Uibh Laoire Triumph Over Bantry Blues in PIFC Clash

Uibh Laoire are safely through to the knock-out stages of the McCarthy Insurance PIFC, and they did it with a statement win. Last year’s runners-up cut loose in Ballingeary on Saturday afternoon, pulling away from Bantry Blues to leave one camp eyeing a semi-final tilt and the other staring at relegation playoffs.

Two games, two wins. With Glanmire already beaten, Uibh Laoire now head into their final group outing with a semi-final spot firmly in view. Bantry, beaten first by Rockchapel and now here, remain pointless and under real pressure.

At the heart of it all stood Cork forward Chris Óg Jones. He led the line with authority, finishing with 1-8 and dictating the tempo of Uibh Laoire’s attack. His brother Ian and the lively Cathal Vaughan gave Bantry headaches all afternoon, constantly dragging defenders into awkward positions.

Bantry arrived without injured Cork man Dara Sheedy, and it showed at times in their structure. Yet they could hardly have asked for a better start.

The game was only 40 seconds old when the net shook. Billy Sheehan’s shot was blocked by goalkeeper Joe Creedon, but Arthur Coakley reacted quickest, snapping up the rebound and rifling it home. Moments later, Jack Sheedy – brother of the absent Dara – swung over a point, and Uibh Laoire suddenly trailed by four before they had drawn breath.

They responded instantly. With three minutes gone, Sean O’Leary sliced open the Bantry defence and slipped in Ian Jones, who finished clinically to the net. Points from Chris Óg and Vaughan followed, and in the blink of an eye it was 1-2 apiece after just five frantic minutes.

The momentum stayed with the Muskerry men. A minute later, Sam Pickering picked out Chris Óg with a clever pass and the Cork star buried their second goal. Bantry steadied themselves through another Sheedy score, only for Pickering to strike a two-pointer at the other end to twist the knife again.

The game finally took a breath around the quarter-hour mark. Points from Kevin Casey and Ruairí Deane trimmed the margin to 2-4 to 1-5. Chris Óg tacked on two more to push Uibh Laoire clear, but Sheehan and Coakley hit back to keep Bantry in touch.

Then came a big Bantry surge. With 24 minutes gone, Mark Óg O’Sullivan played a neat one-two with Sean O’Leary and drove in his side’s second goal, nudging them 2-7 to 2-6 in front. Briefly, the tide looked blue again.

Not for long. Chris Óg levelled, Ian Jones restored Uibh Laoire’s lead, and it took a late Coakley point – the final act of the half – to send the teams in deadlocked at 2-8 each. Breathless, open, and still there for either side.

The restart belonged to Uibh Laoire. J Sweeney clipped over the first score of the second half, and Pickering landed his second two-pointer soon after, stretching the gap and tightening their grip on the contest.

Bantry refused to fold. Coakley and Conor Cronin replied to keep them in range, and by the 37th minute Uibh Laoire led 2-12 to 2-10. The game still hung on a thread.

Then the thread snapped.

Two minutes later, Vaughan burst through and fired goalward. His effort took a touch off a Bantry defender and flew in for Uibh Laoire’s third green flag, opening a 3-12 to 2-10 advantage. From there, the hill facing Bantry became a mountain.

They did carve out chances. Arthur Coakley and Kevin Coakley both went agonisingly close to finding the net, Arthur’s opportunity in particular begging to be finished, but each shot slipped narrowly wide. Those misses drained belief as the clock ticked down.

Uibh Laoire were ruthless in contrast. Two more points from the unerring Chris Óg pushed the lead out again, while Arthur Coakley and Paddy Cronin tried to stem the tide with scores for Bantry.

Ian Jones made it 3-16 to 2-12, and fittingly it was Chris Óg who had the final say, knocking over the last two points of the game to complete his 1-8 haul and seal Uibh Laoire’s passage to the knockouts.

For Uibh Laoire, it’s momentum, confidence, and the luxury of chasing a semi-final berth from a position of strength. For Bantry Blues, it’s a stark reality: no points, no margin for error, and a relegation playoff looming unless they can summon something dramatic in the weeks ahead.

Scorers

• Uibh Laoire: C Óg Jones 1-8, C Vaughan 1-3, I Jones 1-2, S Pickering 0-4 (two 2-pointers), J Sweeney 0-1.
• Bantry Blues: A Coakley 1-4 (0-2 frees), M Óg O’Sullivan 1-0, J Sheedy 0-2, O O’Neill, K Casey, R Deane (f), B Sheehan, P Cronin, C Cronin 0-1 each.

Teams

Uibh Laoire: J Creedon; C Galvin, D O’Donovan, D O’Riordan; K Manning, C O’Riordan, S O’Leary; T Roberts, C O’Leary; J Sweeney, C Vaughan, S Pickering; S O’Riordan, I Jones, C Óg Jones. Subs: B Cronin for K Manning (42), B Murphy for C O’Riordan (50), B O’Riordan for J Sweeney (56).

Bantry Blues: B Clancy; C O’Brien, R O’Mahony, T Cronin; D McCarthy, M Óg O’Sullivan, C Cronin; J O’Neill, K Casey; B Sheehan, R Deane, S O’Leary; A Coakley, J Sheedy, O O’Neill. Subs: P Cronin for O O’Neill (half-time), K Coakley for D McCarthy (39), E O’Shea for B Sheehan (50).

Referee: Jerry Kelleher (St John’s, Millstreet).