Gormley uPVC Senior Football Championship Preliminary Round

Ballybay 1-9 Carrickmacross 0-12

 

Ballybay and Carrickmacross will have to meet again to decide who will play Monaghan Harps in the SFC first round after their preliminary-round meeting resulted in a draw at Aughnamullen on Sunday evening. The sides were evenly matched throughout and even though a fortunate goal from a free by Thomas Kerr handed Ballybay the initiative early in the second half, Carrick refused to give up and they were rewarded by a last-gasp equaliser by the impressive Cillian Cromwell.

Ballybay were without the injured Paul Finlay, while Stephen Gollogly only came on for the last five minutes or so for Carrick, who won well over half the kick-outs but lacked scoring forwards. The Emmets did have fine performances from Cromwell and Mark McNally, who scored five points between them as well as anchoring the Carrick defence, while Ronan McMahon and Peter O’Hanlon also had their moments. Thomas Kerr, Fergal Smyth and Shane McQuillan were best for Ballybay, who failed to replicate the form that has them top of the SFL.

Brian McCabe gave Ballybay an early lead, which became two in the ninth minute when Thomas Kerr won and scored a 30-metre free. Paddy Lonergan got Carrick off the mark on 11 minutes, before Ronan McMahon linked up with Ciarán Ward to kick a good equalising score. Kerr converted another 30-metre free, after he had again been fouled, but Peter O’Hanlon hit back for Carrick after he took a pass from Declan Finnegan. Kerr kicked his third free of the match after James Conlon had been penalised for charging, but Conlon then turned up at the other end to bring Carrick level once more. Lonergan had a shot saved by Seán Gorman, before Mark McNally booted one from distance which went all the way over to edge Carrick ahead for the first time. They took that advantage in at half-time; 0-5 to 0-4.

Ballybay wasted no time in drawing level after the restart through a Mark McArdle point, but a fine effort from Ronan McMahon kept Carrick in front. Ballybay then won a free when Colin Malone was fouled and Kerr’s point-attempt with his left foot dropped in over the head of Carrick keeper Andrew O’Rourke into the net for the game’s only goal. O’Rourke redeemed himself somewhat a minute later when he parried a shot from McCabe, who had been first to react after a Malone point-attempt had hit an upright. Eoin Sherry had a chance to respond in kind for Carrick after good work by Séamus Mulholland and Lonergan, but his shot crashed off the crossbar and over.

Shane McQuillan restored Ballybay’s two-point lead at the end of a strong run, but a well-taken score by Cillian Cromwell kept Carrick in touch and they wasted another chance to find the net when Ward got on the end of a Mulholland pass, only to slide a low shot wide. McQuillan finished well from a difficult angle for Ballybay and although Lonergan replied from a 20-metre free after a foul on Sherry, a great break by sub Ryan Wylie set up Christopher McGuinness to maintain the two-point gap. McGuinness quickly added another to put three between them, but Ballybay failed to score in the final 12 minutes. A firmly-struck ’45 by Cromwell gave Carrick hope going into the last five and Ballybay missed a chance to finish the game off when O’Rourke smothered an effort from Kerr, who had been released by Christopher and Shane McGuinness.

Mark McNally’s second long-range point of the match reduced Carrick’s deficit to the minimum and they drew level for the fifth time deep into injury-time with a superb outside-of-the-boot effort by Cromwell. That was the last kick of the ball, so the sides will have to replay this clash, when they will hope to have their star men available to play full parts.

 

 

Ballybay: S Gorman; C Mooney, F Smyth, E Rutledge; M McArdle (0-1), D Wylie, B Wylie; C McAviney, T O’Neill; B McCabe (0-1), S McQuillan (0-2), F McArdle; T Kerr (1-3f); C McGuinness (0-2), C Malone.

Subs: R Wylie for B Wylie (39 mins), S McGuinness for McCabe (42).

 

Carrickmacross: A O’Rourke; R McCabe, M McNally (0-2), O McNally; D Finnegan, C Cromwell (0-3, 1 ’45), D Murnaghan; James Conlon (0-1), P O’Hanlon (0-1); E Sherry (0-1), John G Conlon, R McMahon (0-2); P Lonergan (0-2, 1f), C Ward, S Mulholland.

Subs: S Gollogly for J G Conlon (54), D Ogle for Ward (61).

 

Referee: G McCarron (Emyvale).