Longford IFC: Goals crucial as Ballymahon beat St Brigid’s Killashee

Ballymahon . . . 2-9 St Brigid’s Killashee . . . 1-9

By Blaithin Mulvihill

Ballymahon got their 2026 Intermediate Championship campaign off to a great start when they beat St. Brigid's Killashee at Páirc Chiarán, Newtowncashel on Saturday evening.

Ballymahon were full value for their win as apart from a brief two minute spell they led from start to finish. At one stage they had opened up a seven point gap before a Killashee revival reduced the deficit to two points with just over ten minutes remaining.

A Jack Walshe free then deceived Killashee goalkeeper Pat Farrell for a very fortuitous Ballymahon goal. The lead was now back out to five and try as they might last year’s beaten finalists could not salvage the situation.

In what was a lacklustre first half of football there was very little for the crowd to get excited about as shots on target, not to mention scores, were very few and far between.

A two-pointer from Shane Quinn and a two-pointer free from Jack Walshe was all Ballymahon could manage in the first half while St. Brigid’s responded with three points from Michael Farrell, Tommy Killian and Darren Carberry.

A chance to go up three on the stroke of half-time fell to Ballymahon in the form of another two-pointer free but unfortunately for Jack Walshe this one came off the post leaving the Innysiders only leading by the minimum of margins, 0-4 to 0-3, at the break.

Ballymahon came out strong in the second half with a goal from Shane Quinn in the 35th minute. A point apiece from Kevin Diffley and Joe Nevin and another free from Jack Walshe saw them leading 1-7 to 0-3 with just seven minutes gone on the changeover.

Killashee looked to be in big trouble but they refused to throw in the towel and in the face of adversity they produced their best passage of football.

A Michael Farrell two-pointer kickstarted their revival. A brilliant goal from county U-20 player Paddy Mollahan had Killashee back to within three points. Another point from Tommy Killian, his second of the game, cut the lead to two with just over ten minutes remaining.

The Jack Walshe goal arrived in the 49th minute for Ballymahon and moments later a point from the same player left Killashee behind by six and having to try and scale Everest again.

A Michael Farrell free and a two-pointer from Niall McCormack was all they could muster as Trevor Clendenning’s side held on for a deserved victory.

This win sees Ballymahon march on to a second round meeting with Killoe next weekend and another victory would put them in pole position to qualify for this year’s semi-final.

Contrast this with Killashee who head to McGann Park in Kenagh with championship survival at stake. There they will take on a Young Grattans team buoyed by a huge victory over Killoe.

An interesting weekend lies ahead.

BALLYMAHON: Oisín Connolly; Niall Connaughton, Ros Claffey (C), Wayne Higgins; Paddy Connaughton, Shane Quinn (1-3, two-pointer), Chris Killian; Kevin Diffley (0-1), John Nevin; Ferdia Ginty, Danny Ryan, Finn Heneghan-Fahy; Clayton Melia, Joe Nevin (0-1), Jack Walshe (1-4, goal from free, 1 two-pointer free, 1 free).

Subs:- Emmet Finn for F Ginty (half-time); Kyle Fitzmaurice for Joe Nevin (injured, 40 mins).

ST BRIGIDS KILLASHEE: Pat Farrell; Tommy Killian (0-2), David Buckley, Shane Cosgrove; John Lee, Jack Magan, Jack McWeeney; Niall McCormack (0-2, two-pointer), Michael Farrell (0-4, 1 two-pointer, 1 free); Paddy Clancy, Dylan Farrell, Johnny Casey; Darren Carberry (0-1), Paddy Mollahan (1-0), Conor Clancy.

Subs: Michael Nolan for J Casey (Injured, 40 mins); Aidan Mollahan for D Carberry (54 mins); Nathan Steele for C Clancy (54 mins).

Referee: Gerard Carberry (Killoe).