Brilliant Baltinglas Ss can’t be stopped
WE expected a serious battle and that’s exactly what we got when a rejuvenated and reborn Baltinglass side clashed with a Tinahely team littered with talented young footballers who will go on to contest finals and wear county jerseys for years to come in the Boom & Platform Hire Senior Football Championship final in Aughrim.
Any team from Baltinglass coming into a final with momentum behind them and unity among them will always be a massive threat to any team and that is one of the main reasons why the Miley Cup went west on Sunday evening and not south towards Tinahely.
Predicting this one was always going to be a dangerous occupation. On the one hand you had that Baltinglass tradition and their form this year to date, both elements that can’t be overlooked. On the other hand, you had a team playing without fear and with an attacking potential that could leave any side sitting on their backside in a matter of moments.
In the end it was bound to come down to the old cliché of ‘all on the day’, and on this day it was brilliant Baltinglass who showed class and composure to squeeze past Alan Costello’s Tinahely who just couldn’t rise to the occasion across all sectors of the pitch despite a huge and at times electric effort at doing so.
There were major battles all over the field in this game. Michael Byrne’s performance on John McGrath should be mentioned. The Tinahely captain has been superb this season and has proven himself to be an excellent defender. McGrath showed glimpses of his class, scored two points and had plenty of input into the Baltinglass attack but he never had to room required to dominate because of Michael Byrne.
Cian Lee’s shepherding of Eoin Darcy was immense, especially in the second half, although Darcy was always dangerous. Conor Hatton had a job of work with Dan Kelly while Bradley Hickey was given the task of minding Adam McHugh.
Kevin Murphy was detailed the not insignificant job of marking Alan Dillon and then Rory Stokes who met a player completely on his game in Billy Cullen on the 45, while Wilie Dillon’s battle with Mikey English was a humdinger until Dillon exited after 48 minutes. John Murray’s marking on Matthew Ging can’t be overlooked as it took one of Tinahely’s main scoring threats out of the game, with the Tinahely man being substituted after 43 minutes. Pat Burke’s battle with Cillian McDonald was immense with Burke returning with 1-1 and the man of the match award after a superb showing.
A subline Shane Hogan point got things underway on the scoreboard in this game after a super move up the field for Tinahely. Baltinglass would take a few moments to settle into a rhythm, kicking two wides before a Mark Jackson free for a foul on Billy Cullen off the ball settled the nerves somewhat with six on the clock.
With Johnny Keogh playing in a deep role, Baltinglass seemed content to let Tinahely have their short kickouts early on before pressing hard around the middle third. Tom Burke pressed a tad too hard on Paddy O’Rourke after eight minutes down under the stand on the sideline but Rory Stokes’ effort from that free found only Mikey English in front of his full-back line and Baltinglass built through the hands to Billy Cullen who launched a sweet ball to Adam McHugh who rounded Bradley Hickey and lashed over off his left for a fine score and the lead for the first time.
Alan Nolan went long next but to no avail as Tom Burke won possession, drove forward, fed Adam McHugh who recycled to Dan Kelly who fed Jason Kennedy who horsed over a rousing score via that very unorthodox kicking style of his.
Tinahely needed a settling score now in the hot conditions and frantic pace of this game and who better to deliver than Alan Dillon who swept over a sweet point off the outside of his left after good work from Rory Stokes.
Baltinglass were preferring the long kickout to Mikey English and
Sean Doody but Willie Dillon was causing havoc for the Baltinglass pair and he won a Jackson restart, fed Eoin Darcy who looked for Matthew Ging inside only for John Murray to read the ball superbly and cut out the danger.
A slightly laboured (another man might say patient) build up by Baltinglass saw Billy Cullen arrive from deep and feed John
McGrath with a beauty of a pass but McGrath’s first effort was superbly blocked by Michael Byrne only for Jason Kennedy to gather and feed McGrath who had continued his run with a pass and he showed great composure to step around the retreating Byrne and wallop over. 0-4 to 0-2 at the first water break. Anyone‘s game.
The game changed in an in
stant. A long Kevin Mulhall ball was gathered by Eoin Darcy who galloped towards goal with Cian Lee on this shoulder before feeding Alan Sillon who slipped home a sweet strike underneath Mark Jackson and Billy Cullen on the Baltinglass line with 19 minutes gone to give them a one-point lead at 1-2 to 0-4.
Eoin Darcy followed this up
with a booming point before an overcooked Mark Jackson kick-out was gathered by Paddy O’Rourke who was certainly fouled as he drove towards the Baltinglass goal but no free was given or advantage played. The ball spilled to Eoin Darcy who fed Kevin Mulhall who floated over a screamer after 20 to make it 1-4 to 0-4.
