St. Nicks Senior Championship 2006

Match Report Courtesy of the Evening Echo

Captain Paul wins the day

St Nicholas 1-10 Ilen Rovers 0-12

FOR all its drama, the ending here wrongly suggested the committal of a crime. As this wonderful first round Evening Echo SFC clash slipped into injury time in Bandon on Saturday, Ilen Rovers' place in the third round draw was all but sealed. Leading by two points, their ears were already pricked for Pat O'Leary's whistle to blow time on St Nick's and their brave, valiant but, what ultimately appeared, futile challenge. But in one final throw of the dice, this breathless contest took one final swing. David Brosnan defied the gathering gloom to pluck one final kick out from the skies and was fouled. Graham Callinan took the ball from his midfielder's hands and with a quick free released his captain Paul O'Brien on a run through the middle of the Ilen defence, but he was still short of the square when he unleashed his booming kick which dipped viciously under the Ilen cross-bar for the kind of goal that used to make a living for Roy Of The Rovers cartoonists.

It was a fitting end to a game full of verve, pace and honesty. The ending, though, painted Nick's as thieves in the night, stealing off in the darkness of the night with the loot. They were anything but. This game teetered on a knife-edge through-out and had the neutrals a say in the outcome, they would probably have plumbed for a draw, if only for the selfish reason of getting a chance to see this pair go at each other again. In truth, Ilen, the hot favourites, had looked the more likely winners through-out, having made most of the front-running, and had reason to rue the dozen wides they kicked over the hour. Indeed, employing the running game which they love, they swung the ball around with purpose and menace, hinting that if they could open up any bit of a gap then they were likely to disappear over the horizon. But they never opened that gap simply because they weren't allowed to.

The first half ebbed and flowed almost to a perfect degree. Never more than a single point separated the sides in that opening half hour and justice was done when John Kearney slipped over a free in the final minutes of the first half, to see the sides retire at 0-6 apiece at the interval. Ilen carried the greater menace in attack, mainly through the speed and alertness of Brian O'Sullivan at corner-forward, who left his younger brother, county star Kevin – who had a very poor game — very much in the shade. But virtually everywhere you looked, these teams seemed to cancel each other out. If O'Sullivan troubled Nick's, then Diarmuid Dorris's pace equally unsettled Ilen. And if Ilen revelled in building from the back, they found that Nick's outstanding half-back pair of David Cunningham and Niall Horgan, could match them there in that department too.

But there was one area where a crucial difference began to tell. Despite some fine play from Fachtna Collins, as the first half progressed Nick's edge in midfield became more pronounced. It was not so much an aerial thing, but O'Brien and, in particular, the excellent Brosnan were able to bore deep into the Ilen defence when they ran at them, the latter kicking two points and forcing that free which Kearney kicked at the end of the half. Troubled by this, Ilen bought John Wycherley to midfield at the start of the second half to partner Collins, but it was only when they brought on Kieran Daly from the bench that they began to impose themselves. Unanswered points from Conor O'Driscoll, Daly and, as a reminder of just how fluid this game was, a punched effort from full-back Diarmuid Duggan left Ilen leading by 0-9 to 0-6 at the end of the third quarter. Ilen looked strong then. Duggan was outstanding at full-back, while John Sheehy had a thundering game on the wing, and Wycherley, Daly and minor star Conor O'Driscoll were full of running. Nick's had to wait until the 17th minute of the second half for their opening point, a fine effort from Niall Horgan, which was followed immediately by a free from Kearney to leave Nick's trailing by a point (0-9 to 0-8). Daly and O'Sullivan with excellent scores re-opened the three-point gap with seven minutes left, but still Nick's would not die and responded with points from Cunningham and Brosnan, to leave a point between them with two minutes left. Finally, O'Driscoll appeared to have sealed in the penultimate minute with a wonderful effort from out on the sideline, but instead of being the winner it served as the cue for the game's final act.

