Morgan Fuels Down Senior Football Championship quarter-final: Burren 1-9 Ballyholland 1-3
BURREN came through a late Ballyholland rally to make it into the semi-finals with a six-point win as the rain poured down at Pairc Esler.
Jim McCorry’s side had been knocked out at the quarter-final stage last season but, although Ballyholland skipper Paddy McAteer netted a goal in the closing stages, a repeat never looked likely last night.
From the outset, Burren were in control and Liam Kerr, outstanding in very demanding conditions, gave them the lead when he curled a difficult free over the bar.
He added another a minute later while Ballyholland, full of talented forwards, took a while to settle. Passes went astray and two shots dropped into Kevin McKernan’s hands but Seamus Loughran did better with a brilliant finish which opened the Shamrocks’ account after eight minutes.
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Odhran Murdock replied for Burren and Chris Brady was booked when he dragged down Kerr as he shaped to shoot. Kerr converted the free and Burren led 4-1 after 17 minutes.
The frees kept coming. McAteer gave Conail McGovern a needless shove in the back but this time the free, taken by Ronan McGrath, drifted wide.
Danny Magill was more accurate moments later but Burren goalkeeper McKernan then had to be alert to keep out McAteer’s flick-on from a Jack Murtagh dead ball. Murtagh took the resulting 45 but failed to find the distance meaning that Ballyholland had managed just a point from eight attempts.
Burren also missed opportunities. McKernan pushed outfield as Kerr broke through on the Ballyholland goal but his shot was well saved by Aidan Furlong.
Seamus O Deoradhain curled over a free for Ballyholland and Murtagh had a chance to add another before the break. Again his off-the-ground effort dropped short and referee Gavin Finnegan blew his whistle with the ball still ‘live’ in the Burren square.
The players ran for the sanctuary of the changingrooms with Burren 0-5 to 0-2 in front.
Ballyholland were on the field a good five minutes before Burren emerged and once the St Mary’s outfit got their hands on the ball they kept it, and kept it, until McKernan came out of his goal and lashed the ball forward towards Murdock, who was temporarily pushed up to full-forward.
The ball went wide but Dara Mussen, Kerr’s first from play and another from McGovern extended the gap to five points.
Ballyholland replied with an O’Deoradhain free after Joseph Murphy had been dragged down but Burren were in no mood to let them back into the game. They dominated possession and moved the ball through the hands patiently before Kerr’s inch-perfect handpass picked out Danny Magill and his pass released Murdock who dropped the shoulder to slip his marker and then split the posts (according to the umpire) for his second point of the night.
Six points behind going into the final quarter, Ballyholland needed to throw caution to the wind to get back into the game and they did so via a tried-and-tested route. A free was lumped into the Burren square and, after the defence failed to deal with it, McAteer bundled the ball into the net.
A game that had been meandering along suddenly caught fire as the underdogs got the scent of a famous comeback win in their nostrils. Another high ball, this time from Pearse Loughran, was dropped in and McKernan opted to punch.
Ballyholland were first to the clearance but Murtagh’s shot drifted just wide. Burren rose to the challenge and dug their heels in and two of their substitutes combined to make the game safe. Shay McArdle passed to Paudie Poland and he lashed the ball into the net to settle it.
Burren: K McKernan; R Magill, G McGovern, A McAvoy; P McCarthy, P Burns, P Fegan; O Murdock (0-2), C McGovern (0-1); D Mussen (0-1), R Cunningham, D Magill (0-1); R McGrath, L Kerr (0-4, 0-3 frees), D McEntee
Subs: D Murdock for McGrath (38), S Fegan for Cunningham (39), P Poland (1-0) for McGovern (50), S McArdle for Mussen (28)
Ballyholland: A Furlong; C Brady, R Campbell, J Connolly; S O’Flaherty, B McAteer, J Kearns; B Campbell, P McAteer (1-0); J Murphy, S O Deoradhain (0-2 frees), R Connolly; P Loughran, S Loughran (0-1), J Murtagh
Subs: R White for Brady (39), M Walsh for Kearns (47), C Tinnelly for O’Flaherty (50), C Rushe for Murtagh (60)
Referee: Gavin Finnegan