Adam McHugh struck back after
quality work from Sean Doody and Johnny Keogh and a foul on Billy Cullen by Rory Stokes allowed Mark Jackson an opportunity and he closed the gap to one after 23.
Tinahely were enjoying a very positive spell in this second quarter with Rory Stokes now moved inside with Alan Dillon playing out the field. Stokes won a free which was put wide by Matthew Ging
and then he collected a long Alan Dillon ball for an offensive mark which he duly pointed.
A foul on the majestic Mikey English allowed Johnny Keogh open his account from the free and then came one of the most important scores of the game in the overall context of the result.
Baltinglass turn over a Tinahely kick-out due to the hunger of John
McGrath and Dan Kelly. They hold possession around the 45 looking for gaps and eventually go wide to Pat Burke who is outside his own dugout. Burke trots forward menacingly. He finds Peadar Burke who returns, flicks to Stephen Heaslip who does likewise and suddenly Burke is all alone inside the Tinahely 14. Onwards he races with Kevin Mulhall giving chase
but he can’t get there in time to stop Burke rifling home to the roof of the Tinahely net to send Gino Heaslip’s men in leading 1-7 to 1-5 at the break.
An early Cillian McDonald score looked to have settled Tinahely but a wicked score by John Murray and a point by John McGrath that was inches from being the goal of the year had his audacious
lob over Alan Nolan came off put Baltinglass right back in the driving seat at 1-9 to 1-6.
Eoin Darcy managed to point despite the constant pressunce of Cian Lee but Adam McHugh immediately replied for Baltinglass to maintain that three-point gap.
Another offensive mark by Rory Stokes saw him point just before Alan Costello sent in Willie Qualie in place of Kevin Mulhall with 10 on the second-half clock.
Adam McHugh again widened that gap to three but good work by Noel Mulhall and Eoin Darcy set up Willie Quaile for a fine point with 15 gone.
Pat Burke added a great point to his earlier goal just before the water break on a day when Baltinglass always seemed able to get that crucial score to halt Tinahely’s flow.
The gap was pushed out to four after 20 minutes when Dan Kelly dropped over a free won by Mikey English and then Baltinglass lost John Murray to a red card for an incident under the stand and you wondered if this was the moment that Tinahely needed to drive them on to victory.
Alas, from their point of view, that would not be the case. Dan Kelly was drafted back into the defence and Baltinglass effectively closed up shop at the back and took the game to Tinahely on the break, registering a shot dropped short by John McGrath and two wides in the last 10 minutes whereas Tinahely failed to stage a comeback despite numerous efforts due to the class of Kevin Murphy and his colleagues in the Baltinglass defence.
A superb victory for Baltinglass and the outpouring of joy and relief told you all you wanted to know about what it means to them to bring the Miley back again.
A tough afternoon for Tinahely. They lost out in too many key positions over the hour but there is too much talent and ability in that group to keep them down for long. They’ll be back, no doubt about it.
But this day belonged to Baltinglass, winning their first title since 2016 and dashing Tinahely’s dream of bridging that gap since 1984.
What ‘Gino’ Heaslip and his managemnent team have done in reenergising this Baltinglass side has been immense.
There’s no doubt the talent was always there and that they had the tradition behind them but unless you have someone who can pull all the potentials together and harness the energy of a group then it doesn’t matter what else you bring to the table.
This Baltinglass team believed 100 per cent in Heaslip’s philosophy and his message and it has brought them back to the lofty summit of Wicklow club football yet again.
Mark Jackson (0-2, 2f); John Murray (0-1), Kevin Murphy, Cian Lee; Pat Burke (1-1), Billy Cullen, Tom Burke; Mikey English, Sean Doody; Stephen Heaslip, Johnny Keogh (0-1, f), Jason Kennedy (0-1); Dan Kelly (0-1, f), Adam McHugh (0-4), John McGrath (0-2). Subs: Peadar Burke for J Kennedy (16), Jordan Deans for S Heaslip (45), Chris Heaslip for D Kelly (61).
Alan Nolan; Conor Hatton, Michael Byrne, Noel Mulhall; Kevin Mulhall (0-1), Shane Hogan (0-1), Bradley Hickey; Willie Dillon, Brian Walsh; Rory Stokes (0-2), Eoin Darcy (0-2), Cillian McDonald (0-1); Matthew Ging, Alan Dillon (1-1), Paddy O’Rourke. Subs: James Hedderman for B Walsh (H/T), Willie Quaile (0-1) for K Mulhall (40), Jason Cush for M Ging (43), Eoghan Byrne for W Dillon (48), Tony Darcy for P O’Rourke (56).
Garreth Whelan (Kiltegan)