SFC

Ballyholland 0.5  -  1.12 Liatroim

5th Aug 2004

A first glance at this scoreline would suggest that the pundits were right, that this was all one-way traffic, that Liatroim simply annihilated their Division II opponents.

But appearances can be deceptive.

Don’t get me wrong; the better side won this encounter, and in the end at a canter. But for forty minutes there was never more than a kick of a ball between the sides as Ballyholland chased, harried, tackled and played like their lives depended on the outcome of this game. During this time a neutral observer would have struggled to pick out which team playing was from the higher division. It really was that close.

There were only two points separating the sides as they entered the final third of the game, when a series of small turns combined to provide Liatroim with the drive to put some distance between the teams.

The most crucial of these turns was the worsening of an injury Ronan Murtagh had picked up as early as the third minute. An innocuous challenge caused the county player’s left knee to swell up but you would never have known, such was his will to succeed during a first half when he was simply everywhere, taking the ball off his defence, winning ball at full-forward and most importantly, picking up a huge amount of breaking-ball at midfield.

Ten minutes into the second half though, Murtagh simply had nothing left to give, and this injury robbed the Harps of the driving force behind their performance.

Allied to the Murtagh’s injury, Liatroim’s management made an astute tactical change, switching Patrick Pearse McCartan into full-forward and moving Aidan O’Prey out among the half-forwards. O’Prey was having a decent time of it in full-forward, but the switch saw him coming even more into the game, though more importantly it stirred some life into the previously quiet McCartan.

Perhaps the seminal moment though was a majestic score from centre-back Aidan Rice with twelve minutes gone in the second half. After Ballyholland had floundered a couple of chances at the other end, their defence had done magnificently to tidy up a good Liatroim counter-attack when the ball found its way out to Rice at the halfway line. Rice took a few strides then belted over a magnificent effort from fully fifty yards. The score served a triple purpose as it gave his side a three point cushion for the first time, it visibly lifted his team, while it also served a sharp reminder to the Harps that they were playing a quality side.

As the greater fitness and individual class of Rice’s side began to tell, the scores began to come. Approaching the end, this left Ballyholland with no option but to try chasing the game and Liatroim duly exploited the gaps left behind to continually top-up their lead.

In the end, ten points were between the sides, but this really was such a far cry from a first-half when the two teams served up a terrifically hard-fought, intense Championship encounter.

The main reason for this could be found at midfield where, if anything, Ballyholland had the better of proceedings during the opening half. In this vital sector, the physical presence of Paul Murphy, James Patterson and Murtagh was proving at least a match for their counterparts.

Despite this platform, Ballyholland could not manufacture enough scores to seriously worry their opponents. Implementing a tactic akin to the ‘blanket defence’ allowed the Harps to practice damage limitation at their own end, but it was at the cost of genuine attacking presence at the other end.

They actually created more opportunities than their opponents during this half, but crucially Liatroim, two of their county men especially, took whatever opportunities came their way.

Not that a lot of opportunities were being created. Indeed, after twenty minutes the scoreline was sitting at two points apiece – although much of this was owed to a fine Kieran Murphy stop from a low Aidan O’Prey drive.

O’Prey had actually opened the scoring with a short free, but Ronan and Paul Murphy both chipped in with scores either side of Liam Doyle’s first of the evening.

Doyle then showed his class (is there a more elegant footballer in the county?) with consecutive scores, including a fine solo effort after claiming a kick-out.

Ballyholland’s defence were coping very well with whatever Liatroim could throw at them though and when Mark O’Hare sent over a patiently worked score in the 25th minute there was only one point between the sides again.

Wing-back Kieran Bannon strolled forward shortly afterwards to double that advantage for the Fontenoys but seconds later, at the other end, a magical catch from Murtagh resulted in him being dragged to the ground around the thirteen-metre line. There was some argument as to whether it was a penalty or not, but a free was awarded and Murtagh duly placed it over the bar.

Liatroim still managed to take a two point advantage into the break, as Aidan O’Prey hooked a point over on the turn right on the halftime whistle, leaving his side up 0.06 to 0.04.

If the Harps players had have been offered this scoreline at halftime before the throw-in, I’m sure most of them would have happily taken it, but as it turned out it was actually an unfair representation on proceedings.

The first ten minutes or so of the second half followed a similar pattern. Things were very even at midfield, but at both ends attackers were imply being outnumbered by defenders and scores were very hard to come by.

Unless you are Aidan O’Prey that is, and the big county man simply burst through a host of tackles to set up the angle for a point after a couple of minutes.

