Strong finish does the trick
Crossabeg-Ballymurn through
C’BEG-B’MURN 2-12 BANNOW-B’MITTY 1-10
A STRONG finish from Crossabeg-Ballymurn saw them book their place in the last eight of the Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship after an absorbing Group A encounter in Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday.
Last season’s Intermediate ‘A’ champions plundered an unanswered 1-5 in the final 17 minutes to take the spoils as a brave Bannow-Ballymitty challenge ran out of steam.
A 50th minute Mark O’Connor goal was pivotal in the turnaround, as, after playing catch-up for much of the game, it edged them in front (2-8 to 1-10), and they never looked back thereafter.
The opening 30 minutes was the Niall Harney show as the talented Bannow-Ballymitty attacker accounted for his all of his side’s first-half tally, scoring three exquisite points from play on top of four confidently converted placed balls as the teams were deadlocked at seven apiece at the break.
However, they could, and should, have been ahead at halftime, had they not failed to convert a couple of decent goal scoring chances.
Harney had the first opportunity to raise a green flag when he was fed by Jon Reville, but his low effort was well saved by goalkeeper Ben Turner and three minutes later Harney turned provider, but Nicky Doyle couldn’t stick the chance away.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn have more scoring threats in their ranks with Cormac O’Rourke, Robert Byrne, Sam Kelly and Seamus Carroll all finding the range in the first-half as they managed to cling on to the coat-tails of their opponents.
Bannow-Ballymitty looked to have put the missed opportunities behind them when they made a lightning start to the second-half, with another Harney point quickly followed by the first goal of the game.
A flowing move involving Mark Wallace, Clem Rossiter and Joe Sinnott saw the latter tap the ball to the net to give the New Ross District side a four-point advantage.
Crucially for Crossabeg-Ballymurn their response was almost instant. Two minutes after conceding a three-pointer they had one of their own, when a determined Pádraig Foley won back possession, sluiced through the defence and buried the ball past Jack Faragher.
The Bannow-Ballymitty reply was encouraging though, with points from Harney and Joe Sinnott giving them a three-point cushion by the 40th minute (110 to 1-7) but they didn’t work the scoreboard again as Crossabeg-Ballymurn assumed full control in the closing stages.
A point from substitute Andy Butler ignited the strong finish and with 49 minutes on the clock the tide turned firmly in their favour when Mark O’Connor gathered a Sam Kelly pass, cut inside and clinically finished to the net.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn had their noses in front and they were certainly in no mood to let it slip as Cormac O’Rourke, Sam Kelly and Ronan Devereux kept the scoreboard ticking over to close out a hard-earned victory.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: Ben Turner; Martin Redmond, Oisin Foley, Conor Barlow; Conor Devereux, Bill Eviston, Seamus Carroll (0-1); Ronan Devereux (0-1), Pádraig Foley (1-0); Mark O’Connor (1-0), Sam Kelly (0-3, 2 frees), David Kehoe; Cormac O’Rourke (0-5, 3 frees), Robert Byrne (0-1), Jack Fortune. Subs. - Andy Butler (0-1) for Byrne; Paddy Devereux for Fortune, Cathal Devereux for Kehoe, Conor Gormley for Carroll.
Bannow-Ballymitty: Jack Faragher; Mark Colfer, Niall Murphy, David White; Pádraig McCormack, John Staples, Nicky Doyle; Robbie Mageean, Art Sweetman; Joe Sinnott (1-1), Niall Harney (0-9, 2 frees, 2 ‘45s), Robert Cogley; Mark Wallace, Jon Reville, Clem Rossiter. Subs. - Conor Neville for Wallace; Gary Morton for Mageean; Alan Barden for Rossiter; Gary Jordan for Cogley.
Referee: Eric Molloy (St. James’).