Bride Rovers 2-13   Cloyne 2-12

After a tight and tense encounter, in which Bride Rovers led for much of the game, but with never more than two or three points between the sides, a nail-biting finish saw Bride Rovers,secure Senior status for 2013 with a one-point win over Cloyne.

A late goal followed by a point, gave Cloyne the minimum a two point lead, and they seemed to be on course to break Bride Rovers hearts,after we had been leading for most of the game,and seemed in control of the match, but some poor shooting from play and frees in the second half, looked to have cost us our place in Senior ranks, but Rovers won a 20-metre free deep in injury time to restore hope, and after the referee moved the ball to a more advantageous position ,Dinny Fitzgerald came up to take the free, facing no less than nine Cloyne players,taking a pile driver at the Cloyne wall, it was batted out to the inrushing Dinny and with the ball bobbling around it fell to David Burke, who struck another piledriver towards goal, and next the net was bulging, amid roars of excitement that could be heard in Bartlemy, Kildinan & Rathcormac.

The final puck out well into injury time,meant there was no way back for the Cloyne team who had to endure an agonising defeat, that sent them back to Premier Intermediate grade for 2013. Following our 3 previous games in this years Championship, where the team had accounted for itself very well it was no more than this team deserved and facing our 10 year at Senior grade in 2013 it was relief for everyone involved in the club.

Scorers for Bride Rovers: B Johnson 1-9 (5fs), D Burke 1-0, M Collins 0-2, R Murphy, J O'Driscoll 0-1 each.

BRIDE ROVERS: D Fitzgerald; S Kearney, B Walsh, A Collins; Barry Murphy, Brian Murphy, L Forde; M Kearney, B Johnson; M Collins, D Burke, P Murphy; J O'Driscoll, D Dooley, S Ryan.

Subs: J Pratt for M Kearney (42), J Mannix for O'Driscoll (49).

Pictured is goal scorer David Burke who goes highest in this aerial duel. More pictures from the relegation final v Cloyne in the photo gallery, click on photo link above and go to action Photos gallery. 

(Pics courtesy of Denis O Flynn)