Morgan Fuels Down Senior Football Championship semi-final: Ballyholland Harps 0-8 Castlewellan 1-13
CASTLEWELLAN won through to a first Morgan Fuels Senior Football Championship final in 14 years after a comprehensive victory over Ballyholland Harps at Páirc Esler on Sunday.
But the match turned on an incident 26 minutes in. The Harps were dealt a crushing blow when referee Ciarán Branagan, after consulting with an umpire, flashed a straight red card at Harps half-back
Anton Haughey for an off-the-ball incident.
Ballyholland, managed by the enthusiastic Steven Poacher, never really recovered from this setback and in the second half the Town ran the show, in the end winning by a comfortable eight points.
Ballyholland got off the mark on 55 seconds when former Down star Ronan Murtagh turned his man before firing over the bar. An Aidan Burns free levelled matters on five minutes, but Harps eased in front after the hard-working Joe Murphy hit a long-range point, and Patrick Quinn added another.
However, the Town then took control and pointed three times without reply, Daniel Morgan – who had a great match for the winners – Donal McKibben and substitute Caolan Corrigan each hitting the target. Still, the sides went in at the break level at four points apiece after teenager Tiarnan Rushe hit a cracking free from fully 40 yards and from away out on the right wing.
One minute after the restart Seán Doran hit a stunning long-range point and after that Castlewellan ran the show. Burns fired over another free, with the accurate Doran then hitting two points on the spin and Burns knocking over another.
At this stage Ballyholland were struggling and didn’t grab their first score until 15 minutes of the half had elapsed, then Ronan Murtagh – who ran himself into the ground – firing over an excellent long-range effort. But there was no stopping the free-flowing Town and after Daniel Morgan and David Gilmore pointed, Castlewellan put the game to bed.
On 52 minutes Kevin Duffy, arguably their best player, raced through the Harps rearguard before beating Ballyholland ’keeper Liam Coulter with a high, blistering drive. Morgan scored their final point on 54 minutes.
In the latter stages Harps did manage to work the scoreboard man with Murtagh (2) and Rushe each scoring from frees.
It is 20 years since Castlewellan last won the Down championship and, after their fine performance against Ballyholland, manager John ‘Shorty’ Treanor and his backroom team of Barney Cunningham and Brian Dougherty will fancy their chances against Kilcoo in two weeks’ time.
MATCH STATS
Ballyholland: L Coulter; K Dunne, D McCrink, N McQuillan; A Haughey, R White, K Haughey; J Murphy (0-1), T Kane; P McAteer, T Rushe (0-2), T Havern, P Quinn (0-1), R Murtagh (0-4), D Campbell; Subs: P Murphy for McAteer (39), J Grant for K Haughey (39), R White for P Quinn (44), N McKevitt for Havern (50).
Castlewellan: M Cunningham; A Brogan, B Travers, C Flanagan; D Morgan (0-3), K Duffin (1-0), R McArdle; R Burns, C Corrigan; L McKibben, D McKibben (0-1), D Gilmore (0-1); A Burns (0-4), S Dornan (0-3), C Crilly; Subs: C Corrigan (0-1) for Travers (19), L Toner for Corrigan (46), F McLaughlin for Brogan (53), S Russell for Burns (57), J Croskery for Crilly (59).
Referee: C Brannigan
