SALLE TURN ON THE STYLE
Ballyfermot produce strong second half to see of Howth men
BALLYFERMOT DLS…………………………..2-16
BEANN EADAIR………………………………..1-11
Daire Walsh
BALLYFERMOT DLS executed an impressive second-half turnaround to secure the spoils in a top-of-the-table Adult Football League Division Nine clash with Beann Eadair at The Gaels last Thursday.
Trailing by four points at half-time (0-7 to 0-3), Ballyermot comprehensively outscored their opponents on the resumption to maintain their unbeaten start to 2018. From the opening five rounds of the league, Ballyfermot and their Howth counterparts had both accrued maximum points.
On a humid night at the Gurteen Road venue, Bens centre-back Alan Collins broke forward to kick the opening score of the contest. Ballyfermot immediately responded through Jackie Gaire, before Bens created daylight with a series of unanswered points.
A successful Shaun Hanway free edged the visitors back in front, and he was joined on the scoresheet by the inside duo of Breándán Ó Callarán and Brendan Fitzpatrick. Gaire saw his second effort on goal drifting over the crossbar, but Bens continued to play with greater authority.
After Brendan Fitzpatrick picked him out on the right wing, midfielder Ronan O’Leary superbly curled a right-footed shot between the posts. A 14-minute barren spell in attack offered Ballyfermot a potential pathway back into contention, and Mark Smith eventually opened his account – thanks in no small part to the hard-work of Anthony Chubb.
John Fitzpatrick had replaced injured Bens wing-forward Adam McCarthy on 20 minutes, and it was his precise crossfield pass that presented Ó Callarán with the time and space to register his second point of the half. A wayward Ballyfermot kick-out inadvertently led to another Hanway single, ensuring that Beann Eadair were in a commanding position at the midway stage of the action.
Yet, Ballyfermot emerged for the second period as a rejuvenated force and got themselves on level terms courtesy of a six-minute scoring blitz. Alongside a Smith brace, centre-fielder Keith O’Shea and Shane Doyle also raised white flags for the southside outfit.
Half-time substitute Richard Mann was making a sizeable impact, and he was soon joined on the field by Ryan Casserly. Indeed, it was a neat lay-off by the latter that allowed Mann to edge his side ahead for the very first time.
Another O’Shea contribution offered them a two-point lead in the 39th minute, with all the momentum now pulling in their direction. However, following a fine point from play by full-forward Cian Kellett, Bens struck for the opening goal of the evening.
ATTACK
A sweeping attack was worked at pace towards Galway native Ó Callarán, who shot beyond the reach of Liam Kavanagh at a tight angle. This raised the possibility of a sixth straight victory for Bens, but the response from Ballyfermot was once again emphatic.
Either side of a sweet O’Shea effort, another second-half replacement – Dylan Nolan – claimed a two-point salvo for the home team. Brendan Fitzpatrick appeared to set the game up for a grandstand finale with an equalising score, only for Ballyfermot to kill off their committed challenge.
Hot on the heels of a third Nolan score, Smith flicked an O’Shea delivery to the net. The excellent Ballyfermot attacker then turned provider for a Mann three-pointer – which preceded additional points for Smith and James Bracken.
Nolan brought his personal tally up to 0-4, and even though Brendan Fitzpatrick and Hanway found the range for Beann Eadair, they finished second best to the outstanding Ballyfermot DLS.
MATCH FILE
Scorers – Ballyfermot DLS: M Smith 1-4 (0-1f), D Nolan 0-4 (2f, 1 ’45’), R Mann 1-1, K O’Shea 0-3 (2f), J Gaire 0-2, J Bracken (f), S Doyle 0-1 each. Beann Eadair: B Ó Callarán 1-2, S Hanway 0-3 (1f), B Fitzpatrick 0-3 (1f), A Collins, R O’Leary, C Kellett 0-1 each.
BALLYFERMOT DLS: L Kavanagh; K Murphy, G Blackburn, D Grehan; A O’Callaghan, G Callaghan, J Bracken; G Monaghan, F McConnell; S Doyle, K O’Shea, A Chubb; M Smith, S Cashin, J Gaire.
Subs: R Mann for Cashin (h-t), R Casserly for Chubb (35), D Nolan for Gaire (44).
BEANN EADAIR: B McGinley; J Morton, D Higgins, A Conway; J McGatty, A Collins, C Dunne; R O’Leary, J O’Neill; C Caulfield, S Hanway, A McCarthy; B Fitzpatrick, C Kellett, B Ó Callarán.
Subs: J Fitzpatrick for McCarthy (20), E Moore for Dunne (54), J Gibbon for J Fitzpatrick (55), P Borel for McGatty (61).
MENTORS – Ballyfermot DLS: Paul O’Brien, John McBride. Beann Eadair: Martin McGhee, David Caulfield, Paul Coyne.
Referee: Aaron Byrne (Robert Emmet’s).
WIDES – Ballyfermot DLS: 10 (4+6). Beann Eadair: 6 (5+1).
CONDITIONS: Dry and sunny conditions throughout, with only a slight breeze.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Mark Smith (Ballyfermot DLS).