Equaliser Roche keeps cool
Ballyhogue foil Bannow-Ballymitty with late leveller
BANNOW-B’MITTY BALLYHOGUE 2-5 0-11 BALLYHOGUE NUMBER 15 Noel Roche was the central figure in the game’s two major moments in rain-lashed Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday when the Enniscorthy District side held last year’s runners-up Bannow-Ballymitty to a draw in an exciting Ashdown Park/Amber Springs Hotels Intermediate football championship semi-final.
Roche, the team’s only scoring forward, held his nerve six minutes and 35 seconds into added time when he converted a free via the ground from just outside the ‘D’ to equalise with the last kick of an eventful game.
However, the real talking point was his strike from play 90 seconds into the second-half at the Clonard end which was deemed to have split the posts. The Bannow-Ballymitty crowd in the stand vehemently disagreed, and I felt the same as the high ball appeared to veer left and slightly wide at the last second.
Linesman Francis Neville had the same view and obviously thought it was a point though as he didn’t intervene. And while referee Seán Whelan did consult with the umpire who had raised the white flag, the decision wasn’t changed and Bannow-Ballymitty saw their interval lead of 2-2 to 0-6 reduced to the minimum.
Whatever happens in the replay, Ballyhogue would have to be firmly in the running if there was an award for a team learning most from a heavy defeat and taking those lessons on board.
It’s less than two months since they were blitzed by the same opposition in the group stages at the same venue on a 1-15 to 0-5 scoreline, but they have improved immensely in the interim.
Veteran Tomás Moriarty was given the man-marking duties on county player Kieran Butler and did his job to perfection as the dangerous full-forward was held scoreless.
Meanwhile, Arthur Dunne had the task of curbing Ben Brosnan, and it was notable that the latter only really flourished with two classy points near the end after the Ballyhogue man hobbled off with an injury.
The other big difference between early August and last Saturday was the return of county player Syl Byrne to the midfield engine room for the blue and whites. He missed that group game, and his influence on this knockout encounter was considerable.
The conditions made scoring difficult, with a Ben Brosnan free after three minutes followed by a long barren spell before Ballyhogue midfielder Shane Byrne finally levelled near the end of the first quarter.
That was followed less than 90 seconds later by the first big breakthrough for Bannow-Ballymitty. Kieran Butler floated in a teasing delivery and Micheál Murphy got a touch on it in the air after jumping with netminder Myles Roche before knocking the break home when he landed (1-1 to 0-1).
Niall Harney had a goal shot blocked for a ’45 which he converted, but Ballyhogue came into the game strongly in the ten minutes before half-time.
Only a brilliant tackle by M.J. Doran prevented Shane Doyle from baring down on goal before Noel Roche (play and free) and Syl Byrne reduced the gap to the minimum.
That Ballyhogue momentum was halted though in the 25th minute when Harney picked out Butler whose shot was saved, but the break fell into the path of Ben Brosnan who gratefully drove it home (2-2 to 0-4).
A brace of late Noel Roche frees kept Ballyhogue well in the hunt, and they may well have been ahead at the interval were it not for two kicks apiece from Syl Byrne and Shane Doyle that dropped short.
That highly-debatable Roche point on the re-start was followed by an equaliser from the same player via a free in the 35th minute (0-8 to 2-2).
Both sides then couldn’t make the most of two goal chances apiece, first Ballyhogue as Conor Byrne fired low and wide after good play by Graham Parker and Roche before a Shane Byrne shot was saved by Philly Murphy’s foot at the expense of a fruitless ’45.
Myles Roche was then seen at his best at the other end with smart saves from Micheál Murphy and Niall Harney in the space of two minutes.
Harney wasted another chance with a weak shot when his captain, John Sinnott, was unmarked inside, and Ballyhogue hit the front for the first time from another Roche free in the 45th minute.
Nearly 15 scoreless minutes followed, during which Roche had a shot on goal blocked and Bannow-Ballymitty were under heavy pressure, but they appeared to have lifted the siege at the ideal time.
A costly turnover saw Niall Murphy and John Sinnott combine to feed Ben Brosnan for the leveller, before the latter converted a free off the right post following a foul on Micheál Murphy (2-4 to 0-9).
It was exciting stuff as James Parle fed Syl Byrne for a left-footed equaliser in the second added minute. They spilled the ball again though and Richie Walsh found Brosnan who kicked a glorious point on the turn in the 64th minute. Ballyhogue midfielder Shane Byrne was dismissed on a second yellow card but when John Sinnott fouled rival number nine Syl Byrne, Noel Roche kept his cool and ensured a replay.
A minute’s silence was observed before the game for the late Niamh Cleary (nee Furlong) of Harriestown, Ballymitty.
Bannow-Ballymitty: Philly Murphy; John Staples, Art Murphy, M.J. Doran; Conor Neville, Art Sweetman, Nicky Doyle; David Currid, John Sinnott (capt.); Darren Sinnott, Niall Harney (0-1 ’45), Ben Brosnan (1-4, 0-2 frees); Micheál Murphy (1-0), Kieran Butler, Graham Sinnott. Subs. - Niall Murphy for Sweetman, temp. (26-30+1), Mark Wallace for Neville (42), Barry Sinnott for G. Sinnott (46), Niall Murphy for A. Murphy (53), Aaron Diskin for D. Sinnott (53), Richie Walsh for Harney (59).
Ballyhogue: Myles Roche; Seán Rochford, Tomás Moriarty, James Parle; Arthur Dunne, Richard Dunne, Graham Parker; Shane Byrne (0-1), Syl Byrne (0-2); Tony Ryan, Shane Doyle, Conor Byrne; Noel Roche (0-8, 6 frees), Eddie Galavan (capt.), Denis Leacy. Subs. - Seán Ring for Leacy (38), Dylan Dalton for Ryan (42), Jim Bob Levingstone for A. Dunne, inj. (48), Shane Murphy for C. Byrne (60+2).
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).