Down SHC final: Ballycran v St Patrick’s, Portaferry (tomorrow, Ballygalget, 3.30pm)
BALLYCRAN goalkeeper Stephen Keith knows all too well about the nip and tuck nature of hurling on the Ards peninsula. He’s been between the sticks for a fair few contests which couldn’t have been tighter over the last five years.
In 2014, he was on the losing side in the Down Senior Championship final, as 14-man Portaferry clung on to win by the barest of margins against Ballycran. A year later, it was the turn of Ballycran to inflict the heartache, this time upon Ballygalget, as they came back from seemingly certain defeat to clinch the county title with a late flurry of scores.
In 2016, Ballygalget came back for their revenge, beating Keith & co. by the considerable margin, for this competition, of four points. Last year, it was Ballycran who recovered the crown, a majestic couple of majors from the lethal Conor Woods ensuring a two-point victory over tomorrow’s opponents Portaferry.
Already this autumn, tomorrow’s finalists have played out a nail biter, it taking extra-time to separate the two, in Portaferry’s favour, in the opening Championship round robin game at the start of the month.
Consequently, Keith is under no illusions about how tomorrow’s game at Ballygalget is likely to unfold: “There’ll be nothing in it,” the Down ’keeper says.
“When it comes down to the game, it’ll be a point or two either way, I would’ve thought. There’s nothing in the [major] three teams in Down [Ballycran, Ballygalget, Portaferry] when it comes to Championship, like.
“Preparations are going great, everyone’s more or less fit and ready to go. Bar James Coyle. James Coyle broke his arm in the first round robin match. Apart from that, we’re good to go, everybody else is fit.”
And Keith is dismissive of the idea that that round robin victory will give Portaferry the edge for the final: “I’d say Portaferry will be approaching it the same way as ourselves, knowing that each team has to play their best game on the day to win,” he added.
“It’ll be close, it’ll be a point or two either way, it’ll go down to the wire like the last game, or not far off it. It’s very tight in Down come Championship time.
“I find it much the same as last year. Teams are going into matches and people are going ‘Oh, this team’s the favourite or they’re the favourite’, but we went to extra-time against Portaferry and Portaferry beat us and then Portaferry went to extra-time to beat Ballygalget and then we held on against Ballygalget in the last five minutes, so there’s nothing in it like. It is competitive games between the three teams.”
The final round robin game between Ballycran and Ballygalget became the decider for who would face Portaferry in the final, and it was Keith who became the hero, saving a penalty in what was a three-point victory for his side.
However, he has no desire to be called upon for heroics again tomorrow: “Hopefully not,” he said with a wary laugh.
“I’ll leave it our forwards this time out. Hopefully, I’ll have nothing to do. They’re big players for us. Colly’s [Colum McManus] putting the frees away, Chrissy’s [Christopher Egan] flying and Woodsy’s [Conor Woods] always one of our best players.
“It’ll come down to the two forward lines. The Portaferry back line is strong and I consider our back line to be strong, so whatever back line gets on top and keeps the other forward line quiet, then that’s what it’ll come down to, in my opinion.”
As for which Portaferry players have been giving him sleepless nights this week?
“If Conor Mageean plays the way he played against Ballygalget and if Eoghan Sands keeps going the way he’s been going, they can be dangerous.”
Stephen’s right. Expect a tight one.
