Ballybay pull away to claim the spoils

By Colm Shalvey

Emyvale 3-9

Ballybay 2-19

Ballybay are up and running in the IFC after they won an entertaining encounter away to Emyvale on Saturday.

The final score suggested a relatively straightforward win for the 2022 county champions, but they had to work hard to eventually pull away in a game where both teams had eight scorers.

Emyvale led by four points amid a spell in the ascendancy during the third quarter, only for Ballybay to outscore the 2025 Junior double winners by 1-9 to 0-1 thereafter to bounce back from their league semi-final loss to Aughnamullen.

Ballybay’s efficiency up front was pivotal to the result, as they converted 63% of their shots, compared to Emyvale’s 44%. Three of Ballybay’s four two-pointers arrived during the last 15 minutes as they found an extra gear, spurred on by the likes of Colm Lennon, Shane Monaghan and Shane McGuinness.

Emyvale had Alastair Stewart, Harvey Colleran and Ryan McAnespie fit, but Karl Gallagher and Michael Hamill remained out through injury, although the latter (whose brother Harry impressed in his IFC debut) was listed among their subs.

A fourth-minute point by Darragh Drury for Ballybay was cancelled out by Dylan Sherry (who had a good contest with the roving Dessie Ward), before a move involving Harvey Colleran and Ryan McAnespie released Niall McKenna to hit the first of the game’s five goals.