IT took 76 minutes for this all-north Cork tie to become a derby but in the end it was deja vu as, similar to October's clash in Mallow, Fermoy came storming back to share the points in this Senior First Division game in Fermoy on Saturday.

From the outset, and for much of the game, Fermoy had more possession and more of the initiative as they sought to dominate the visitors. However, in this game it was the defences who dominated with both back fours emphatically snuffing out any advance by sheer force of numbers.

Fermoy did have two attempts on target early on — Kalin Kelly from free and Sean McCarthy, with a free shot from 20 yards — but neither toubled Mallow keeper Alan O'Mahony. At the other end Mallow frontmen Anthony Omafughi and Eoin Stanton were struggling to hit the target in the face of Fermoy's physically imposing defence.

Toward the end of the half, as Mallow were putting more creative attacking moves together, Stanton was twice denied claims for penalties — this, in a game where the referee didn't endear himself to the visitors. First, on 39 minutes, the tall Stanton took an over-the-top ball from Tristan Chung down on his head inside the defence only to come crashing down inside the box as a defender snapped at his heels — play waved on. Then, on 44 minutes, Stanton, yards from goal, took a through ball from James Daly only to quickly end up on the deck after another tackle. The ref dismissed both appeals as Stanton was left wondering.

Turning over 0-0, Fermoy again started pressing hard but, again against the run of play, it was Mallow who had the better of the early chances. James Daly forced Fermoy keeper Derek Slattery to save from a free on 47 minutes and on 53 Dan O'Connell shot over after Mallow's second corner in-a-row.

At the other end, Darren Cody headed just wide from a Sean McCarthy corner, and Leon Roche did likewise on 74 minutes, but as the half wore on Mallow began to find more room to manouvre at midfield and began to vary their attacking options.

The breakthrough, when it came, was a fine individual effort that caught everybody by surprise, most notably Derek Slattery in the Fermoy goal. As Mallow sub James O'Sullivan collected a through ball on the right his momentum took him past the first defender and suddenly a rare gap was exposed in the Fermoy defence. Spurning the obvious cross, O'Sullivan instead drilled the ball low into the far corner to give Mallow the lead on 76 minutes.

However, the goal spurred Fermoy to up their tempo, and temperament, and they came looking in earnest for an equaliser. This they got on 85 minutes — in circumstance that left Mallow again crying 'foul'. When Anthony Kenny's corner on the right was parried by the Mallow keeper, Sean McCarthy drove the ball back in to sub Graham Byrne. With the defence and keeper bearing down on him, Byrne tapped it wide to Kenny who curved the ball into the empty far corner.

Mallow cries of 'offside' were dismissed and it was they who were lucky to hold out for a share of the spoils as Fermoy pressed hard for the winner to the end.

FERMOY: Derek Slattery, Ryan Conway, Anthony Kenny, Leon Roche, Darren Cody, Mark Barry, Sean MacCarthy, Kurt Wheelan, Kalin Kelly, Alan McCormack, Adrian Clancy; Subs: Dave Kelly, Graham Byrne, Mark Kenny, Gavin Quirke

MALLOW: Alan O'Mahony, Shane Desmond, Derek Madden, Barry Doyle, Dan O'Connell, Shane Browne, James Daly, Tristan Chung, Eoin Stanton, Anthony Omafughi, Conor Stokes; Subs John O'Connell, Willie Cunningham, James O'Sullivan, Shane Sheehan