United Clyda prevails in the most local of derbies
August 22, 2026
Clyda Rovers won out in this most local of hurling encounters by the minimalist of margins earlier today, in a brilliantly presented Buttevant grounds. The win puts pay to the championship ambitions of Killavullen unless major miracles occur in the other games in the group. Before the match, a perfectly observed moment of silence was observed with both panels standing facing each other, in memory of the late Sean O Connor, from the Mourne Abbey parish, and brother of goalkeeper Ben.
Clyda opened the scoring from their centre forward who was very prominent in the opening 30 minutes, but we equalised when a long delivery from Jamie Magner, bounced on the rock-hard ground, and went over the bar in the 2nd minute. David Walsh restored the Clyda lead again, in the 4th minute when he was quickest to react to a breaking ball and that was a theme of the first half. Kian Lane equalised for Killavullen with a nice point from the midfield area for us, though we were wind assisted in this half. Darragh O Grady is and was on the day, very good at getting low and foraging out balls in rucks situations, and he did so again, in the 9th minute to put us ahead by the narrowest of margins. Eddie Cotter was next to score in the 13th minute, but we were vey wasteful and hit some terrible wides in this half, ten in total in the thirty minutes and that was to have a profound effect on the final outcome. Clyda hit back with the most committed of Clyda players in Aidan Kelly from his half forward berth and our opponents had equalised when Patrick Ryan scored, from close in on goals. Clyda took the lead when Cian Walsh, scored a point that broke kindly for him in space, but that was no coincidence, Clyda were getting all of those breaks with their extra commitment and zeal in the first half, and they pushed out that lead further with another point from Chris Buckley. Jamie Magner scored a free for us to claw back a score, but Clyda scored again from David Walsh.
Jamie got another free back for us, after Mickey O Connor became the meat in a Clyda sandwich, that irked a Clyda supporter, as to the validity of the free behind the goals, on the bank, who was quickly challenged by the referee Dave Twomey to wear a whistle, for his club or shut up. He wisely choose to do the latter. We lost Brian Cotter to a shoulder injury, that simply has not healed up properly from earlier in the year, and he was replaced by Ronan Barry. Sean O Sullivan scored a rasping point in the 21st minute only for Jamie to claw another point back in the 23rd minute, and that was to prove to be our final score in a dreadful first half for us. Lack of cohesion, failing to track our men, bunching, we had many failings against a very committed Clyda team. Our neighbours scored their ninth point in the 25th minute from Cian O Sullivan and added to that tally before the break from the same player in the 29th minute and from David Walsh x 2, from dead ball situations to lead that half time score of 0-12 to 0-07 against us.
At the short whistle, Killavullen retreated to the dressing rooms for privacy and to work out what was going wrong, and on reemerging, Pa Angland and Finn Killion were introduced for Seamus Fox and Owen Magner. Clyda scored the opening score of the second half of the game from another free and we had coughed up another one, in the same opening minute, when the tackling was simply too high, and gave the referee no option, but to award. The task facing Killavullen was huge and grew momentous in the 4th minute of the half, when their powerful full forward, Sean O Sullivan scored a goal, low into the corner of the net, giving Charlie in our goals no chance. Niall Burke for Clyda increased their lead right out to 1-15 to 0-07 in the fifth minute, and the dawning reality facing the Killavullen team and supporters was that we had not scored for 12 minutes whilst Clyda amassed 1-07 in that period. Colm O Mahony caught a great ball in the air, amongst a crowd of players and from near the touch line, he fired a great point over the bar. When Mikey O Connor got fouled and held up close in on goals, a 20 metre free was awarded, but Jamie drilled his shot low into the rock hard ground, and it evaded the five in the goal mouth for Clyda to be an important boost in the vain hope of a comeback. When Darragh O Grady caught the resultant puck out, in and around midfield, and strode forward before hitting a great point on the run, the Killavullen team grew in stature and belief, and came thundering into the game. Now at last the sizable crowd had something to get excited about, and up to then, it was tame and lack luster and lacking in the intensity that you expect of round two championship games. Jamie Magner scored a point from open play after great work from Finn, who was putting himself about and if not winning the ball cleanly, certainly was preventing clean clearances for the Clyda back line. Patrick Angland and Liam Cronin were now brilliant at preventing the Clyda forwards gaining clean possession in the air, and one block down by Pa in particular was memorable, in that the commitment to the action was total, and no care was given to a possible injury. It inspired others, and when Fionn Magner clipped over a fine point from midfield, it rallied our troops no end. Now it was Clyda rear guard that coughed up two frees in a row that Jamie converted to leave only two points between the teams with 8 minutes left on the clock. Clyda pushed out the lead again though, with a free with four minutes left, and that lead was pushed pout again to four points, with a crucial score from Chris Buckley after the attempted clearance from our back line was partially blocked and the point emerged.
Eddie Cotter, so often a tormenter of Clyda in these games that seem to be a perennial fixture much to the delight of the treasurer of Avondhu GAA, with all games having a healthy attendance, score a fine point from distance for us, after fetching a fine ball in the air, and the lead was reduced further when Padraig Looney made amends for a similar type of situation, but scored in this instance in the 29th minute. We lost a great chance to score a goal when a great cross field pass from Finn was allowed to bounce, and it seemed to take an odd bounce off the ground to slip away from the well positioned Killavullen player. There was confusion when Niall Feaheny though he had reduced the deficit from out on the wing, and those behind the flight of the ball, tracked its every revolution, from the bank, but it was waved wide, by the umpire, under the post. Darragh got the final score of the game, a point from long range to leave only the minimum between the teams, but the sands of time had run out, and Clyda Rovers were victorious.
To a man, the Clyda team ran to their goalkeeper, who must have wrested with many emotions during a terrible week for his family, after the death of his only other sibling. To Ben, congratulations on your bravery - and Killavullen GAA Club offer our sincere sympathies to you, your parents, friends and club mates.
Killavullen had to trudge off the field dejected – a year that promised so much with a strong showing in Cork County hurling League Division Six, will likely see Killavullen fail to emerge from their group, and much soul searching and reflections in the mirror to be done. Perhaps it can be turned around, in the final pool game against Ballyhooly, but either way, a thoroughly dire situation.
The team and scorers were;
- Charlie Cremin
- Brian Cotter
- Eoin Birchill
- Fionn Magner (0-01)
- Kian Lane (0-01)
- Liam Cronin
- Eddie Cotter (0-02)
- Darragh O Grady (0-03)
- Niall Feaheny
- Jamie Magner (1-07, 1-05F)
- Seamus Fox
- Mikey O Connor
- Padraig Looney (0-01)
- Colm O Mahony (0-01)
- Owen Magner
Substitutes
- Ronan Barry for Brian Cotter (injured)
- Seamus O Mahony for Owen Magner – (Temporary Blood Sub)
- Pa Angland for Seamus Fox
- Finn Killion for Owen Magner