Knocknagree back on form ahead of semi-final derby with Newmarket

Knocknagree 1-10 Nemo Rangers 0-12

COULD Knocknagree’s name be on the Bon Secours county premier intemediate football championship crown?

It seemed as if their goose was cooked a few weeks ago when they shipped a 19-point hammering from Cill na Martra in their final match in the round-robin series, but they were granted a reprieve after the unexpected outcome of the other remaining tie in the four-team group enabled them to claim second spot and a place in the quarter-finals.

It meant they went into the clash with Nemo Rangers in Donoughmore last Saturday under a cloud, although it was generally agreed their display against Cill na Martra was too bad to be true.

Despite being on a mission of atonement, their prospects of survival didn’t look bright when they trailed the city side by three points inside the last ten minutes, but again they emerged from the fray with their title aspirations intact after putting in a strong finish, highlighted by a crucial goal from substitute Matt Dilworth.

Dilworth’s strike made it 1-10 to 0-10 in the 57th minute, giving them the lead for the first time since full-forward John Fintan Daly had opened the scoring from a free inside two minutes.

In the circumstances, it was easy to appreciate why relief would have been Knocknagree’s overriding emotion at the end of an absorbing battle, all the more so after Nemo rallied in the dying minutes to cut the gap to the minimum before their midfielder Shane Martin was off-target with a last-gasp chance to force extra-time.

That’s not to suggest Knocknagree weren’t worthy winners, because, while they were playing catch-up for most of the hour, they could have been far more favourably positioned at the interval had they not allowed two gilt-edged goal-chances to go abegging in the first-half.

Both were blasted wide by Fintan O’Connor, who, ironically, was the Knocknagree forward who showed most potential before the break, underlining his threat in the lead-up to his first golden opportunity when gathering David O’Connor’s high delivery from behind a Nemo defender.

He kicked a good point from play, as did Eoghan McSweeney, in the first-half, at the end of which Nemo led by 0-7 to 0-3.

With the combatants sharing 16 wides, it goes without saying the quality of the forward play left something to be desired during the opening 30 minutes when Knocknagree – perhaps mindful of their seven-goal concession in the Cill na Martra game – opted to use wing-forward Michael Mahoney as an extra defender.

Still, Nemo looked to have a bit more to offer in attack, where Colm Kiely caught the eye most often in the left corner, and it was no major surprise that Knocknagree decided to change their tactics for the second-half.

As well as dispensing with the sweeper system, they sprung two players from the bench, and the introduction of Gearoid O’Connor and Matt Dilworth up front yielded significant results.

The decision to redeploy Michael Mahoney at corner-back also worked a treat, as he kept a tight rein on Colm Kiely, removing much of the sting from the Nemo attack in the process.

Things began to shape up nicely for Knocknagree within ten minutes of the resumption when impressive wing-back Keelan Buckley broke up a promising Nemo raid to launch a counter-attack completed by a Fintan O’Connor point before further scores from Denis O’Connor and Eoghan McSweeney followed, making it 0-7 to 0-6.

Along with Michael Mahoney and Keelan Buckley, Michael Doyle and Gary O’Connor were particularly resolute as the Duhallow men came up with most of the answers at the back in the second-half.

The latter began a move involving Matt Dilworth and Denis O’Connor that led to an excellent score from Gearoid Looney which, in negating a converted free by Nemo’s Adrian Greaney, left Knocknagree snapping at the losers’ heels again as the last quarter dawned.

It appeared as if Nemo might have weathered the storm, however, after they responded with scores from wing-back James O’Donovan and Greaney.

Faced with a stern test of character, Knocknagree weren’t found wanting when the crunch came, overhauling a Nemo side reduced to fourteen players after substitute Andy McGowan had been black-carded in the 52nd minute.

A Matt Dilworth point sandwiched by a Fintan O’Connor brace from frees earned the victors parity before Eoghan McSweeney, centre-back Daniel O’Mahony and Denis O’Connor combined to set Dilworth up for the decisive goal in a gripping finale.

It’s on to a semi-final showdown with Newmarket for Knocknagree, and, no doubt, they will be happy going in as underdogs against their Duhallow neighbours, who have prevailed in their three previous championship outings.