A championship lifeline was much more valuable to St Breckan’s than mere North Clare derby bragging rights in Hennessy Memorial Park in Miltown Malbay on Saturday evening.
St Breckan’s 0-14
Corofin 1-7
Venue: Hennessy Memorial Park, Miltown Malbay
Due to contrasting first round results, St Breckan’s craved a victory to get their Jack Daly bid back on track and definitely got the desired performance full of urgency, intensity and scoring vitality to lower their surprisingly lacklustre neighbours.
Leading from start to finish, a perfect display was tarnished when seeing their comfortable eight point cushion entering the final minute dwindle to just a goal in additional time. However, with a wipe of their brows, the Lisdoonvarna men alleviated any peril with a Jack Sheedy clinching point with the final kick of the game.
Joe McGann was back to his electric best for St Breckan’s with a handsome six point haul while Colm O’Brien, Jack Sheedy, Padraig Kelly, Rowan Danaher and Jamie Stack were others to catch the eye as they faced into the conditions and managed to re-emerge with a 0-7 to 0-2 half-time cushion.
Far from the buzz of their opening ambush against St Joseph’s Miltown, Corofin were handed a veritable reality check of life at senior level as what could go wrong did in a forgettable first 45 minutes.
The introduction of Killian O’Connor at half-time did breath new life into the intermediate champions as he not only kicked their first point of the new half entering the final quarter but also just missed a goal chance and earned a penalty by the two-thirds mark. Typifying their evening however, Robin Mounsey’s spot kick was superbly tipped away by goalkeeper Tristan O’Callaghan.
That seemed to be the final nail in Corofin’s coffin but nobody informed Killian O’Connor of that script as his injury-time flick to the net raised the anxiety levels to new heights.
Corofin’s urgency ultimately arrived too late to make a telling impact as St Breckan’s held on for their first points but with three to emerge to the quarter-finals, there could be plenty of twists and turns to come before this group is concluded.
Scorers for St Breckan’s: Joe McGann (0-6); Padraig Kelly (0-3f); Jamie Stack (0-2, 1f); Rowan Danaher, Aiden Davidson, Jack Sheedy (0-1 each)
Scorers for Corofin: Killian O’Connor (1-1); Gearoid Cahill (0-3); Gearoid Kelly, Sean O’Brien, Diarmuid Cahill (0-1 each)
St Breckan’s:
1: Tristan O’Callaghan
21: Conor Burke
3: Raphael Considine
4: Cian Burke
6: Alan Sweeney
2: Patrick Doherty
5: Colm O’Brien
7: Maccon Byrne
8: Michael Flanagan
10: Denis O’Callaghan
9: Padraig Kelly
12: Jack Sheedy
13: Jamie Stack
14: Joe McGann
17: Rowan Danaher
Substitutions
15: Aiden Davidson for Stack (46)
19: Eoin Guerin for D. O’Callaghan (48)
30: Eoin Fitzpatrick for Danaher (56)
25: Mark O’Donnell for McGann (59)
Corofin:
1: Luke Neylon;
2: Marc O’Loughlin
18: Ross Hayes
3: Cilléin Mullins
5: Cillian McGroary
11: Gearoid Cahill
7: Colm Rice
8: Sean O’Brien
9: Jamie Malone
12: Fionn Clancy
24: Robin Mounsey
10: Gearoid Kelly
13: Diarmuid Cahill
14: Kevin Keane
15: Damien Ryan
Substitution:
22: Killian O’Connor for Ryan (HT)
23: Eoin Davoren for Keane (45)
20 Cian Doolin for Kelly (54)
Referee: Jim Hickey (Cratloe)
