FROM the moment corner-forward James Murphy fired home their first goal, there was never any danger that Clyda Rovers would be denied the laurels in the Evening Echo county premier intermediate football championship second round encounter with Mayfield at Donoughmore last Saturday evening.

Murphy struck in the 23rd minute, following good work by Conor O'Sullivan, Conor Flanagan and Padraig O'Mullane, to push the Mourneabbey men 1-4 to 1-3 ahead, and his score was all the more significant in that it came in quick reply to a Mayfield goal from full-forward Paul Condon. Playing into a strong wind, it meant that Clyda were very favourably positioned as the first half drew to a close, and they tacked on two unanswered points before the break to leave Mayfield with a mountain to climb in the second half.

It was a task that proved well beyond the capabilities of the city side, although they drew first blood on the resumption, with centre-forward Terry Lotty pointing inside 32 minutes. But Clyda were the complete masters after that, with every player on the team contributing as they powered to an eleven-point win that was even more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests.

Working tirelessly, and moving the ball about with purpose, fluency and assurance at all times on the well-appointed Donoughmore pitch, Clyda were very impressive, even if their finishing wasn't up to scratch on occasions. Paudie Kissane was particularly culpable in this respect, but the Cork senior panelist had a huge game at midfield in the second half, and fittingly he found his range to slot over the last score for the winners with time almost up.

Alternating between midfield and centre-forward, Kissane was constantly in the picture as well in the first half when lively wing-forwards Conor Flanagan and Conor O'Sullivan were also instrumental in ensuring that Clyda never allowed Mayfield to stamp their authority on the proceedings.

James Murphy carried an obvious threat at corner forward, and he completed a hat-trick of points when landing a splendid score from play to make it 0-3 to 0-1 after 13 minutes. With Niall O'Mullane, Ray Carey and Maurice O'Brien forming a commanding half-back line, things were shaping up nicely for Clyda at that juncture, but it was noticeable that their last line of defence didn't always inspire confidence during the opening exchanges.

Dean Grainger and Paul Condon looked especially menacing inside for Mayfield, and, following an exchange of points between Clyda's Conor Flanagan and Grainger, Condon underlined his potential when winning possession from a delivery by wing-forward Ian Fleming to grab an excellent goal in the 20th minute.

That prompted Clyda to move Cork senior Ray Carey to full-back in a switch with Oliver O'Hanlon, and the change worked a treat, with Carey employing his pace and positional sense to put the shackles on Condon, who, in fairness, was handicapped by a poor service from outfield. O'Hanlon, for his part, really prospered on going to centreback, so much so that he went on to emerge as a leading contender for the man-of-the-match accolade.

Any hopes that Mayfield might have harboured of building on the boost of Condon's goal, which put them ahead for the first time at 1-3 to 0-4, were quickly dispelled when James Murphy restored the lead to Clyda three minutes later. In truth, it was plain sailing for Clyda after that, with Declan Roche converting a free won by the hard-working Conor O'Sullivan and Fionn O'Shea adding a good point from play to give them a 1-6 to 1-3 lead at the interval.

After Lotty pulled a point back for Mayfield, Clyda replied when Padraig O'Mullane –a bundle of energy on the'40 after the break – completed a sparkling raid involving Oliver O'Hanlon, Niall O'Mullane, Paudie Kissane and Ray Carey in the 34th minute. That set the pattern for a second half in which Clyda ripped Mayfield's resistance to shreds, and their ticket to a third round meeting with Nemo Rangers was secured when Oliver O'Hanlon, taking a pass from Conor O'Sullivan, fired in their second goal to make it 2-8 to 1-4 after 43 minutes.

It's a measure of Clyda's dominance that Maurice O'Brien and Niall O'Mullane were other defenders to get among the scorers before the finish, and team coach Mossie Barrett must have been pleased with the quality of a performance that got their championship aspirations back on track following a below-par display against Valley Rovers in the first round.

- Noel Horgan at Donoughmore