Ballymahon Secondary School capture Leinster title after extra-time
The season may still be in its early stages but at Pearse Park last Saturday all that's good with underage football was played out in the most rip-roaring of fashions as Ballymahon Secondary School claimed the Leinster Senior 'A' Championship title after getting the better of Granard's Cnoc Mhuire in extra-time.
On paper, the teams looked evenly matched. Cnoc Mhuire headed into the game knowing they were potentially just 60 minutes away from adding the Senior 'A' title to last year's 'B' equivalent in what has been 12 months to remember for the Granard side
At the opposite end of the county, Ballymahon Secondary were still evidently buzzing from their eye-catching semi-final win over title holders Ashbourne CS.
Yet, the word amongst the Ballymahon faithful as throw in approached was that the absences of key duo William Flanagan and Pedro Byrne through suspension could play into the hands of their opponents but Cnoc Mhuire were without the suspended Robbie Smyth.
That prophecy seemed accurate during the opening exchanges as Cnoc Mhuire nosed ahead through half forward Simon Cadam after six minutes of play.
Ballymahon SS looked sluggish early on and they fell further behind when James McGivney and Charlie Martin combined to set up Benny Dempsey for another score moments later.
It wasn't until the 17th minute that Ballymahon SS showed any real signs of life and it was their talismanic midfielder Trevor English who led by example.
A sweetly struck free from all of 40 yards cut his side's deficit in half before a similarly deft effort from slightly closer in with his left foot brought the sides level.
Another Ballymahon SS point followed from Dan Carberry but it was Cnoc Mhuire who finished the first half the strongest and went into the interval 0-4 to 0-3 ahead following points from Johnny Murphy and Cillian Lynn.
But two minutes into the second half Cnoc Mhuire corner-back Anthony Baxter upended Martin Rock inside the square.
It looked a penalty and referee John Bannon had no hesitation in awarding it despite protests from the Cnoc Mhuire bench. Keith Carberry was given the responsibility of edging his side ahead for the first time in the contest and he made no mistake as his strike cannoned into the Cnoc Mhuire net off the underside of the bar.
The next few minutes focused on the number 13's from both sides as first Cillian Lynn pointed from a free only then to see his opposite number Martin Rock reply from 25 yards in the 38th minute.
Lynn was proving to be somewhat of a menace to the Ballymahon SS defence thanks in part to his direct running style.
The Mostrim clubman enhanced his reputation soon after when sweeping home a goal after Johnny Murphy had deftly helped on what looked an innocuous free to give his side the lead once more.
Simon Cadam landed a point for Cnoc Mhuire seconds later and with time running out the game looked up for Ger O'Gara's charges. But this Ballymahon SS squad are made of stern stuff. First, Oisin Farrell strode forward from his half back position to stroke the ball over the bar and just when Cnoc Mhuire fluffed their lines there was the trusty boot of English to send the game into extra-time after the sides were deadlocked at 1-6 apiece.
Not surprisingly, both sides looked jaded after their exertions as errors and ill-discipline crept into proceedings. Then the contest took one final and amazing twist.
There looked to be little on for John Rock as he beckoned his team mates in the forward line for support. With little or no movement ahead of him, the diminutive half back punted a hopeful ball into the Cnoc Mhuire goalmouth and just when everyone expected the ball to be collected by Cnoc Mhuire goalkeeper Gavin Kelly, it somehow snuck under his bar and into the back of the net.
Whether the sudden appearance of a piercing evening sunset hampered the unfortunate Kelly is debatable but Rock didn’t care as he wheeled away in delight with his team three points up.
Cnoc Mhuire hit back almost straight away with captain James Madden seeing his shot go agonisingly wide of Sean Percival’s left hand post. Johnny Murphy did clip the Ballymahon lead with a point at the end of the first period of extra-time and a barnstorming final ten minutes looked on.
Yet for every attack Cnoc Mhuire could muster, an increasingly miserly Ballymahon defence seemed to have all the answers. Conor Madden kept the umpires warm with five minutes to go as he fired over a point from 35 yards but with every passing moment Cnoc Mhuire’s attacks became more and more frantic.
Not even a last desperate goalmouth scramble could save Cnoc Mhuire as Ballymahon Secondary hung on by a slender margin to win the Leinster Senior 'A' title for the first time and will now meet the Munster champions Clonakilty Community College in the All-Ireland semi-final on March 27th.
BALLYMAHON SECONDARY: Sean Percival (Kenagh); Barry O’Farrell (Carrick Sarsfields), Jamie Noonan (Ballymahon), Cathal Greene (Rathcline); John Rock (Tang, 1-0), Sean Coughlan (Tang), Oisin Farrell (Carrick Sarsfields, 0-1); Dan Carberry (Ballymahon, 0-1), Trevor English (Tang, 0-3, two frees); Keith Carberry (Cashel, 1-0), Shane Donohue (Rathcline), Owen Coughlan (Tang); Martin Rock (Tang, 0-1), Thomas Mulvihill (Ballymahon), Keith Maguire (Carrick Sarsfields).
Subs:- Graham Forbes (Ballymahon) for T Mulvihill (70 mins); Robert Harrison (Kenagh) for K Carberry (74 mins).
CNOC MHUIRE, GRANARD: Gavin Kelly (Northern Gaels); Anthony Baxter (Ballymachugh), Shane McKeon (Northern Gaels), Tom Fox (Northern Gaels); Kevin Shine (Mostrim), James Madden (Gowna), Wayne O’Hara (Granard/Ballymore); Conor Madden (Gowna, 0-1); James McGivney (Northern Gaels); Simon Cadam (Northern Gaels, 0-2), Benny Dempsey (Mostrim, 0-1), Diarmuid O’Reilly (Ballymachugh); Cillian Lynn (Mostrim, 1-2, one free), Johnny Murphy (Mostrim, 0-2), Charlie Martin (Granard/Ballymore).
Subs:- Kieran Goldrick (Ballymachugh) for D Reilly (47 mins); Vincent Nally (Granard/Ballymore) for K Shine (51 mins); Mark Smyth (Northern Gaels) for C Martin (65 mins).
Referee: John Bannon
(Legan Sarsfields).
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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