"A lot of people wrote us off coming down here, but they did not see how well we were going for the last couple of weeks," said Nick's coach Niall Burns. "This is a club with a great tradition and people might not think that counts but it does. "We have the nucleus of a fine team here," he added. Nor should he be doubted. Nick's started with 12 of the U21 team that won the county in 2003 and when Eoin McCarthy came on late in the game, it clicked the total to 13. They were seen as prime candidates for relegation by many, their credibility as a football force suffering from living in the shadows of Glen Rovers. A couple of more nights like this, and they might be the ones creating shadows for their more-celebrated hurling siblings. This game almost made a little of bit of history by being the first floodlit championship game in Cork without floodlights. The game ended in near darkness which is an all too familiar an occurrence and is unpleasant for spectators and dangerous for players. All would have been avoided by simply starting this game half an hour earlier.

Scorers for St. Nick's: P. O'Brien 1-1, D. Brosnan 0-2, J. Kearney 0-2 (frees), N. Horgan, D. Cunningham, G. Moylan, N. Harte and D. Dorris 0-1 each. Ilen Rovers: C. O'Driscoll, J. Whooley, B. O'Sullivan and K. Daly 0-2 each, K. O'Sullivan 0-2 (frees), D. Duggan and F. Collins 0-1 each.

ST NICHOLAS: P. Cuthbert; S. O'Donoghue, D Og O Donovan, S. Kennefick; L. Leahy, N. Horgan, D. Cunningham; P. O'Brien, D. Brosnan; G. Callanan, D. Busteed, G. Moylan, J. Kearney, N. Harte, D. Dorris. Sub: E. McCarthy for Moylan (51) ILEN ROVERS: G. Coakley; D. Murphy, D. Duggan, S. Holland; J. Sheehy, D. Harman, D. Whooley; F. Collins, D. Coughlan; J. Wycherley, E. Sheehy, J. Whooley; K. O'Sullivan, C. O'Driscoll, B. O'Sullivan. Sub: K. Daly for D. Whooley (35) Referee: P. O'Leary (Kilmurry)

Micheal Clifford, Evening Echo

All photos courtesy of the Evening Echo.



