Tinahely notch big win

TINAHELY maintained their excellent start to the Arklow Bay Hotel Division 1A football league with a 2-08 to 0-04 victory over Éire Óg Greystones last weekend.

Alan Costello sent his charges into battle against his former side and watched as the Tinahely men ran riot over a depleted Greystones outfit.

Rathnew were down to play Annacurra last Saturday evening, but that game didn’t go ahead. Annacurra have been awarded the points by the Wicklow CCC, however it is understood that Rathnew are appealing the decision.

Donard-The Glen notched their second win of the campaign with a 2-08 to 1-08 win over Ashford in Division 2.

Newtown followed up their draw with Carnew with a dismantling of a game Knockananna side who will be happy in terms of their defense; reducing their score against dramatically from their opening day mauling in Valleymount.

Paidi Byrne’s Ballinacor continued their strong start with a 2-12 to 1-04 win over Barndarrig.

In Division 3 there were wins for Shillelagh and Baltinglass while Kilbride/Lacken secured a draw wikth Enniskerry.

Division 1 Football League: St Patrick’s 0-11, Hollywood 0-11; Bray Emmets 0-9, Kiltegan 1-4.

Division 1A Football League: Coolkenno 5-11, Kilmacanogue 1-14; Tinahely 2-8, Éire Óg Greystones 0-4.

Division 2 Football League: Donard-The Glen 2-8, Ashford 1-8; Valleymount 0-12, Stratford-Grangecon 1-4; Newtown 1-12, Knockananna 0-2; Ballinacor 2-12, Barndarrig 1-4; Carnew 1-5, Ballymanus 0-7.

Division 3 Football League: Baltinglass 2-9, Hollywood 0-10; Enniskerry 1-13, Kilbride/Lacken 2-10; Shillelagh 1-15, Newcastle 1-08. A late Brendan McCrea point from a close-in free secured the narrowest of victories for Carnew Emmets over Ballymanus after a tough battle on the Wexford border last Sunday morning.

Low on quality but high on drama, this bruising encounter trundled up and down the field for the hour, sweeping everyone up in its momentum as both sides gave as good as they got.

Ballymanus will wonder how they lost this game. Seanie O’Neill’s rocket of a shot cracked off Cormac Doyle’s crossbar after 53 minutes. Kieran Doyle and corner-back Paddy Byrne dragged Ballymanus level with the home side and they should have escaped with a point but for some lazy fouling and a bit of lip thrown in for good measure that turned a pressure kick into a gimme for a fired-up Brendan McCrea.

This was James Hickey’s first home game in charge of his new squad and he seemed intent on kicking every ball with his players as he roamed freely across the green sward from start to finish, urging his players on. The Mount Leinster Rangers man has brought a real drive to the Carnew men and he has set them up in a way that makes them very hard to score against. Conversely, it is unlikely they will post heavy tallies themselves although they do have the potential to cause damage.

Both teams were missing some key players for this clash. The likes of John Kavanagh, Cillian Gilligan, Seanie Kinsella and Conal McCrea were unavailable for Carnew, while Mark Kenny, Roan Lynch and Paddy Byrne were absent from the Billies ranks.

James Hickey named an experienced midfield pairing in Thomas Kennedy and Diarmuid Doran, but he had youth on show in places with Adam Hughes (corner-back) and Paudie McGing (corner-forward) looking very useful.

Ballymanus were looking to some pillar players to get them through what was always going to be a dogfight – the likes of Darragh and Pádraig Byrne, Seanie O’Neill, Kevin Byrne and Kieran Whelan were going to be required to put their significant shoulders to the wheel to get something from a very difficult venue to claim points.

Points from Niall Osborne and a Brendan McCrea free after a foul on McGing left Hickey’s men in a healthy state with five on the clock. McCrea, named at 11, but sent into full-forward early on was looking isolated, but decent ball was allowing him produce angled runs that were causing Darragh Byrne difficulties.

