The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Second half surge in Glenflesk sees Spa into quarter-finals
COUNTY INTERMEDIATE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP 1 ROUND 2 Spa 3-13 Glenflesk 1-9
IN the end it was comfortable for favourites Spa as they clinched a guaranteed berth in the knock-out stages. But for quite a bit of the first half, it looked like there was only going to be one winner here, and it wasn’t going to be Spa.
Glenflesk made all the running in the first quarter. Conor O’Donoghue was immense around the middle third and Spa’s defence couldn’t handle the lightning pace of the Glenflesk’s forwards – at least not legally. Jeff O’Donoghue, Ian Roche, and Padraig Healy all won fouls, and sharpshooter Darragh Roche unerringly punished them on the scoreboard. Spa did have one great chance, Niall McCarthy with a great catch and launching a piledriver, but Marc Kelliher managed to turn it around the post for a fruitless ‘45’. Spa finally got off the mark in the 13th minute, Mike ‘Stam’ O’Donoghue converting a free. A minute later they were in front – David Spillane’s attempt at a point was well blocked, but he simply snapped up the rebound, drove in, and lashed a rocket past a hapless Kelliher. Minutes later he repeated the trick – if anything, his second goal was even better than the first one. 2-1 to 0-3. Padraig Healy set up Darragh Roche from the kickout for an equally impressive goal at the other end.
Spa had a chance of yet another goal after a great Dara Moynihan run was unceremoniously ended in the square. Evan Cronin hit a good penalty, but Marc Kelliher made an even better save. Jeff O’Donoghue won a free for Darragh Roche to level matters. Spa edged clear again through Niall McCarthy and Niall O’Mahony after a great burst of pace. Darragh Roche took his own and Glenflesk’s tally to 1-5 before a magnificent catch by Liam Kearney saw Dara Moynihan close out the first half scoring; Spa 2-4 Glenflesk 1-5
Glenflesk had been the better side in the first half and should really have been in front. But the second half was a completely different story. Unfortunately, while both sides emerged after the break in body, only one came out in spirit for the second half.
It would be twenty minutes before Glenflesk would score again, and by the time they did, Spa had put the game to bed as a contest in emphatic style. Ciaran Spillane kicked over a point. Even Cronin, a deadly predator all through the game, fired over. Liam Kearney ‘s aerial dominance saw Niall O’Mahony. A black card for the impressive Padraig Healy left a big hole in Glenflesk’s ranks and Spa in top gear weren’t slow to take advantage. David Spillane made it 2-8 to 1-5. Dan O’Donoghue banged over a great long distance score. A hop ball spilled loose in Glenflesk’s danger area and Dara Moynihan, an incessant threat, belted it into the back of the net before adding a point. Evan Cronin made it 3-11 to 1-5; Spa had scored a whopping 1-8 without reply.
Daniel O’Brien did finally get Glenflesk on the scoreboard in the second half, only for Ciarán Spillane to reply in kind.
Glenflesk finished the game better, Shane Courtney drawing a superb save out of James Devane and Darragh Roche (free) and Jeff O’Donoghue (2) splitting the posts. But when Spa sub Conor Stack beautifully split the posts after being on the field for less than a minute, it seemed to sum up the entire second half.
Spa won’t want to read too much into what turned into a surprisingly facile victory, while Glenflesk, a better side than they showed here, will need to pick themselves up fast.
SPA: James Devane, Eoin Fitzgerald, Brian Lynch, Shane Lynch, Shane Cronin, Dan O’Donoghue (0-1), Gary Vaughan, Liam Kearney, Ciaran Spillane (0-2), Niall O’Mahony (0-2), Michael O’Donoghue (0-1f), Dara Moynihan (1-2), Niall McCarthy (0-1), Evan Cronin (0-2), David Spillane (21). Subs: Mike McCarthy for Niall O’Mahony (53), Eric O’Donoghue for Shane Lynch (53), Eoin Cronin for Gary Vaughan (43), Cian Tobin for Mike O’Donoghue (45), Conor Stack 0-1 for Ciaran Spillane (60)
GLENFLESK: Marc Kelleher, Gearoid O’Leary, Chris O’Donoghue, Shane Courtney, Kieran A O’Donoghue, Brian O’Donoghue, Denis O’Connor, Daniel O’Brien (0-1), Conor O’Donoghue, Padraig Healy, Ian Roche, Jeff O’Donoghue (0-2), Sean Doherty, Darragh Roche (1-6, 6f), Patrick D’Arcy. Subs: Alan Murphy for Kieran A O’Donoghue (38), Danny Lucey for Seán Doherty (38), Dara Fleming for Denis O’Connor (47), Peter Cronin for Brian O’Donogue (47)
REFEREE: Ian Liston (Finuge)