		Senior Championship 2006

Match Report Courtesy of the Evening Echo *Captain Paul wins the day* St Nicholas 1-10 Ilen Rovers 0-12 FOR all its drama, the ending here wrongly suggested the committal of a crime. As this wonderful first round Evening Echo SFC clash slipped into injury time in Bandon on Saturday, Ilen Rovers' place in the third round draw was all but sealed. Leading by two points, their ears were already pricked for Pat O'Leary's whistle to blow time on St Nick's and their brave, valiant but, what ultimately appeared, futile challenge. But in one final throw of the dice, this breathless contest took one final swing. David Brosnan defied the gathering gloom to pluck one final kick out from the skies and was fouled. Graham Callinan took the ball from his midfielder's hands and with a quick free released his captain Paul O'Brien on a run through the middle of the Ilen defence, but he was still short of the square when he unleashed his booming kick which dipped viciously under the Ilen cross-bar for the kind of goal that used to make a living for Roy Of The Rovers cartoonists. It was a fitting end to a game full of verve, pace and honesty. The ending, though, painted Nick's as thieves in the night, stealing off in the darkness of the night with the loot. They were anything but. This game teetered on a knife-edge through-out and had the neutrals a say in the outcome, they would probably have plumbed for a draw, if only for the selfish reason of getting a chance to see this pair go at each other again. In truth, Ilen, the hot favourites, had looked the more likely winners through-out, having made most of the front-running, and had reason to rue the dozen wides they kicked over the hour. Indeed, employing the running game which they love, they swung the ball around with purpose and menace, hinting that if they could open up any bit of a gap then they were likely to disappear over the horizon. But they never opened that gap simply because they weren't allowed to. The first half ebbed and flowed almost to a perfect degree. Never more than a single point separated the sides in that opening half hour and justice was done when John Kearney slipped over a free in the final minutes of the first half, to see the sides retire at 0-6 apiece at the interval. Ilen carried the greater menace in attack, mainly through the speed and alertness of Brian O'Sullivan at corner-forward, who left his younger brother, county star Kevin – who had a very poor game — very much in the shade. But virtually everywhere you looked, these teams seemed to cancel each other out. If O'Sullivan troubled Nick's, then Diarmuid Dorris's pace equally unsettled Ilen. And if Ilen revelled in building from the back, they found that Nick's outstanding half-back pair of David Cunningham and Niall Horgan, could match them there in that department too. But there was one area where a crucial difference began to tell. Despite some fine play from Fachtna Collins, as the first half progressed Nick's edge in midfield became more pronounced. It was not so much an aerial thing, but O'Brien and, in particular, the excellent Brosnan were able to bore deep into the Ilen defence when they ran at them, the latter kicking two points and forcing that free which Kearney kicked at the end of the half. Troubled by this, Ilen bought John Wycherley to midfield at the start of the second half to partner Collins, but it was only when they brought on Kieran Daly from the bench that they began to impose themselves. Unanswered points from Conor O'Driscoll, Daly and, as a reminder of just how fluid this game was, a punched effort from full-back Diarmuid Duggan left Ilen leading by 0-9 to 0-6 at the end of the third quarter. Ilen looked strong then. Duggan was outstanding at full-back, while John Sheehy had a thundering game on the wing, and Wycherley, Daly and minor star Conor O'Driscoll were full of running. Nick's had to wait until the 17th minute of the second half for their opening point, a fine effort from Niall Horgan, which was followed immediately by a free from Kearney to leave Nick's trailing by a point (0-9 to 0-8). Daly and O'Sullivan with excellent scores re-opened the three-point gap with seven minutes left, but still Nick's would not die and responded with points from Cunningham and Brosnan, to leave a point between them with two minutes left. Finally, O'Driscoll appeared to have sealed in the penultimate minute with a wonderful effort from out on the sideline, but instead of being the winner it served as the cue for the game's final act. "A lot of people wrote us off coming down here, but they did not see how well we were going for the last couple of weeks," said Nick's coach Niall Burns. "This is a club with a great tradition and people might not think that counts but it does. "We have the nucleus of a fine team here," he added. Nor should he be doubted. Nick's started with 12 of the U21 team that won the county in 2003 and when Eoin McCarthy came on late in the game, it clicked the total to 13. They were seen as prime candidates for relegation by many, their credibility as a football force suffering from living in the shadows of Glen Rovers. A couple of more nights like this, and they might be the ones creating shadows for their more-celebrated hurling siblings. This game almost made a little of bit of history by being the first floodlit championship game in Cork without floodlights. The game ended in near darkness which is an all too familiar an occurrence and is unpleasant for spectators and dangerous for players. All would have been avoided by simply starting this game half an hour earlier. Scorers for St. Nick's: P. O'Brien 1-1, D. Brosnan 0-2, J. Kearney 0-2 (frees), N. Horgan, D. Cunningham, G. Moylan, N. Harte and D. Dorris 0-1 each. Ilen Rovers: C. O'Driscoll, J. Whooley, B. O'Sullivan and K. Daly 0-2 each, K. O'Sullivan 0-2 (frees), D. Duggan and F. Collins 0-1 each. ST NICHOLAS: P. Cuthbert; S. O'Donoghue, D Og O Donovan, S. Kennefick; L. Leahy, N. Horgan, D. Cunningham; P. O'Brien, D. Brosnan; G. Callanan, D. Busteed, G. Moylan, J. Kearney, N. Harte, D. Dorris. Sub: E. McCarthy for Moylan (51) ILEN ROVERS: G. Coakley; D. Murphy, D. Duggan, S. Holland; J. Sheehy, D. Harman, D. Whooley; F. Collins, D. Coughlan; J. Wycherley, E. Sheehy, J. Whooley; K. O'Sullivan, C. O'Driscoll, B. O'Sullivan. Sub: K. Daly for D. Whooley (35) Referee: P. O'Leary (Kilmurry) Micheal Clifford, Evening Echo All photos courtesy of the Evening Echo.
			Gavin Moylan
	Graham Callinan
			Liam Leahy
	Paul O'Brien