Ballymanus recovered and after a superb Seamus Coogan point on the run, great work by Kevin Byrne out on the wing allowed the full-forward pick out Colm Coogan with a tasty pass and the half-back swung over a beauty to level matters at 0-02 apiece with 16 gone.

Three minutes later, Ballymanus took the lead through a Kieran Byrne free. But back came Carnew. What worked best for Hickey’s side was when they fired quick ball up to Brendan McCrea. Padraig Doran intercepted a loose Kieran Whelan pass, passed to Nick Skelton who fired off a rapid missile up the field to McCrea. The talented attacker gathered, took on Darragh Byrne and Glen Farrar, was fouled, had his jersey pulled, was given advantage by referee Ciaran O’Shea and swung over a lovely point off his right with 22 gone.

McCrea went wide from a free moments later and then dropped one short to Glen Leeson in the Ballymanus goal before Nick Skelton fired wide after 28 minutes to cap off a wasteful few minutes for the home side.

But that wastefulness ended two minutes later when Carnew turned over a Ballymanus attack (Pádraig Byrne may well have a case for a free after a collision with Diarmuid Doran) and the ball was worked to Brendan McCrea. Down on the Ballymanus goal he bore before firing home past Leeson for the game’s only goal to leave it 1-03 to 0-03 at the break.

Ballymanus enjoyed the healtier of starts and closed to within a point of Carnew in the opening 10 minutes, Seamus Coogan with the first score after driving up the middle from the throw-in, and Kieran Whelan with a pointed free. Paddy Molloy’s men also registered two more wides in that time at the end of which James Hickey switched Brendan McCrea back to centre half-forward with Michael Collins returning to the edge of the square.

A foul by Seanie O’Neill on Nick Skelton allowed McCrea the chance from a free and he duly obliged with 47 gone, 1-04 to 0-05. McCrea and Skelton went wide in separate attacks moments later before Ballymanus attacked with menace down the right, winning a free which Pádraig Byrne hoofed across to the rampaging Seanie O’Neill who gathered and unleashed a mighty effort that walloped off Cormac Doyle’s crossbar only to be eventually clear out for a 45. Kieran Whelan sent the 45 sailing between the sticks and it was back to a one-point game.

Ballymanus seemed to have the momentum now. They attacked again, and the ball was worked to corner-back Paddy Byrne who fired over a belter from distance to level the sides.

Ballymanus lost Glen Farrar to a second yellow as the end approached and then Darragh Byrne was found guilty of fouling Padraig Doran by referee Kieran O’Shea. Some lip from a Ballymanus man resulted in the free being moved directly in front of the posts and Brendan McCrea sent it over in the last play of the game.

A win for Carnew that will go nicely with their draw against Newtown last week. Ballymanus were left bitterly disappointed after a bruising battle and their frustrations were made known to Kieran O’Shea after the final whistle.

Scorers – Carnew Emmets: Brendan McCrea 1-04 (3f), Niall Osborne 0-01.

Ballymanus: Kieran Whelan 0-03 (2f, 1 45), Seamus Coogan 0-02, Colm Coogan 0-01, Paddy Byrne 0-01.

Cormac Doyle; John Walsh, Paul Nolan, Adam Hughes; Niall Osborne, Andy Hughes, Adrian Myers; Thomas Kennedy, Diarmuid Doran; Willie Collins, Brendan McCrea, Padraig Doran; Nick Skelton, Michael Collins, Paudie McGing. Subs: Drew Brennan for A Myers (12min, BS, reversed), Drew Brennan for D Doran (42min).

Glen Leeson; Glen Farrar, Darragh Byrne, Paddy Byrne; Shane Whelan, Seanie O’Neill, Colm Coogan; Seamus Coogan, Darragh O’Keeffe; Kieran Whelan, Pádraig Byrne, Philip Coogan; Paul Murray, Kevin Byrne, Killian Farrar.

Kieran O’Shea (Tinahely)