First half goal helps Killann Gaels take crown

Killann Gaels (Shercock-Bailieborough) held off a late Ballyhaise rally to deservedly take the Minor Division One title last Sunday on the undercard to the main event. Surprisingly given the classy forwards on both sides, the match was a scrappy affair with nerves evident on both sides but in particular Ballyhaise, who were favourites here having won the league but who never really got going and kicked some poor wides. The signs were ominous for Barry Tierney's boys as early as the ninth minute when the excellent Stephen Donnery cut inside a defender and fired over a point to make it 0-3 to 0-1 in favour of Killann. By that stage, all three of the Killann full-forward line had scored - Niall Kelly and James Fulton adding frees in the opening six minutes - and by the end of the match, that trio would account for the winners' entire total of 1-9. Ballyhaise had opened their account with a free from county minor forward Kevin Tierney and he tapped over two more to level the match by the 20-minute mark. Unfortunately for Ballyhaise, they were over-reliant on the promising Tierney, with Neil Rooney - who was magnificent in the league final earlier in the season - well-handled by Under 16 player Killian Clarke, a nephew of former Cavan forward Jodie, who had an impressive match. Still, they found themselves in front by the odd point in seven with a fourth Tierney free on 25 minutes but the crucial score of the match arrived four minutes later. After a laboured build up along the endline, James Fulton let fly with a rocket of a left-footed shot from 25 metres at a tight angle which caught Ballyhaise 'keeper Stephen Colwell, and many in the stand, by surprise, zooming to the top corner of the net. The goal opened a two-point gap for Killann and they quickly added another point, Donnery dummying well and setting up Fulton for a tidy score to make it 1-4 to 0-4 at the end of a poor enough first half. That man Tierney struck back with another free for Ballyhaise on the resumption to cut the gap to two, but the village team were consistently undone by poor marksmanship. Having put together some decent moves, Ballyhaise's shooting was off-target on countless occasions. The tempo of the match wasn't helped by a long delay for an injury to Ballyhaise defender Aidan Moran, who took an extremely heavy knock but showed plenty of courage to re-take the field having gone off as a blood sub to receive treatment. In the meantime, minus one of their key defenders, Ballyhaise, though defending tenaciously, were struggling around the middle, with David Carolan and Damien McIntyre doing well for Killann on either side of the attack and the full-forward line also showing well. The first score of the second half didn't arrive until the 45th minute when Fulton stroked over a close-range free. He added another moments later to open up a four-point gap as Ballyhaise, who lost their shape at times in the second half, began to create chances again but found it difficult to convert, with Tierney well-shadowed when in possession. Neil Rooney was unlucky with one effort which he took on soccer-style but unluckily clipped off the wrong side of the post and spurred on by the let-off, Killann grabbed their third point of the half through Niall Kelly, who showed good strength to hold off two defenders and tap over. Good fielding by McIntrye set up Fulton for another good point to make it 1-8 to 0-5 with a handful of minutes on the clock. With time ticking away, Killann Gaels seemed content to play out the the match and they took no chances as the intensity began to peter out of the game, despite Ballyhaise's best efforts. A super poitn from the left wing by Kelly opened up a seven-point gap and it appeared as if the contest was well beyond Ballyhaise. However, there was still time for one last hurrah and the 'Haise boys showed great character in the final moments. A long ball in was bundled over the line by wing-back Shane McKiernan to cut the gap to four and another Tierney free - his fifth - made it 1-9 to 1-6. Time, eventually, caught up with Ballyhaise however. Their big match nerves hampered their performance but this is a quality side who have had an excellent season. Killann Gaels, for their part, were fully-deserving winners; the future looks bright for both Bailirborough Shamrocks and Shercock on the strength of this victory. Killann Gaels: Sean Farrelly, Brian Sankey, Shane Clarke, Killian Clarke, Conor Cronin, Ciaran O'Reilly, Conor Tierney, Conor Gilsenan, Niall Comey, Damien McIntyre, Stephen Kierans, David Carolan, James Fulton (1-5, 2f), Niall Kelly (0-3), Stephen Donnery (0-1) SUBS: Shane Kelly, Eoin O'Sullivan Ballyhaise: Stephen Colwell, Aidan Moran, Donal McGoldrick, Paul Dunne, Shane McKiernan (1-0), Francis Moore, Niall Conaty, Shane Shortall, Adam Boyle, Kevin Tierney (0-6, 5f), Christopher Reilly, John McCabe, Neil Rooney, Diarmuid Conaty, Cian Tierney SUBS: Eoin McGovern, Francis McConnell REF: Martin Sexton