Ballycommon pull away in final quarter to seal Junior C title

A STRONG final quarter saw Ballycommon eventually overcome the challenge of a battling Ballyskenagh-Killavilla side and claim the Offaly Junior C Football title after an entertaining game played at The Faithful Fields on Friday night.

Tullamore Court Hotel Junior C Football Championship Final

BALLYCOMMON 3-14
BALLYSKENAGH-KILLAVILLA 1-4

For three quarters of the game the contest was very much in the balance and approaching the end of the third quarter only four points separated the teams but from there on Ballycommon dominated and outscored their opponents by 2-6 to 0-0 in the remainder of the game.

The final score was probably a bit harsh on Ballyskenagh-Killavilla, who contributed enormously to the contest, but they ran out of steam late on and Ballycommon punished them with those late scores.

Ballycommon did deserve their victory and their football experience probably came to the fore as they wore down the Ballyskenagh-Killavilla challenge. They kept the scoreboard ticking over to edge into the lead and when they got on top they pushed on and ensured the trophy was heading back to Ballycommon.

In Ian Scally they had the star performer in the game as he hit 10 points, seven of them from play, and that was something Ballyskenagh-Killavilla couldn't match. From the first minute Scally caused problems in the Ballyskenagh-Killavilla defence and you could sense danger any time he had the ball.

Ballyskenagh-Killavilla can take great credit in bringing the club to their first football final and they certainly didn't let themselves down. They battled all the way to the end but just found it too hard to break down the Ballycommon defence and found scores very hard to come by.

Ballyskenagh-Killavilla did start the game well and when they found the net after 12 minutes they held a three point lead and looked to be in a strong position. However Ballycommon hit back from the kick out to engineer a well worked equalising goal and as the half progressed they began to dominate more, particularly around the middle third. Ballyskenagh-Killavilla found it very had to gain possession in this area at this time and the ball kept coming back at them. By the interval they were three points down but it could have been worse as Ballycommon saw a penalty saved on the stroke of half time which kept Ballyskenagh-Killavilla in the game.

The gap was down to two points inside the first minute of the second half but Ballycommon began to edge ahead. Sean Harnett's point left four in in 12 minutes into the second half but Ballyskenagh-Killavilla failed to score again and when Zach Wright netted for the second time midway through the half, there was only going to be one winner.

Kenneth Mann, Adrian Mann and Colm Kilroe played very well in their defence while captain Aaron Scally and Zach Wright both put in big shifts around the middle of the field while in attack Ian Scally was the star, ably assisted by Shane Lowery and Paddy Bermingham.

Paddy Delaney, Sean Harnett and Jack Doherty worked hard in the Ballyskenagh-Killavilla defence with Sean Delaney doing well around the middle of the field. In attack Mark Dwyer was the biggest threat but they were unable to get sufficient good ball to him.

A minute in Ballycommon almost had a goal when Ian Scally cut in from the right and after his fisted effort came off the crossbar there was a terrific goalmouth scramble but Ballyskenagh-Killavilla survived the scare and the ball was eventually cleared. Ian Scally did fist the first point after three minutes while at the other end Mark Dwyer did very well to create a chance for Alan Franks and although his shot beat Gary Condron, Kenneth Mann kicked his effort off the line.

Ballyskenagh-Killavilla did level after 10 minutes through a Sean Delaney free and two minutes later they hit the front when Sean Delaney's fine pass picked out Mark Dwyer and he turned fired low to the net.

From the kick out Gary Condron picked out Robert Conneely and they worked the ball downfield through Adrian Mann, Cillian O'Brien, Ian Scally and Paddy Bermingham and his pass found Zach Wright and he finished the ball to the net for a fine goal, which they worked from one end of the field to the other with the opposition touching the ball.

Sean Harnett put Ballyskenagh-Killavilla back in front with a good point and then more great work by Mark Dwyer set up a chance for Cian Doyle but Gary Condron pulled off a terrific save.

