Drumlin Group of Credit Unions Senior Football League
Ballybay 2-13 Carrickmacross 1-11 2/9/12
Ballybay secured their semi-final place in the Drumlin Group of Credit Unions Senior Football League with three games to spare when they beat Carrickmacross at home last Sunday. The Pearse Brothers were able to make six changes from the team that had beaten Currin in the championship a week earlier and still continue their winning run, with Paul Finlay and Christopher McGuinness hitting 2-9 between them. Finlay, McGuinness, Tommy O’Neill and Drew and Brent Wylie were to the fore for Ballybay, who never trailed in this match, while Stephen Gollogly, James Conlon and Cillian Cromwell led Carrick’s challenge.
Paul Finlay and Stephen Gollogly swapped points from frees in the opening minutes, before Finlay set up Christopher McGuinness for a shot at goal, which was well blocked by Carrickmacross corner-back Owen McNally. Finlay tapped over a 20-metre free for a foul on Hugh Malone, before linking up with the same player to kick a point from play. Finlay added a point from a 30-metre free after a foul on McGuinness and he fired home the first goal of the game just past the midway point of the first half, following good work by Brent Wylie. Gollogly got a couple of points from frees for Carrick after fouls on James Conlon and John McMenamin, but well-taken points by McGuinness and Malone kept Ballybay in control. Fergal McArdle opened up a six-point gap after a one-two with McGuinness, who then fisted over after Carrick keeper Andrew O’Rourke had blocked an Evan Rutledge shot. That made the half-time score 1-8 to 0-5.
Carrick had the first chance of the second half, but Seán Gorman was equal to Ciarán Ward’s shot, although the visitors did manage three unanswered points through substitute Éanna Mac Suibhne and a brace of frees by Gollogly, following fouls on himself and Ryan McCabe. Finlay ended 13 scoreless minutes for Ballybay when he converted a 30-metre free for a foul on McGuinness, but Gollogly won and scored a 20-metre free to keep Carrick within three. A point from Ballybay sub Aaron Toner was quickly cancelled out when Cillian Cromwell fisted over at the end of a strong run, but the hosts put the result beyond any real doubt with ten minutes to go when McGuinness took a pass from Kelvin McEntee and drilled a low shot into the net. Paul Stuart added a point after good approach play by Finlay and Malone, before Carrick created a couple of goal chances: the first of which went over the bar from Gollogly and the second of which saw sub Adam Waller blocked after a quick Gollogly free had teed him up. Finlay sent over another 30-metre free after a foul on Cillian McAviney and McGuinness linked up with Brent Wylie to land another well-taken point from play to move Ballybay eight clear, meaning that Carrick’s late goal – a close-range effort by sub Dylan Ogle at the end of a move involving Declan Finnegan, Eoin Sherry and Gollogly – was a mere consolation.
Ballybay: S Gorman; E Rutledge, D Wylie, P McCabe; J Allister, B Wylie, K McEntee; C McAviney, T O’Neill; P Stuart (0-1), S McQuillan, F McArdle (0-1); P Finlay (Capt., 1-6, 0-5f), C McGuinness (1-3), H Malone (0-1).
Subs: A Toner (0-1) for McQuillan (inj., H-T), C Mooney for Stuart, D Gorman for Malone (both 52), S Monaghan for F McArdle (58).
Carrickmacross: A O’Rourke; O McNally, R McCabe, J McGeown; D Finnegan, C Cromwell (0-1), A Murray; James Conlon, John G Conlon; E Sherry (0-1), S Gollogly (0-8, 7f), N McEnaney; R Gollogly, C Ward, J McMenamin.
Subs: É Mac Suibhne (0-1) for Murray (27), A Waller for McMenamin (inj., 36), D Ogle (1-0) for J G Conlon, D Murnaghan for McEnaney (both 47), P Martin for R Gollogly (52).
Referee: C Mulligan (Aghabog).
By michael Fri 7th Sep
