Neighbours still not separated: Bride Rovers and Castlelyons set for replay after defensive duel
Brice Rovers and Castlelyons will have a second day out after their Cork SAHC final finished in a draw. Pic: Eddie O'Hare
The two neighbours went back up the road on Saturday night wearing different emotions.
Where there had been commonality and disgruntlement over the initial postponement, not all parties were enthused at having to wait at least another week to settle this local dispute.
Castlelyons were content to still be alive in the final sprint for Senior A silverware, Bride Rovers riddled with disappointment at not seeing out a decider they never once trailed in.
The above are not our post-match observations, they instead represent the views articulated by the respective camps. But before we delve further into what each neighbour on either side of the ditch had to say, let’s tease out those immediate final whistle feelings.
Bride Rovers’ disappointment, while merited, can be tempered by some cold reality. Theirs is a disappointment centrally wrapped around the fact that they held a one-point advantage entering the final allotted minute of second-half injury-time.
And even after Castlelyons equalised, through a monstrous Alan Fenton free from close to his own 45-metre line, there was still time for a winner. That opportunity fell to Bride Rovers sub Conor Barry who recorded an unlucky 13th wide for his team.
Bride Rovers struck seven points in a sensational opening nine minutes. They then managed just seven more points across the remaining 54 minutes. The latter total shouldn't, and won’t, win any county final.
They didn’t score from play beyond the 46th minute and were outgunned 0-5 to 0-1 in the closing 11 minutes. Their starting six forwards contributed 0-3 from play in total.
Their shooting, no more than the crowd over the road, was at times dismal. They dropped four attempts short when playing into the breeze in the second period.
Castlelyons, for their part, were “happy” to have another shot. But was there an opportunity missed here? Yes, they spent the entire match chasing and didn’t stand level with their opponents until 19 seconds into second-half injury-time, but all the momentum of that final quarter was theirs.
They registered eight second half misses to finish with a wide count just two shy of their opponents. The headline-hunting white flag efforts from way out so rarely came off. Hidden towards the end of their four-in-a-row between the 52nd and 61st minute was back-to-back attacks where they needlessly turned over and fouled possession.
“I suppose we're happy we're still there,” said Castlelyons manager Mike Spillane.
“The lads showed great character there today, both halves, really. Obviously, they [Bride Rovers] went up, it was 0-6 to 0-0 and 0-7 to 0-1, but in the second half of both halves, our lads did well, but if we start like that again next weekend, like they could be out the gap.
“We're happy to have another chance overall anyway.”
Spillane’s Bride Rovers counterpart, Steven Glasgow, struck a different tone.
“I don't know did you see the lads coming off, they were very disappointed.
“You go that point up deep in injury time, you’d hope that they’d puck the ball out, we’d turn them over, get the ball dead again and get the final whistle. Unfortunately, we didn't. We gave away a free and [Alan] Fenton nailed it from a hundred yards.
“Fourteen points is very low scoring for a hurling match. It just goes to show the work of both teams around the middle third. Our backs were on top for very long spells of the game, so yeah, we're going to have to work on our forward play.”
As Glasgow alluded to, this was a final dominated by defences. It wasn’t until the dreadful shooting of suffocated forwards gave way to a flurry of late scores that the temperature was raised.
Colm Spillane, a jittery opening quarter aside, swept so effectively for Castlelyons. Niall O’Leary, aside from a similarly challenging opening in the company of Brian Roche who pointed twice and assisted a third inside six minutes, grew and grew as a commanding presence. James Kearney was a superb conduit between those minding the house and those further up.
Cillian Tobin, Eoin Roche, and Shane O’Connor were the leaders in the Bride Rovers rearguard. The latter was outstanding with three points from half-back. They held Castlelyons to two points from play in the opening 27 minutes. They led 0-9 to 0-6 at the break. They twice led by four in the second period before scores dried up.
Where there is commonality and agreement is that neither put their best foot forward here. Onto November for the neighbours.
P O’Flynn (0-4, 0-4 frees); A Walsh (0-3 frees), S O’Connor (0-3 each); B Roche (0-2); E Roche, C Ryan (0-1 each).
A Fenton (0-8, 0-7 frees); J Kearney (0-2); C Spillane, K O’Leary, A Spillane, D Morrison (0-1 each).
C Hogan; J Peters, D Cashman, E Roche; C Tobin, C Hazelwood, S O’Connor; K Kearney, D Barry; C Ryan, B Roche, P O’Flynn; A Walsh, R O’Connell, J Ahern.
C Barry for O’Connell (44); C O’Sullivan for Kearney (47); L Roche for C Ryan (56).
J Barry; C Spillane, C Barry, D Spillane; S Moroney, N O’Leary, C McCarthy; S Cotter, J Kearney; A Fenton, D Tobin, K O’Leary; A Spillane, L Doocey, D Morrison.
E Maye for Tobin (20 mins); B Spillane for Cotter (46); O Lenehan for O’Leary (48).
I McCarthy.
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