Imokilly’s better balance tipped the scales in their favour
Mistakes by goalkeepers which lead to scores are always magnified, particularly those that involve short puckouts. It was a defensive mistake by Glen Rovers that handed the East Cork side the golden opportunity to goal for the second time just before the break. Glen ‘keeper Cathal Hickey attempted to strike a short puck out to Robert Downey on the 20m line but his strike to Downey’s side was too hard to control. Imokilly’s Paudie O’Sullivan snatched up the loose ball,transferred to Seamie Harnedy and he rattled the net.
Hickey brought off an excellent save in the dying minutes from Shane O’Regan to keep his side in the game.
Ultimately it was this goal and the point in the final minutes of added time that decided the game.
This was a bitter blow for the Blackpool outfit who had kept in touch with the raging hot favourites throughout the half. But the 1-3 scored by the champions in added time provided the cushion they needed to claim victory.
It allowed them to keep their noses in front during the second half as the win was just out of reach for Glen Rovers, who fought hard until the final whistle.
This final wasn’t a classic by any means. There were a lot of niggles and skirmishes. It was very much a stop/start game because of various incidents off the ball in the first half and for frees in the second.
This made the referee’s job more difficult than it should have been and overall Nathan Wall made the correct decisions.
The Glen were the underdogs and to win they needed everything to go right for them and for Imokilly to perform below their best.
The Glen defence got to grips with their opponents in the second period but upfront they needed a goal. However, they didn’t create enough chances to land a major blow on the champions.
They were handed a gilt-edged chance when a long ball from Glen midfielder Donal Cronin was mishandled by Darragh O’Callaghan in the Imokilly goal. Glen full forward, Robert Downey, who had been moved up front from wing back just couldn’t force the ball home. It might have turned the game completely but this big opportunity was lost.
The experienced Patrick Horgan had a chance to cut the deficit to two points at one stage near the finish, but he elected to keep going in an effort to get a shot off on goal. He was closed down and turned over by the East Cork side’s defence.
When a team is coming back — as the Glen were— getting the gap down to two points ratchets up the pressure on a defence and this spurned chance was a big psychological boost for the winners.
In the second half the move of Dean Brosnan to corner forward and Patrick Horgan to centre forward was highly significant.
The moves benefitted both in their personal play and to the attack in general.
Horgan was full-forward in the first half but the supply was high and slow. It played into the hands of the tall Imokilly full back Colm Barry.
The Glen were guilty of some poor wides at crucial times in both halves and such misses are always significant when reflecting on the ‘what might have beens’ at the finish.
Imokilly won because they were the stronger and better balanced team overall. John Cronin at wing back, Bill Cooper at midfield, Seamie Harnedy, Paudie O Sullivan and Declan Dalton up front all made telling contributions at various times throughout the 60 plus minutes.
This power and balance up front was the difference between the teams and the 2-10 scored in the first half by the East Cork outfit couldn’t be clawed back.
This 2-10 might have been more as Bill Cooper was hauled down deliberately by Robert Downey when racing through on goal.
Downey was already on a yellow card and he availed of the referee’s generosity who gave him a tick rather than a second yellow. Dalton tapped over the resultant free.
I believe it is time for a player, who deliberately pulls down an attacker to stop a goal chance, to be sent to the sín bin for 10 or 15 minutes.
The mere concession of a pointed free is not a real punishment and it means it pays to stop goal chances by “professional fouls”.
Yesterday the game might have been spoiled if Downey had to leave the field because of the second yellow but this trend is placing unnecessary pressure on referees.
A trip to the sin bin for a first offence and a straight red for a second would make it easier on officials and solve this growing problem.