Ballycommon then began to dominate and Ian Scally kicked four points in a row, two from play and two frees. In the final minute of the half they were awarded a penalty after a foot block on Paddy Bermingham but Shane Lowery's low shot to his left was saved by Kevin King to keep Ballyskenagh-Killavilla in the contest, trailing by 1-5 to 1-2 at the interval.

Mark Dwyer kicked a good point inside the first minute of the second half but three more Ian Scally points (one free) extended Ballycommon's lead. Sean Harnett kicked another point to keep Ballyskenagh-Killavilla in contention but Ballycommon were about to pull away. Shane Lowery finished a good solo with a point before they netted for a second time. Ian Scally took a quick free to Zach Wright who found Paddy Bermingham, whose effort was half blocked by Kevin King but Zach Wright was following up to finish to loose ball to the net from close range.

Shane Lowery and Ian Scally added further points before Adrian Mann came forward to finish a good move by shooting their third goal. Kenneth Mann, Shane Lowery and Ian Scally added further points to seal victory for Ballycommon and saw them claim the Junior C crown.

MATCH ANALYSIS

THE TEAMS

BALLYCOMMON: Gary Condron; Kenneth Mann, Robert Conneely; Ciaran Gannon, Adrian Mann, Colm Kilroe; Aaron Scally, Zach Wright; Cillian O'Brien, Shane Lowery, Darragh O'Brien; Ian Scally, Paddy Bermingham. Subs. Robert Lee (for Darragh O'Brien, 58 mins), Joe Doyle (for Paddy Bermingham, 58 mins), Sean Gannonn (for Kenneth Mann, 59 mins), Adam Flynn (for Adrian Mann, 60 mins), Conor Gannon (for Shane Lowery, 63 mins).

BALLYSKENAGH-KILLAVILLA: Kevin King; Paddy Delaney, Gavin Hannon; Emmet Middleton, Sean Harnett, Jack Doherty; Sean Delaney, Robert Gunnell; Ger Delaney, Cormac Franks, Alan Franks; Cian Doyle, Mark Dwyer. Subs. Derek McGourty (for Cian Doyle, 38 mins), Christopher Murphy (for Cormac Franks, 47 mins), Liam Grimes (for Derek McGourty, 57 mins).

REFEREE: Sean Donoghue.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Ian Scally was the clear front runner from the early stages. He caused problems in the Ballyskenagh-Killavilla defence inside the first minute and his accuracy ensured that Ballycommon were gradually able to build up their lead. He scored his side's first eight points and in all he scored 10 points, seven of those from play, in a match winning performance.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Ballycommon's first goal was a decisive score. Ballyskenagh-Killavilla had just found the net themselves and were enjoying a lot of possession around this time but straight from the kick out seven different Ballycommon players were involved in a move that saw Zach Wright shoot the levelling goal. Shortly after that Ballycommon began to dominate and regained the lead fter 20 minutes which they never subsequently lost.

REFEREE WATCH

Sean Donoghue handled the game very well. He was always up with the play, allowed the advantage well and consulted with his umpires when necessary. The game was played in a very good spirit and there were no unsavoury incidents to report.

WHAT’S NEXT

It's the end of the season for both sides with Ballycommon crowned Junior C champions.

VENUE WATCH

The Faithful Fields was in very good condition for the game. There was a good sized crowd present to witness this novel pairing and there were plenty of stewards on duty to marshall parking and ensure everything ran smoothly.

STATISTICS

Wides; Ballycommon 6 (4 in first half) Ballyskenagh-Killavilla 5 (2 in first half).

Yellow Cards: None.

Black Cards: None.

Red Cards: None.

THE SCORERS

Ballycommon; Ian Scally (0-10, 0-3 frees), Zach Wright (2-0), Shane Lowery (0-3), Adrian Mann (1-0), Kenneth Mann (0-1).

Ballyskenagh-Killavilla; Mark Dwyer (1-1), Sean Harnett (0-2), Sean Delaney (0-1, free).