Cork Premier IFC: Macroom end four-year wait for group stage win and banish relegation fears
Ray Savage, Aghada goalkeeper, puts pressure on the early first half goal chance by Dylan Twomey, Macroom. Pic: Jim Coughlan.
There’ll be no relegation play-off for Macroom this year, and that much is an immense relief down their way.
Their double-scores win over Aghada wasn’t a classic by any means, but no club is likely to achieve a greater milestone victory this weekend.
For the West Cork men, it marked a first group-stage triumph in four years and a day.
All the while, they have retained their Premier Intermediate status with three successive relegation play-off wins, which speaks to some quantity of grit and resilience in their ranks. They could lean on that here, building a 12-point cushion over Aghada before coasting home.
They have four weeks, now, to work on a new goal: the possibility of reaching the knockout rounds for the first time in seven seasons since the group stage was introduced.
Given that themselves and Aghada were both reeled in for first-round draws with Castletownbere and Kiskeam, it’s well within their compass.
Aghada were semi-finalists last year, and aren’t yet ruled out from progressing, but this performance raised some major warning lights. Without an injury-hampered Pearse O’Neill until the second half, they produced just four points until a stoppage-time rally doubled their tally.
Despite a healthy dose of contact allowed by referee Andrew Whelton, this was an untidy contest blighted by poor shooting in a tricky wind.
The ninth attack yielded the first score as Diarmuid Phelan's mazy run created the space for Tim Hartnett to slot over. Aghada wouldn't score again for 23 minutes.
Macroom carried the wind advantage for the first half and exploited it for four orange flags.
After a Dylan Twomey goal chance hit the sidenetting, they opened their account in the 11th minute. Pa Lucey appeared to have wasted his long-range effort, but it was allowed to bounce and the hard turf facilitated its route up and over the bar.
Good defensive moments by back-tracking half-forwards Don Creedon and Oisín O'Sullivan added to their momentum. Before long, Tony Dineen lasered over from beyond the 40-metre arc for 0-4 to 0-1.
John Murphy took a dangerous-looking handpass across goal off the line and Macroom countered for an Alan Quinn point, which proved their only white flag of the first half.
The first score from a free arrived in the 27th minute. Quinn was fouled and the ball advanced to the edge of the arc for Lucey to convert for a six-point buffer.
Aghada would’ve been satisfied by denting that deficit through Hartnett’s second point and a Phelan goal chance, which was blazed over. However, an audacious two-pointer from corner-back Murphy made it 0-9 to 0-3 on the stroke of half-time.
They granted Lucey a free to push out the lead before Jamie O’Hanlon pulled one back. That would stand as their only score with a strong breeze until the 60th minute.
Lucey nailed off-the-ground frees into the wind either side of a Quinn point, which was supplied by more good work from O’Sullivan.
Leading 0-13 to 0-4, Macroom were allowed to dictate the play by winding down the clock for a couple of minutes. The dagger arrived at the end of that move when O’Sullivan’s kick dropped short and fell for Quinn. Facing away from the posts, the wing-back cheekily backheeled to the net. That 50th-minute goal brought his personal contribution to 1-2.
Macroom goalkeeper Deccy Kiely insulated their victory with a flying save from O’Hanlon and a Phelan shot was deflected onto the post before a final flurry brought some respectability to the scoreline.
O’Hanlon and Cian Hegarty’s placed balls were followed by Diarmuid Byrne’s last-kick two-pointer.
In a group condensed by draws, those scores could yet prove valuable.
P Lucey (0-7, 1tp, 1tpf, 3 frees); A Quinn (1-2); T Dineen (tp), J Murphy (tp) (0-2 each).
T Hartnett, J O’Hanlon (1 free), D Byrne (tp) (0-2 each); D Phelan, C Hegarty (45) (0-1 each).
D Kiely; J Murphy, R Buckley, R Sabas; M Cronin, M Corrigan, A Quinn; T Dineen, C Dineen; D Creedon, S Kiely, O O’Sullivan; P Lucey, E O’Leary, D Twomey.
D Horgan for Creedon (44), M Condon for Murphy (58, inj).
R Savage; R Murphy, J Colbert, J Norris; J Tynan, E Leahy, K O’Shea; D Phelan, J O’Donoghue; C Hegarty, S Morrissey, S Maloney; T Hartnett, J O’Hanlon, J McKenna.
P O’Neill for McKenna (40), D Wallace for Tynan (44), D Byrne for Morrissey (47), C Rooney for Norris (52).
A Whelton (Clonakilty).
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