Knocknagree and Éire Óg off the mark in Cork County League 

Two Division 1 fixtures went ahead on Saturday evening

Neil O'Connor (Knocknagree) gets plenty of attention from Clonakilty's Ross Mannix and Sean McEvoy during the McCarthy Insurance Group Division 1 football league game in Clonakilty. Picture: Martin Walsh.

Cork’s National League Division 2 final clash with Meath at Croke Park caused a rearrangement of the county’s club fixture list this past weekend.

Two Division 1 fixtures that went ahead on Saturday evening included the meetings of Clonakilty and Knocknagree in Ahamilla and Éire Óg versus Douglas in Ovens.

John Fintan Daly’s newly promoted side were unfortunate not to pick up points from their two opening encounters before travelling to West Cork.

League leaders Clonakilty had seen off Carbery Rangers and Douglas prior to hosting the 2025 Senior AFC county champions in a precursor to the club’s Premier SFC group clash next July.

A cracking contest was level on five occasions and looking like Clon would rack up a third consecutive victory after Ross Mannix punched to the net a minute before the end.

That made it 1-12 to 1-11 in the West Cork club’s favour but Knocknagree dug deep with Denis R O’Connor equalising before firing over the match winner two minutes into injury-time.

“I’m absolutely delighted because, I’ll tell you, in our first two games, we could have won either,” John Fintan Daly said.

“Coming here to Clonakilty tonight, of all the games in the first four rounds, before any ball was kicked this year, I actually thought this was probably (going to be) the hardest one.

“That is because they are in our county championship group and we had to go all the way down to West Cork on a Saturday night rather than a Sunday.” Although Denis R O’Connor finished with four points, it was Anthony O’Connor’s seven-point haul, including the game’s only two-pointer, that won it for the visitors. Killian Cronin (1-0), Tadc O’Mahony and Michael McSweeney also contributed.

Ross Mannix (1-2), Dara Ó Sé, Conor Daly (0-4 each) and Sean McEvoy were on target for Clonakilty.

In Ovens, Éire Óg saw off fellow Division 1 strugglers Douglas 0-16 to 0-13.

A first win of the county league campaign was attained thanks to an even spread of scores from Dylan Foley (0-4), Sean Hurley, Brian Hurley (0-3 each), Colm Clifford, Brian Thompson and Jerome Kelleher. The victory elevated Éire Óg away from the relegation zone and into sixth place.

Eire Og's Sean Hurley wins the ball from Douglas' Niall Lynch during the McCarthy Insurance Group SFL division 1 game at Ovens Picture; Eddie O'Hare

As for Douglas, they remain winless and bottom of the table despite fighting back in the second half and having trailed 0-7 to 0-4 at the short whistle. Down by nine at one juncture of the second period, Douglas rallied and were within a point when Sean Hurley’s two-pointer decided the contest.

Dylan Ward (0-6), Conor Russell (0-2), David Buckley, Adam Cantwell, Sean O’Leary, Chris O’Keeffe and Harry Quilligan were on Douglas’ scoresheet.

Into Division 2 where a 0-16 to 1-5 victory at home to Clyda Rovers has Carrigaline sitting top of the standings after three rounds of fixtures.

Leading by five points at the break, Brian Coakley and Éanna Desmond were responsible for the majority of the winners' scores in an eight-point triumph.

O’Donovan Rossa lost for the second time in three Division 2 outings despite a spirited showing away to St Michael’s. The latter were full value for their 1-12 to 1-6 victory that included 1-1 from James Ryan. Luka Harte’s goal along with Niall Daly, Kevin Hurley, James Goulding, Isaac Harte and Luke O’Sullivan scores couldn’t prevent a Rossa’s defeat.

Elsewhere in Division 2, Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh and Dohenys played out an entertaining 1-11 to 1-11 draw. Barra Horgan netted for Béal Átha’n as did Adam O’Donovan for Dohenys.

Ballincollig joined a host of clubs in joint-second place, a point behind Carrigaline, thanks to a 2-12 to 0-8 triumph in Castletownbere. A Kevin O’Leary brace of goals proved crucial to the visitors win, as did Sean Dore and Cian Dorgan’s accuracy.

Things are getting crowded atop Division 3 where Aghabullogue, Bishopstown, Mallow and Kanturk share the lead on four points apiece.

Kanturk have a game in hand on their promotion rivals and are yet to drop a point following last Friday’s 2-21 to 0-14 victory away to Kilshannig. Grantas Bucinskas (1-6) and Colin Walsh (0-5) top scored for the winners.