Senior Football SFC

Ballyholland 2.15  -  2.6 Tullylish

25th Aug 2007

When you look at the scoreline, I suppose it’s easy to suggest that this was all one-way traffic for the Harps.

In truth, it wasn’t.

Tullylish were aggressive, fit and, above all, determined. As they should be, being runaway leaders of Division III. With 20 minutes to go, when they banged in a deserved second goal, they even managed to poke their noses in front – and a shock was on the cards. In the shape of strapping teenager Gareth Johnston, they had a player just about capable of shackling Ronan Murtagh, while at the other end, Chris McGovern and John McAreavey proved a serious handful.

But ultimately, when they finally got going, Ballyholland just had too much class. This was signified perhaps most strongly in that when they fell behind on that occasion, they could call on former county players Shane Mulholland and Mattie Shields to enter the fray and steady the ship.

With those veterans in tow, Harps won the final third of the match by 13 points to 3.

Up to then, it was a whole lot tighter. Partly due to Ballyholland’s profligacy in front of the posts, partly due to the sheer will of their opponents.

Throughout the match, Ballyholland dominated midfield, mostly through the engineering of James Patterson in the air, and Joe Murphy on the ground. So although Chris McGovern kicked the opening score from 20 metres out, the Division II were not long in reversing the lead. Conor Sands got their opening score after a jinking run, followed almost immediately by a crucial goal from danger man Murtagh after panic hit the Tullylish rearguard.

Settled by this strike, Harps played some nice football during the middle period of the first half, but a succession of wides meant they never pulled away.

Points from Sands, Tony Havern, and Patterson opened up something of a gap, but with one strike of the ball, McGovern cancelled all of those out, hammering the ball high past Kieran Murphy. A short free from McAreavey followed and the ‘Lish were only two points down at the interval.

And by the 10th minute, when Miceal McCartan capitalised on serious confusion in Ballyholland’s central quarters to drive home his team’s second goal, the Laurencetown men made their way in front.

But over the course of the next five minutes, Ballyholland kicked a two point deficit into a three point advantage, in a quiet, efficient manner. Mulholland and Shields had a significant influence, but it was the fitness and class of John Barry and Paul Murphy that really told, each bagging two of those scores.

Harps were very much on top as we entered the final 10 minutes, and Mattie Shields confirmed this when he slipped the ball through Mark McEvoy’s grasp after a tremendous long pass from Murphy.

Now seven points up, Harps enjoyed those final minutes thoroughly, with well-taken scores from Ronan Murtagh, Paul Murphy, Paddy McAteer and Robbie Quinn their principal reward. It wasn’t all a one-way street – McGovern crashed an effort off the crossbar before any of those scores were taken – but in the end, that gap in class told.

Best performers for the Division III outfit were McAreavey and McGovern up front, the energetic Peter Quinn at midfield, Johnston and veteran Ronan Barry in defence. Ballyholland’s star performers were Ciaran Murtagh and Anton Haughey in the backline – indeed, the switch of Haughey onto McGovern after 15 minutes curtailed Tullylish’s most obvious scoring threat – James Patterson at midfield, and John Barry, who excelled both in a defensive position up to half time, and then in a more advanced position after the break.

Player of the Match: John Barry

Ballyholland Team: K Murphy; J Murphy, D McCrink, A Haughey; P McAnulty, C Murtagh, J Barry (0-3); P Murphy (0-3), James Patterson (0-1); T Havern (0-1), D Campbell, R Quinn (0-1); A McAteer, R Murtagh (1-3, 1f), C Sands (0-2). Subs used: S Mulholland, M Shields (1-0), C Barry, Paddy McAteer (0-1).

Opponents Team: M McEvoy; B Priestly, G Johnston, R Barry; K McCartan, C McManus, K McKivergan; P Quinn (0-3), D Corbett; F O’Dowd, M McCartan (1-0), S O’Hare; C McGovern (1-1), J McAreavey (0-2, 1f), C Corbett. Subs used: E Morgan, K Murphy, B Thompson.

Referee: HP McCusker

Match Report by: Anthony

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