Daingean warm up for semi-final with facile win over Ballycumber
Tullamore Court Hotel Senior ‘B’ Football Championship Round 5
Daingean recorded their expected easy win over Ballycumber at a sunny O’Brien Park on Friday evening to finish top of the Tullamore Court Hotel Offaly Senior ‘B’ Football Championship group and set up a semi-final meeting with fourth-placed Tullamore.
Tullamore Court Hotel Senior ‘B’ Football Championship Round 5
Daingean 3-21
Ballycumber 0-10
With Daingean already assured of qualification and Ballycumber resigned to a relegation playoff, this was effectively a dead-rubber and had a challenge match feel to it after the winners stormed into a 1-5 to 0-0 lead after only six minutes. It was just a matter of how much Daingean would win by after that in a game which they dominated from start to finish and had 12 different scorers, including four of their six starting defenders.
Indeed, Daingean’s 20-point margin would have been greater had they not suffered a bout of squandermania in the second half when they left another two or three goals behind them.
It was a tough evening at the office for Ballycumber who have lost all five of their group matches and whose line-up bore no resemblance to the one listed on the team sheet. After a promising League campaign, they have struggled badly in the Championship with injuries to key players not helping their cause. But if they can get Cormac Quinn, John Egan, Marcus Keena, Adam Daly and Joe Lowry – who came off injured just before the second half started – back for their relegation decider against Cappincur, they could yet pull off the great escape.
In contrast, Daingean are motoring nicely with four wins from five and will be fancied to reach the final at the expense of a Tullamore team who they have beaten already and scraped into the last-four thanks to Ballinagar’s win over Cappincur. This was an impressive response to their narrow Round 4 defeat to Cappincur and sees them go into the business-end with their tails up.
Despite playing against the wind, Barry Weldon’s men came flying out of the starting blocks with a fisted point from Charlie Burns and a palmed goal from Odhran Connolly after Shane Tierney and Cathal Ryan had been involved in the build-up inside the first 60 seconds.
Cian Bracken added a point and then a two-point free before county star Tierney fisted another point. Conor Daly opened Ballycumber’s account in the seventh-minute, only for Charlie Burns and Aran Byrne to reply with two more points for the rampant maroon and whites.
The accurate Colm Egan, who accounted for 0-7 of Ballycumber’s tally, converted a two-point free he had won himself before the winners reeled off an unanswered 1-4. Tierney fisted over his second point and slotted a free before Cathal Ryan nailed a ’45 and Cian Bracken also popped over a free. The livewire Tierney then fielded a high ball and soloed through for Daingean’s second goal in the 25th minute.
Ballycumber finished the half with a two-point and a one-point free from Egan, but still trailed by 0-6 to 2-11 at the break.
Egan scored two more frees either side of a Cathal McKnight effort after the restart. Clive Keena was also on target for the blue and golds before Daingean hit another purple patch that yielded a whopping 1-9 without reply. Despite butchering a handful of goal-scoring opportunities, they continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over with points from Tierney (four, one free), Cormac Whittle (two), Casey Evans, Adam Bolger and Scott Milne along with a 43rd minute goal from substitute Ciaran McEvoy, who had only been on a pitch a matter of moments. Clive Keena had the final say for a Ballycumber side who have it all to do to avoid relegation on this evidence.
MATCH ANALYSIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
Cormac Whittle (Daingean): The wing back gets the nod ahead of top-scorer Shane Tierney, capping an excellent display with a brace of second half points.
THE SCORERS
Daingean: Shane Tierney 1-7 (2fs), Cian Bracken 0-4 (1x2ptf, 1f), Odhran Connolly and Ciaran McEvoy 1-0 each, Cormac Whittle and Charlie Burns 0-2 each, Cathal McKnight, Casey Evans, Adam Bolger, Aran Byrne, Scott Milne and Cathal Ryan (’45) 0-1 each. Ballycumber: Colm Egan 0-7 (2x2ptfs, 3fs) Clive Keena 0-2 and Conor Daly 0-1.
THE TEAMS
Daingean: Conan Curley; Cathal McKnight, Ryan Conway, Casey Evans; Finn McGuinness, Adam Bolger (captain), Cormac Whittle; Sam Wright, Scott Milne; Charlie Burns, Aarn Byrne, Cathal Ryan; Shane Tierney, Cian Bracken, Odhran Connolly. Subs: Ciaran McEvoy for Connolly (41 min), Aaron Longworth for McGuinness (48 min), Shane Marsden for Ryan (48 min), Jamie Hayes for Byrne (53 min), Rory Mannion for Curley (55 min).
Ballycumber: Oisín Carroll, Aaron Daly, Ethan Keena, Harry Champ; Cathal Guinan, Clive Keena (captain), Dylan Daly; Gary Larkin, Shaun Creevy; Conor Daly, Colm Egan, Jamie Cornally; Keith Lawler, Sean Hackett, Joe Lowry. Subs: Jimmy Bracken for Lowry (half-time).
Referee – Ger Keyes (Shamrocks).
REFEREE WATCH
Ger Keyes handled proceedings very well, albeit in a game that lacked championship bite.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Ballycumber knew they were in for a long night after Odhran Connolly palmed home the opening goal inside the first minute.
VENUE WATCH
On a lovely evening for a game, O’Brien Park was in tip-top shape with a decent-sized crowd in attendance.
WHAT'S NEXT
Daingean face Tullamore in the semi-finals, while Ballycumber must lift themselves for a relegation decider against Cappincur.
STATISTICS
Wides: Daingean 8 (3 in the first half); Ballycumber 5 (3 in the first half).
Yellow cards: Daingean – 0; Ballycumber – 1 (Conor Daly).
Black cards: Daingean – 0; Ballycumber – 0.
Red cards: Daingean – 0; Ballycumber – 0.