Hard earned win for Fourmilewater against Ferrybank
Fourmilewater's Tom Barron about to gain possession against Ferrybanks' Shane Oates and Robbie Carew.
The manual scoreboard in Dungarvan flattered Fourmilewater on a mild Saturday evening as Ferrybank made Derek Lyons’ charges fight for their first victory of the 2024 championship.
Last year’s Premier Intermediate winners turned an eight point deficit into two by the start of the second half but weren’t clinical enough to pull off a famous result. Two missed goal chances and five missed frees saw them come up short.
Eleven Aaron Ryan points and a towering display from Tom Barron at centre back saw Fourmile bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Abbeyside. Ryan is a lethal long range shooter and notched eight from play. Barron did his best Tadhg De Burca impression at number six. Brilliant under the high ball. Fourmile worked the sliotar short out of defence but also went long into Michael Morrissey and Sean Walsh who both struck 1-2 from play. Dermot Ryan drove the team forward from midfield on his return to the side.
Neil O’Sullivan and Ruaidhri McGarrity fired three points apiece for a Ferrybank team who will take plenty of encouragement from this performance. Goalkeeper Cormac O’Driscoll produced the save of the championship from Sean Walsh deep into injury time.
Fourmile got a fright in the first minute as Mark O’Brien intercepted a short pass out of defence from Jake Mulcahy and nearly caught goalkeeper Stephen Ryan off his line. Ryan recovered to stop O’Brien’s low shot and Michael Morrissey sent the ball over the bar at the other end. Fourmile threatened to put the game to bed in the first quarter. On two minutes, Sean Walsh broke down a high delivery from Dermot Ryan and Morrissey rippled the top corner of the net. Half backs Oisin Walsh, Tholom Guiry and Tom Barron all grabbed Ferrybank puckouts out of the sky. Fourmile’s running game flowed as Jamie Barron and Dylan Guiry exchanged passes and set up a point for Aaron Ryan. He nailed four in a row (three from play) as the Ballymacarbry men raced 1-5 to 0-1 ahead by the seventh minute. O’Brien converted two frees for Ferrybank but Dermot Ryan and Morrissey moved Fourmile moved eight points clear.
Ferrybank fought back as MJ Sutton won high ball and Fourmile’s short passes broke down. Sutton, Ruaidhri McGarrity, Caolan Mac Cathmhaoil and Neil O’Sullivan all split the uprights as the gap narrowed to three. Aaron Ryan hit back with two points and brought his first half tally to seven as Fourmile led 1-11 to 0-10 at the break.
Derek Lyons went with two half time switches but Ferrybank made more inroads as white flags from O’Sullivan and McGarrity left Andrew Heffernan’s charges just two adrift. O’Brien then dropped a free short and drove another one right and wide.
Points by Jamie Barron, Aaron Ryan and Dermot Ryan settled the leaders. Ferrybank never gave up and Stephen Ryan blocked a ground stroke from MJ Sutton with eleven minutes left. Tom Barron cut off the supply to the full forward line. He pinged a pass across the pitch to the unmarked Aaron Ryan who entered double figures. O’Brien bagged Ferrybank’s last five points of the contest (four from frees) but he missed two more placed balls. Fourmile sub Ciaran Walsh produced two points while Billy Byrne won two frees.
Four minutes into injury time, Ferrybank netminder Cormac O'Driscoll denied Sean Walsh with a spectacular save. The ball looked destined for the roof of the net but O’Driscoll somehow got a hurley to it. Larry Walsh and Dermot Ryan kept the ball alive however and Sean Walsh got his goal in the end.
Aaron Ryan returned eleven points from thirteen shots.
Stephen Ryan’s block from MJ Sutton kept Ferrybank at bay.
That sensational Cormac O’Driscoll save from Sean Walsh. How did he keep it out?
Fourmile tackle Derek Lyons’ home club Dungarvan in the preliminary quarter finals while Ferrybank face Clonea.
Aaron Ryan 0-11 (2fs, 1 65), Michael Morrissey, Sean Walsh 1-2 each, Dermot Ryan, Ciaran Walsh 0-2 each, Jamie Barron 0-1.
Mark O’Brien 0-8 (7fs), Ruaidhri McGarrity, Neil O’Sullivan 0-3 each, Caolan Mac Cathmhaoil 0-2, MJ Sutton 0-1.
Stephen Ryan; Jake Mulcahy, Conor Gleeson, Tadgh Walsh; Tholom Guiry, Tom Barron, Oisin Walsh; Dermot Ryan, Evan Spellman; Dylan Guiry, Jamie Barron, Patrick Walsh; Aaron Ryan, Sean Walsh, Michael Morrissey. Fionn Hallinan for Mulcahy (HT), Ciaran Walsh for Patrick Walsh (HT), Billy Byrne for Morrissey (46), Larry Walsh for Spellman (54), Gerard Long for Oisin Walsh (60).
Cormac O’Driscoll; Graham Coady, Ryan Tierney, Stephen O’Kane; Naoise Mac Cathmhaoil, Cormac Heffernan, John Ahern; Neil O’Sullivan, Caolan Mac Cathmhaoil; Shane Oates, Luke Flynn, Robbie Carew; MJ Sutton, Mark O'Brien, Ruaidhri McGarrity. Izaak Richards for Sutton (Blood, 13-15), Izaak Richards for Oates (41), Daryl Griffin for Caolan Mac Cathmhaoil (41), Seamus Burtchaell for John Ahern (45), Jay Bagge for Flynn (57), Damien Ahern for Naoise Mac Cathmhaoil (57).
Anthony Fitzgerald (Passage).
