‘Impressive’ Avondhu beat Duhallow for place in county semi-final
AVONDHU announced their arrival as serious contenders for the County SFC following a highly impressive victory over Duhallow at the quarter-final stage.
The sheer quality of the winners performance saw admirable character offered as Avondhu responded positively to an early burst by their divisional neighbours. Trailing 0-6 to 0-3 at the close of the opening quarter that paraded excellent passages of football by both sides, Avondhu favoured by the breeze dug their heels in and outscored Duhallow 2-12 to 0-2 in a rampant 35 minutes of powerful football.
Indeed, Avondhu’s refreshing brand of play featured a potent blend of substance, stamina and style that proved a joy to watch. Simply Duhallow had little answers to the questions posed by a lively and ruthlessly efficient victors who march into a semi final clash against Carbery Rangers.
Excursions in key intermediate games some days previously appeared to limit Duhallow yet they toiled to the finish. Trailing by a massive 13 points with 10 minutes remaining, Duhallow did plug away and closed on shooting a 2-1 tally without reply that narrowed a wide margin to six at the full-time whistle.
However, the game was won and lost either side of the interval, Avondhu’s sharpness and combined play clearly superior in one of the best displays witnessed to date in this season’s campaign. Lapses in Duhallow play allowed Avondhu turn the screw.
Early on, both sides appeared tuned into the game after Killian O’Hanlon and Donncha O’Connor exchanged points. For a spell, the game continued to ebb and flow much to the delight of the appreciative gathering with Michael Sheehan and Jerry O’Connor rising white flags at either end.
For a time, Duhallow offered tempo to the proceedings through the urgency of Lorcan O’Neill, Bart Daly, Aidan Walsh and Donncha O’Connor. Enjoying a positive spell in the opening quarter, enterprising spells of football saw Michael Vaughan, Jerry and Donncha O’Connor point, the pick of the scores saw a neat flick by the Boherbue O’Connor to allow his Ballydesmond namesake put the ball over the crossbar for a 0-6 to 0-3 grip.
Steadily Avondhu began to create inroads, the warning signals surfaced in a sweeping move saw Tomas Clancy place Fermoy colleague Padraig de Roiste for a great goal opportunity only for the latter to be denied by the post.
As events transpired, Avondhu were warming to their task, their growing supremacy founded on Andrew Cashman, Clancy and Loughrey stitching a defiant defence with David Pyne and O’Hanlon growing in stature in the centre with roving corner Colm O’Connell, Michael Sheehan and Colm O’Neill also impressing.
O’Neill pointed on the double as did corner-back John Shanahan to square up the contest for the last time. Quite simply, Duhallow couln’t get their hands on the ball as the flow of the ball was heading in their direction.
O’Neill edged his side ahead with a pointed free and in the 27th minute, sloppy play by Duhallow in the centre allowed de Roiste feed Ryan Harkin for a goal that helped Avondhu enjoy a 1-8 to 0-6 advantage at the break.
For the restart, Dishallow appeared to resume with a new vigour, without a score during the second quarter, they broke a barren run with a point by Donncha O’Connor. Still Avondhu prevailed, full forward Ruairí O’Hagan pointed two, sandwiching a likewise effort by Clancy who embarked on a 80 mtr solo and put the ball over the uprights.
Though Duhallow offered a response from a point by substitute David Scannell, his side remained to be playing second fiddle. And with the Avondhu half back line of Clancy, Loughrey and Mattie Taylor commanding a considerable influence, there was no stopping a rampant side while the presence of Ruairí O’Hagan exerted considerable pressure at full forward as O’Neill, Sheehan and strong as an ox O’Hagan angled over points.
And the writing was on the wall for Duhallow from the 50th min., O’Neill had just been off target with a free but from the kickout, Billy O’Connor ‘s intended short pass to a defender out by the sideline was intercepted by O’Neill, the Ballyclough player didn’t hesitate to finish to the net with aplomb prior to adding a pointed free.
Fairness to Duhallow, they fought to the bitter end, team captain A J O’Connor netted on 59 minutes before Donncha O’Connor won a penalty deep into injury time and duly converted to put a somewhat flatterng score on the board.