02 November 2011
Ulster Club Intermediate Football Championship Quarter-Final
All Saints Ballymena 0-16 St. Molaise Irvinestown 1-10
All Saints Ballymena turned in another solid performance to overcome the challenge of a very good Irvinestown team in this Ulster Club Intermediate Championship quarter-final played at Casement Park on Sunday.
They looked in a bit of trouble when they trailed the Fermanagh Champions by a goal at the short whistle but, as has been their forte this year, they staged a strong second half performance to overcome a five point deficit and run out three point winners in the end.
There was little between the sides during the opening exchanges with St. Molaise opening the scoring from a James Duffy point in the third minute but it was the Ballymena men who seemed to be gaining the initiative and points from Michael McCarry, Peter McReynolds and Damien Kelly saw them lead 0-3 to 0-1 by the 12th minute.
Duffy closed the gap to the minimum before Daryl McNulty took advantage of a slip by All Saints keeper, Paul McCann to palm the ball to the net in the 18th minute and put the Fermanagh men back into the lead. This score seemed to lift the Irvinestown men and they started to throw the ball around with confidence as the Slemish Park outfit lost their way for a time and points from Liam Murphy and Gary Maguire in reply to two from All Saints Michael McCarry saw them maintain their two point advantage after 24 minutes.
Stephen Sheridan fired over a massive effort to increase that lead to three and that’s how it stood at half-time with Irvinestown good value for their lead.
It was clear that All Saints would need to up the ante if they were to turn the game around in the second half but after Paddy Logan had reduced the lead from a long range free in the opening minute, it was Irvinestown who again took control with 3 successive points. They moved five clear with only five minutes of the new half gone and Ballymena looked in need of inspiration.
The All Saints side knuckled down to the task of reigning in their opponents lead with Sean McVeigh and Paddy Logan providing the platform with a masterly display of high fielding in the mid-field sector.
Liam Cassley and Paddy McAleer split the posts to close the gap to three but Irvinestown were far from finished and a Kevin Duffy point again extended their lead to four by the ninth minute. Slowly however the Ballymena men were starting to take control and they began to move the ball around with conviction as Sean McVeigh, Michael McCarry and Paddy Logan fired over unanswered points to leave the sides level with 13 minutes gone.
The Antrim champions were now gaining a strangle hold around mid-field with Logan starting to pull the strings while the strong running of McVeigh and McReynolds began to expose gaps in a tiring Irvinestown defence.
Michael McCarry continued to display unerring accuracy with his free taking as he sent over his third conversion to bring his personal tally to five in the 13th minute and points from Sean McVeigh and McCarry from play saw the ‘Saints’ move two ahead by the 21st minute.
The Antrim champions were in no mood to relinquish their hard earned lead as they drove home with ever increasing authority with Sean McVeigh, Paddy McAleer and Peter ‘Pizza’ McReynolds edging them five in front with time almost up. Despite a rally from the Fermanagh reps All Saints held firm.
All Saints now go forward to meet Culloville, the Armagh Champions in the semi-final in two weeks time and will be hoping that they can continue this wonderful journey which has seen the parish come out in ever increasing numbers to cheer on their side.
All Saints: Paul McCann: Dara Walsh, Seamus McAffee, Emmet Killough: Damian Kelly, Peter McNicholl, Peter McCann: Paddy Logan, Sean McVeigh: Liam Cassley, Andy Kelly, Michael McCarry: Paddy McAleer, Sean McVeigh, Peter McReynolds. Subs: Rory McVeigh for Liam Cassley, Ryan Lyness for Michael McCarry
