3-9 to 1-9. The north Cork men led 0-4 to 0-1 when referee Eoin Coleman awarded Muskerry a penalty after he spotted an infringement from out the field. Avondhu mentors were as bemused as anyone as Naomh Abán’s Ed Myers slotted the penalty to bring the sides level.
That triggered a decisive change in momentum and two more Muskerry goals quickly followed from Myers and Liam Wall.
Avondhu’s Sean Walsh and Mark Lenehan continued to bring the fight to Muskerry with Buttevant’s Lenahan scoring 1-4 in the first period. But a better balanced Muskerry changed ends six points to the good, However Avondhu weren’t long challenging their pre-eminence, netting their second goal in the 37th minute via Kilavullen’s Eoin Burchill with the athletic Walsh and excellent target man Lenehan adding points, making it 3-10 to 2-11.
Myers and corner-forward Liam O’Connor were still causing problems for the overworked Avondhu defence even if they were finding it harder to prise open Avondhu’s backline for goal chances.
Two points each from Myers and O’Connor put some daylight between the sides in the final quarter and they retained a five point lead into the final six minutes of normal time.
Again though Avondhu tested their pulse. Sub Gearoid Roche was barely on the pitch before he was finishing a poacher’s goal for Avondhu and and another Mark Lenahan point for the north cork men had Muskerry sweating at the thought of being sucker-punched with an injury time goal. However they managed the final minutes and injury time well, a Myers free closing out the deal and retaining their interest in the seeded divisional section - from which one team will emerge into the Premier SFC quarter-finals.
E Myers (2-5, 1-0 pen, 3 frees), L Wall (1-1), L O’Connor (0-3, 1f), L Twohig, D Kelly, A Quinn (0-2 each), J O’Donoghue 0-1.
: M Lenahan (1-7, 4f), G Roche (1-0), E Birchill 1-1, D Hanlon (0-2, 1f), S Walsh (0-2), K Kiely 0-1.
: J Creedon (Iveleary); E Lehane (Canovee), C Roche (Naobh Abán), D O’Donovan (Iveleary); M Corrigan (Macroom), M Cronin (Macroom), E Dodd (Canovee); A Quinn (Macroom), J O’Donoghue (Naobh Abán); S O’Riordan (Iveleary), D Kelly (Naobh Abán), L Wall (Kilmurry); L O’Connor (Inniscarra), E Myers (Naobh Abán), L Twohig (Aghinagh).
Subs: L Aisling (Kilmurry) for E Dodd (HT), J O’Dwyer (Inniscarra) for C Roche (52), K O’Connell (Donoughmore) for D Kelly (56), D Morrissey (Donoughmore) for L O’Connor (61).
: D O’Sullivan (Buttevant); S Murphy (Kilshannig), J Fogarty (Glanworth), M Walsh (Buttevant); E Twomey (Ballyhooly), W Fouhy (Kildorrery), J Whelan (Buttevant); S Walsh (Mitchelstown), A O’Neill (Buttevant); E Birchill (Kilavullen), D Hanlon (Buttevant), L Cronin (Kilavullen); K Kiely (Ballyhooly), M Lenehan (Buttevant), A Finnegan (Ballyclough).
Subs: K Cotter (Mitchelstown) for K Kiely (HT), S Kenneally (Mitchelstown) for E Twomey (47), G Roche (Ballyhooly) for A Finnegan (54), P Behan (Buttevant) for L Cronin (56).
: E Coleman (Youghal).
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