Rosslare have little bit extra
Ballyhogue men depart race
ST. MARY’S (R’LARE) 1-15 BALLYHOGUE 1-12 (AET)
ST. MARY’S (Rosslare) needed extra-time to get the better of a valiant Ballyhogue side in the Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship quarter-final in St. Patrick’s Park on Saturday.
It didn’t look like an extra 20 minutes would be necessary with the Rosslare men heading into injury time three points to the good, but substitute Jim Bob Levingstone’s late major ensured that the game would go the distance.
The action only really exploded into life in the second-half. After a very quiet opening 30 minutes, Ballyhogue led by 0-4 to 0-3. Shane Doyle and a treble from Noel Roche gave the Bree side the most slender of leads.
After a number of spurned goal opportunities in the minutes after the re-start, Naomhan Rossiter was harshly sent-off for a second yellow card. Rosslare, who had started the half well on top, now looked like they would face an increasingly uphill battle being down to 14 men.
Yet, they dug in and took the game to Ballyhogue. Tiarnan Rossiter was outstanding in this time, pointing on three occasions, including twice late on, as they took a 0-12 to 0-9 lead into the dying minutes.
St. Mary’s deserved the win at this stage but when two Ballyhogue substitutes, Denis Leacy and Levingstone, linked up and the latter struck into the roof of the net, extra-time was forced.
Conceding late goals in such a manner can often knock a team’s confidence, but Rosslare main- tained the belief shown in the second-half and paved their way to victory in extra-time.
Three points through David Murphy, Tiarnan Rossiter and Robert Butler were followed up with a decisive major when Murphy found Ultan Quirke and he netted.
Ballyhogue added three late points, two from Noel Roche and one by Dylan Dalton, but couldn’t stage another late comeback as St. Mary’s held on to book their semi-final place.
St. Mary’s (Rosslare): Stephen Breen; Shay Boggan, Emmet Byrne, Gearóid Byrne (capt.); Cian Boggan (0-1), Tiarnan Rossiter (0-4), Niall Walsh (0-2); Robert Butler (0-1), Naomhan Rossiter; Ultan Quirke (1-0), Andrew Murphy (0-1), Paul Kinsella (0- 2); Lee Devereux (0-1), David Murphy (0-3 frees), Conor Cafferkey. Subs. - Derek Brohan for Devereux (55), Ian Kavanagh for S. Boggan (60), Barry Quirke for U. Quirke (76), Conal Grant for Murphy (78).
Ballyhogue: Myles Roche (capt.); Tomás Moriarty, Graham Parker, Arthur Dunne; Hughie O’Neill, Richard Dunne, Conor Byrne; Shane Byrne, Syl Byrne (0-1); Enda Minogue (0-1), Shane Doyle (0-1), Nick Doyle (0-2); Dean Doyle, Eddie Galavan, Noel Roche (0-6 frees). Subs. - Denis Leacy for C. Byrne (44), Jim Bob Levingstone (1-0) for N. Doyle (55), Seán Rochford for D. Doyle (57), Seán Ring for Minogue (59), James Parle for O’Neill (62), Dylan Dalton (0-1) for Ring (71).
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).