Kiskeam squeeze into county final

stretched the gap to four points at that juncture.

By the 52nd minute, never-saydie Kiskeam had turned the game around in remarkable fashion, with substitute Sean O’Sullivan firing in a great goal that did much to pave the way for their memorable triumph.

Preceded by a brace of points from Gene Casey, O’Sullivan’s strike pushed them 1-8 to 0-10 ahead in the 46th minute and further scores followed from wing-back Michael Casey and O’Sullivan, from a free, before Ballingeary made a gallant bid to erase the deficit in a gripping conclusion.

Aided by a couple of stunning points from Daniel Fitzgerald and Michael Herlihy, however, Kiskeam managed to remain in front until the finish, and, in the final analysis, they deserved to come out on top, not least because they had a bit more to offer in attack than Ballingeary.

O’Sullivan, Gene Casey, Fitzgerald and particularly Herlihy all made noteworthy contributions for Kiskeam in the second half, while David Scannell was a constant threat at corner-forward before the break.

They notched 1-9 from play between them, whereas Liam Shorten, twice, Conchubhair Ó Loingsigh and Tadgh Ó Laoghaire were the only forwards to get on the scoresheet from play for the losers.

For all that, there would have been few dissenting voices had Ballingeary lived to fight another day, having contributed so much to a contest filled with free-flowing football and containing an exemplary level of sportsmanship.

While both sides got bodies behind the ball in numbers when they didn’t have possession, the manner in which they pushed forward with cohesion and at pace from deep was a delight to watch. Inevitably, there were regular turnovers, resulting in play swinging rapidly from end to end in what was indeed a game to be savoured.

Ballingeary started brightly against the wind, with Liam Shorten and Andreas Ó Conceannain, from a free, both on target inside two minutes, and they fell behind just once in the first half.

That was in the 17th minute when David Scannell posted his third point for Kiskeam to make it 0-4 to 0-3.

Out of luck with a goal chance in the 25th minute, with wing forward Adrian Carroll shooting narrowly wide, Kiskeam, having outscored Ballingeary by five points to two from play, probably deserved better than to be trailing by the minimum at half time.

Carroll – who opened their account in the seventh minute – and Michael Herlihy were Kiskeam’s other marksmen in the first half when centre back Leonard Ó Conchubhair, Liam Shorten, with two points, one from a free, and Andreas Ó Conceannain, with three points from frees, compiled Ballingeary’s tally.

Ó Conceannain’s aerial prowess was instrumental in giving Ballingeary an edge around the middle early in the second half, and, after forging 0-10 to 0-6 ahead, they were certainly shaping up like winners before Kiskeam dug deep to arrest their slide.

Their crucial breakthrough came courtesy of the goal from Sean O’Sullivan, who took his chance with aplomb after hard-working corner forward Tom O’Sullivan and Daniel Fitzgerald had combined to create the opening.

Tomás Dennehy and Padraig O’Leary at midfield, and Joseph Dennehy and Michael Casey in the half back line were others to contribute most generously to Kiskeam’s recovery, but it would fair to say the vast majority of the players performed creditably at different stages of the contest for the winners.

It was a similar story as far as Ballingeary were concerned, with Leonard O’Conchubhair and Amhlaoibh O’Loingsigh at the back, Eoin Ó Coill and Eanna Ó Duinin at midfield, and Andreas Ó Conceannain on the ‘40 especially influential during the Gaeltacht side’s most productive spells.

They were had cut the gap to a point after Amhlaoibh Ó Loingsigh was on target in the final minute of regulation time, but a brilliant point from full-forward Michael Herlihy eased Kiskeam’s anxiety as the clock ticked down.

It served to separate the sides at the finish after Andreas Ó Conceannain completed the scoring for Ballingeary from a free.