Brilliant Ballybay remain unbeaten

Eire Óg 1-2 Ballybay 3-19

By Niall Keenan

Ballybay Pearse Brothers made it three wins from three in Group Two of the Intermediate Football Championship as they breezed past Eire Og 3-19 to 1-12 on Sunday afternoon in Smithborough.

Three goals in an eight-minute spell in the first half effectively took the game away from the home side, with Thomas Keenan, Simon DuPlessis and Christopher McGuinness all finding the back of the net.

Leading 3-12 to 1-3 at half-time, Ballybay remained in control after the break as the game became increasingly stop-start.

Eire Og outscored their visitors by two points in the second period, but it is consecutive defeats for Raymond Leonard’s men. Having conceded 7-34 across their opening two games, there is plenty to ponder during the upcoming free weekend.

Ballybay rattled off five successive scores, including two-pointers from Dessie Ward and captain Colm Lennon, to establish control inside the opening ten minutes.

A shot from outside the arc from Eire Og’s Jamie McCarey got the home side on the board, but they failed to register another point for 15 minutes as Ballybay exploited the gaps in their defence.

Shane McGuinness and Shane Monaghan nudged the Pearse Brothers further ahead before Keenan followed up on his initial effort, which had been parried away, and finished soccer-style into the roof of the net in the 20th minute to open up a 1-10 to 0-2 lead.

For the full match report pick up this week's Anglo-Celt.