Ballyholland replied quickly with a Shane Mulholland free after Murtagh was torn to the ground midstream.

In effect that challenge might have sounded the death knell on Ballyholland’s Championship aspirations, as that was to prove to be the injured Ronan Murtagh’s last significant contribution to the game.

We had now gone past the forty minutes mark and it was time for Aidan Rice to step up for that wonderful point and his team to step up a gear or two.

Despite the best efforts of a number of players, noticeably Eugene Campbell and Colman Smith, Ballyholland were simply outclassed during the final third of this game.

The Harps were still picking up possession aplenty at midfield, but without Murtagh they lacked the power to trouble a well-organised Liatroim rearguard, while the probing of Doyle and the speed of Burns and Brown in the corners were testing the weary legs of their defence.

Patrick Pearse McCartan was beginning to enjoy himself at full-forward and he sent over a huge score from the sideline, while Doyle and O’Prey proved themselves to be the main men by both chipping in with scores.

With six points to spare and Ballyholland becoming a bit ragged, Liatroim began the hunt for goals and were only denied by a couple of terrific stops from Kieran Murphy. Unfortunately for Murphy though one of these stops landed in the hands of Kieran Bannon, who was left with an empty net and the easiest of finishes.

When substitute Declan Burns wrapped up the scoring with a flighted effort in injury-time, it had been over twenty minutes since Ballyholland had scored and there was simply no doubt about which the better team was by this stage.

Have Liatroim got what it takes to win a Senior Championship though? It is a tough question to answer. They are undeniably fit, committed and well-organised and they have a bit of strength in depth about their squad.

Then there are the wonderful individual talents of messrs Doyle and O’Prey. Their ability to make and chances out of nothing accounted for two-thirds of Laitroim’s scores on this occasion. Maybe this is where any doubts about Liatroim’s Championship potential could surface though…if a team can find some way to snuff out the threat of these two, then it is hard to see who could step up and do the real damage.

Doyle was particularly eye-catching, his long stride and eye for a pass always creating space for him and his teammates – and he would get my vote for man of the match.

O’Prey was always dangerous as well and three points from play is a good return. The other major standouts for Liatroim were the half-backs Aidan Rice and Kieran Bannon, but by and large this was a decent team performance from the Fontenoys and nobody let them down at all.

Ballyholland always knew they were going to be in for a tough time in this fixture. For the third time in five seasons Liatroim have put the Harps out of the Senior Championship and the margin between the teams, in terms of scores, isn’t getting any closer.

The Harps players can take genuine heart from their performance in the first forty minutes though. During this time they gave on of the best sides in the county a good run for their money. In the end though, Liatroim have the fitness and intensity of a Division I outfit and this proved too much.

Even if Ronan Murtagh had have stayed fit, it is unlikely that the result would have been reversed, but there is little doubting the influence that he had during a first half when he was simply outstanding.

The best players alongside him were in defence, all of whom were sound but amongst their number Ronan Murphy and Eugene Campbell were the most eye-catching. Behind them again, Kieran Murphy had a fine hour’s play in nets, with three great saves combined with assured handling and accurate kick-outs throughout.

Ballyholland’s midfielders both had big games too. Both were guilty of holding onto the ball too long on occasion, but in truth it was their ability to win possession that kept their side in the game for so long.

Ballyholland now have just the league left to play for. They currently just have their noses in a play-off spot, but face their toughest run of games of the season. Fixtures coming up in the next month include Annaclone, Attical, Shamrocks and Loughinisland. It is probably too much to ask to take maximum points from these games, but something along those lines will be required to have any chance of promotion.

It isn’t an overstatement though to say that if they can match the drive, heart and intensity of the first forty minutes of this Championship game in those upcoming league games, then promotion is more a probability than a possibility.

Player of the Match: Liam Doyle (Liatroim)

Ballyholland Team: K Murphy, E Campbell, S O’Hare, P McAteer, John Patterson, M Shields, R Murphy (0-1), P Murphy (0-1f), James Patterson, R Quinn (J Barry), S Mulholland (0-1f), R Murtagh (0-1f) (A McNamee), C Smith, A McAteer, M O’Hare.

Opponents Team: E Clarke, J Brown, E Middleton, P Middleton, D Rice, A Rice (0-1), K Bannon (1-1), C McCrickard, D O’Higgins (D Morgan), JP Owens (D Burns (0-1)), L Doyle (0-4, 3f), PP McCartan (0-1), P Burns, A O-Prey (0-4, 1f), A Brown.

Referee: M Cole

Match Report by: AMN

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