23 years ago today: Nemo Rangers defeat Newmarket to win the Intermediate Football Championship title for the first time since 1980

Nemo rule

Coogan inspired Nemo are wonders

Cork County Intermediate Football Final Nemo Rangers 2-9 Newmarket 0-10

Micheál Clifford's coverage in the Evening Echo following Nemo Rangers defeat of Newmarket in the Intermediate Football Championship on the 15th of September 2002.

The only hope that the black and green tidal wave which is threatening to swallow up Cork football will recede, is if Nemo get weary from polishing their mounting silverware.

Minding their trophy cabinet looks a more onerous task for them these days than actually filling it.

Already this year, their under-21s have defended their county crown, their B colleagues won the city championship, their juniors have also reached the Seandún final and their flagship team are within two games of winning the club’s first three-in-a-row.

Take a deep breath and swallow the magnitude of their grip on the game.

Yet, for all that they have achieved this season, you suspect that nothing will have given them more pleasure than last night’s triumph in the county IFC final at Macroom.

In the midst of all the glory that has visited Capwell in the last 48 months, the sight of their second team falling at the final hurdle must have gnawed at the heart of Nemo.

And while there are no distinguishable border lines that divide the first and senior teams — such is the ebb and flow between both squads — there has been little relief for many of those playing with the intermediates for the last two years.

They were a driven team last night and it was their bloody single-mindedness more than anything else that helped them win this game.

Sure, they had quality as well in the sniping shape of Shane Marshall, William Morgan and Stephen Calnan — the latter kicked six wides but killed off Newmarket with a goal and a point in the opening 90 seconds of the second half.

But above all, last night was about industry.

Nemo, stamped with the trademark of all good teams, defended from the full-forward line back, squeezing every bit of space around the Macroom pitch as a result.

Despite the threat of Tony O’Keeffe, the Nemo full-back line was rock solid, while the half-back line, where Niall O’Sullivan had a huge game, drove on relentlessly.

They also won the midfield battle, where, assisted by Dylan Mehigan, Michael Morgan proved the game’s most influential player — later being selected as the Permanent TSB Man-of-the-Match.

For all that, it was Newmarket who started the brighter and thanks to points from Sean F. O’Connor and Michael Cottrell, led by 0-4 to 0-2 after 16 minutes.

Fatally, though, they were not to score again for 24 minutes after that burst and by then Nemo had slipped out of reach.

Newmarket never looked comfortable when Coogan started to drift from his full-forward berth, leaving William Morgan and Stephen Calnan inside.

All three combined to put the skids under the Duhallow side in the 27th minute, with Calnan feeding Morgan whose drive was superbly turned away by goalkeeper James Morgan, but only into the path of the in-rushing John Coogan who rattled the net.

Trailing by 1-4 to 0-4 at the interval, Newmarket needed to start the second half brightly, but they had hardly drawn breath when the contest was over.

Calnan pointed within seconds of the restart and a minute later John Paul O’Neill — who had a powerful game on the forty — spilled the ball to the feet of the Nemo captain, who finished with relish.

Game over, but credit Newmarket for not giving up the fight.

Tony O’Keeffe and Mark O’Sullivan — the latter playing his last game for the club after emigrating to the US — both came desperately close to the goal they needed.

Indeed, O’Keeffe should have had a goal as early as the third minute but he blasted his effort off the crossbar instead of the net.

Deprived of the goal they needed, the belief drained from Newmarket in the end.

Nemo greeted the final whistle with such raw joy, that those waiting for the city giants to lose their appetite will lose heart.

“Let’s party,” roared Calnan at the end of his acceptance speech.

No doubt they did, but they are already counting down to the Barr’s in the senior semi-final on Saturday.

The wave goes on.

Scorers

Nemo Rangers: S. Calnan 1-2, J. Coogan 1-1, M. Kearney 0-3 (frees), S. Marshall 0-2, M. Morgan 0-2 (45).

