The minor football team played their first
game of the year in Dunmanway under lights on Friday evening last and came away
with the points, winning by the narrowest of margins.
The Blues looked very rusty in the opening
period and it was the home team who first made the breakthrough with a goal. Shane
McCarthy settled Bantry with a well taken point and this was followed up with a
fine effort from Peter Kelleher. Peter put Blues ahead moments later, taking a
pass from John Lavin and finishing
his run with a well placed shot past the Dunmanway keeper. The home team were
next to score with a free but Peter Kelleher cancelled this out within minutes
and then knocked over a free to make Bantry’s score 1-04. Lady Luck had a hand
in Blues next score when Seánie O’Leary shot from out the field bounced over
the keeper head and into the net. The Bantry lads were flying it at this stage
with Shane McCarthy tacking on another point and when full forward Gerald
O’Sullivan was fouled in the square, Blues keeper Donal Casey came upfield to
take the penalty and make the half time score Bantry Blues 3-05 to Sam Maguire’s
1-01.
The opening period of the second half
proved a different story with Dunmanway reducing the deficit with the first two
points of the half. Seánie O’Leary pulled one back for Bantry with a free but
the Sam Maguire’s midfielder gave an exhibition of point kicking, scoring six
points on the trot to bring his team right back into the game. The Bantry lads
struggled as tiredness set in but stuck to the task with Darren Cronin getting
a much needed point to stem the tide. Dunmanway continued to come and levelled
matters near the end with a goal, but a converted free from Seánie O’Leary at
the death secured the points for Bantry and they came away with a 3-07 to 2-09
win.
This certainly was the game of “two halves”
but Bantry will be happy enough to open their league campaign with a win.
Players who were prominent on the night were Peter Kelleher, Seánie O’Leary,
Shane Delaney, Dermot Spillane with Stephen Hanley coming on to play well at
corner back, replacing the injured Ayrton O’Shea.
Team: Donal Casey(1-0, pen), Jimmy O’Leary,
Eoin Lynch, Ayrton
O’Shea, Dermot Spillane, Tim Cronin, Anthony Hanley, Seánie
O’Leary (1-2,2F), Shane Delaney, Darren Cronin (0-1), Peter Kelleher (1-3,1F),
Mark Keohane, Shane McCarthy (0-2), Gerald O’Sullivan, John
Lavin. Sub: Stephen Hanley.