Kilworth deserving winners over Kanturk

THERE were a number of reasons why Kilworth’s win over Kanturk in the county PIHC Round 2B clash at Ballyhea last Friday evening tasted especially sweet. For one thing, the result brought an end to a losing sequence of six championship games, which began when they fell to Kanturk in a quarter-final tie in 2014.

It was also achieved very much against the odds, as they were missing key players like Adrian Mannix, Austin O’Hara, Nathan Byrne and James McCarthy, all of whom are abroad at the moment.

But perhaps the most satisfying aspect of it, apart from the fact that it keeps their season alive, was that it didn’t look on the cards when, having played with the aid of a strong wind, they finished the first half on level terms.

There is no denying that Kilworth rode their luck to a certain extent after the interval, and it could be argued they were allowed off the hook by Kanturk, who clocked up ten wides in the second half.

Yet, Kilworth had seven shots off-target before the break, and they registered ten wides, just three less than the losers, over the hour, so it would be churlish to suggest the laurels didn’t rest where they belonged at the finish.

Certainly, the manner in which Kilworth stuck to their task after Kanturk appeared to have laid the foundations for victory in the first half was worthy of the utmost admiration, and team manager Pat Greehy was delighted with the commitment displayed by his charges – who had been pipped at the post by Fermoy in Round 1 – when the need was greatest.

“In fairness to the lads, they came up trumps when the chips were down in the second half, and this was like winning a county final for us, because things were bound to be low in the club, having lost every game last year and been beaten by Fermoy in such traumatic fashion a few weeks ago,” he remarked.

“We were missing a few players, so it was great to go out and win this game with the squad we had, but, to be honest, I felt beforehand we’d go close if we could play as well as we did against Fermoy, and thankfully the lads rose to the challenge when it was do-ordie tonight,” said Greely, adding that the victory opens up all sorts of possibilities for Kilworth going forward.

“I think most teams in this grade are very evenly-matched, so we won’t be afraid of any team if we hurl to our potential from now on,” he stated.

Failure to make the most of their chances meant that Kilworth were unable to build up a significant lead in the first half, although they were 0-9 to 0-6 to the good with 18 minutes gone.

Liam Whelan was their most impressive attacker in the opening quarter when Jeremy Saich was very much to the fore at midfield, and Eoin McGrath and Mark O’Connor also stood out in the wing back berths.

Centre-back Tom Twomey kept his end up reasonably well too against Kanturk’s Lorcan McLoughlin, although the latter made his presence felt on occasions, but Aidan Walsh was the Duhallow side’s most influential performer before the break.

Ably supported by his flankers Lorcan O’Neill and Paul Walsh, the Kanturk centre back proved a major stumbling block to Kilworth’s progress in the second quarter, and it was following his measured pass that Alan O’Keeffe slotted over a late point before Lorcan McLoughlin tacked on another from a long-range free to make it 0-10 apiece at half time.

O’Keeffe drew first blood for Kanturk on the resumption, but, as a ding-dong battle for supremacy unfolded, there was never more than a point between the sides until Jeremy Saich’s probing delivery broke kindly for impressive Kilworth substitute Cormac Donnellan, who fired in a great goal in the 54th minute.

Donnellan’s strike made it 1-15 to 0-14, and, for the first time in the second half, Kilworth looked the more likely winners in the wake of it. Kilworth’s Liam Whelan picked up a second yellow card two minutes later, but John McLoughlin suffered a similar fate shortly afterwards for Kanturk, whose misery and frustration was compounded when Aidan Walsh was issued with a straight red near the end.

Kilworth ‘keeper Kieran Walsh denied Kanturk’s Liam O’Keeffe an equalising goal in a nail-biting finale, but it was the sterling resistance from their defensive sextet, in which full back Kieran Lane and wing back Eoin McGrath were particularly heroic, that primarily ensured their survival in the second half when Cork minor panellist Jeremy Saich continued to shine at midfield.

Paul Walsh, Aidan Walsh and John McLoughlin were most effective at the back for Kanturk overall, Darren Browne put in a decent shift at midfield, but Alan O’Keeffe and Donncha Kenneally were their only forwards to register a score from play as their attack misfired badly after the interval.