Newmarket: M. O’Sullivan 0-5 (0-3 frees), J. McCarthy 0-1, M. Cottrell 0-1, T. O’Keeffe 0-1, S. A. O’Connor 0-1, D. O’Brien 0-1 (free).

Nemo Rangers: B. Morgan; E. O’Leary, R. Murphy, C. Buckley; C. O’Shea, B. Brophy, N. O’Sullivan; D. Mehigan, M. Morgan; M. Kearney, J. P. O’Neill, S. Marshall; S. Calnan, J. Coogan, W. Morgan.

Subs: L. McCarthy for Buckley 69, P. Hogan for Calnan 69.

Newmarket: J. Morgan; D. O’Reilly, D. Murphy, D. Moynihan; B. O’Leary, S. Sweeney, J. Fitzpatrick; D. O’Brien, M. O’Sullivan; M. Cottrell, D. O’Flynn, T. O’Keeffe; D. Culloty, S. F. O’Connor.

Subs: M. O’Keeffe for O’Leary (inj) 20, O’Leary for O’Keeffe 26, C. Stack for O’Flynn 40, M. O’Keeffe for Murphy 42.

Referee: J. Geaney (Kilshannig).

Managers’ View

Two years after plotting Nemo’s downfall, Sean Hayes was the picture of contentment in the winners dressing room.

Hayes had been in charge of the Youghal team that edged out Nemo in the final two years ago on a day of conflicting emotions for the Nemo boss.

“It’s great to win one with your own,” he said.

“And the one reason we won out there this evening because we had fifteen players fighting for every ball.

“This is a big achievement for the club because it’s our first intermediate title since as far back as 1981.

“It’s great for everyone, but I am especially delighted for the likes of John Coogan and Conor Buckley — lads who have been playing with the intermediates for the last 10 years and have now finally won a championship.”

John Paul O’Neill, playing against the club he captained to the county junior title, dismissed notions that it was a bitter-sweet day for him.

“I suppose there is a bit of that, but I’m playing for Nemo now and that’s all I thought about.

“Today is sweet because of what happened in the last two years.

“We lost to Youghal on a day when you simply could not play football and I suppose Newmarket had their name on the trophy last year.

“We were desperate to win today as a result of that.”

With the joy came the misery.

Danny Culloty, the player/coach of Newmarket was devastated at the final whistle.

“The two goals we conceded were disasters and then we created goal chances ourselves and did not take them. That was crucial.

“We are young enough to come back but it’s hard to think of that right now.

“I really don’t know if I will keep playing myself.”

One player who will not be playing for Newmarket again is former Cork star Mark O’Sullivan, who has emigrated to Boston.

“I started playing with the adult team in 1989 and this is a disappointing way to sign off,” said the 29-year-old.

“I will keep playing with Christopher’s in Boston and they are run by a Newmarket man and they wear the Newmarket colours.

“So, I suppose there will be some comfort in that.”

THREE KEY AREAS

THE LAST TWO YEARS: Losing county finals back-to-back cut Nemo to the bone.

That was why even in the absence of Deccie Creedon (suspended), Ivan Gibbons (injured) and Niall Corkery (holidays), their belief never wavered.

They didn’t play last night, they beavered. They fought for every ball, put in every tackle, ran every step with intent.

It takes a driven team to do that. And Nemo did not have to dig too deep for motivation.

WORK-RATE: Of course, it’s one thing having the motivation, another thing to go out and do it.

The secret behind any good team is work. And not all labour is rewarded with points and goals.

The Nemo forwards worked as hard, even harder, without the ball than with it last night.

It unnerved Newmarket, who were rarely allowed the space to hit their full-forward line with precision and they struggled because of it.

GOALS — MISSED AND SCORED: Newmarket can point to three clear goal chances they created which they failed to take. Tony O’Keeffe was denied by the crossbar and a Ronan Murphy goal-line clearance, while Mark O’Sullivan’s effort went narrowly wide.

The timing of Nemo’s goals from Coogan and Calnan, either side of half-time, were perfect and created a gap which Newmarket could not bridge.