No mistakes from Baltinglass
‘THE predictable happened at Aughrim on Sunday in the replay of the Senior football championship match between Baltinglass and Aughrim.
‘A forewarned Baltinglass played with the confident assurance of a team with a job to do, and knowing that they could finish it this time.
‘Aughrim were hassled and harried into mistakes and made to look the championship novices that they are. At no time was another surprise on the cards and the final score of 0-14 to 0-5 just about reflects the difference between the sides.
‘Aughrim started with a strong wind behind them and Eugene O’Brien pointed a free for an early lead. For the next 20 minutes Aughrim won plenty of ball but could find no way through a tight-marking defence and it was Baltinglass who were picking off the points to go into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead. Con Murphy, Robert McHugh (free), Sean O’Brien and McHugh again obliging.
‘The 10 minutes coming up to half-time was Aughrim’s only period of dominance. Eugene O’Brien from a free and a 45; Pat O’Byrne and Sean O’Brien (free) added points to put the home side a point up at the break – 0-5 to 0-4.
‘The slender lead was clearly not going to be enough. Inside two minutes Baltinglass were in front with two pointed frees from McHugh. From then on it was simply a matter of by how much Baltinglass would win.
‘An Aughrim team, now carrying more passengers than a ‘65’ bus leaving Valleymount on a Monday morning had completely lost their way and only the lone efforts of Pat O’Byrne occasionally stopped the one-way traffic.
‘Aughrim did defend stoutly with John and Damien O’Byrne and Drew Byrn to the fore but only Engene O’Brien looked the part up front.
‘Baltinglass were good but not great.
‘Their 10 second-half wides will worry mentors as will the fact that
half of their total score came from McHugh frees.
Baltinglass: Dan Leigh; Billy Gorman, Hugh Kenny, Tom Fox; George Bradley, Pat Murphy, Brian Fitzpatrick; Tommie Murphy, Billy Kenny; Billy Timmins (0-1), Robert McHugh (0-7), Brian Kilcoyne; Con Murphy (0-2), Sean O’Brien (0-1), Paul Kenny. Subs: Brendan Dooley, Raymond Danne, Ger Flemming.
Aughrim: John O’Brien; Tommie O’Brien, John O’Byrne, Jack Byrne; Drew Byrne, Pat O’Byrne (0-1), Damien O’Byrne; Donal Linehan, Paddy Merrigan; Sean O’Shea (0-1), Paul O’Byrne, Eugene O’Brien (0-3); Niall Carroll, Brendan Barnes, Frankie Moules. Sub: Joey Linehan for Merrigan.
Referee: Micky O’Neill