Nobber 1-13 Ballinlough 1-11

Nobber and Ballinlough took to the field in Castletown for this Round 4 championship game. A win would be substantial for either team as it would put them well in the driving seat for qualifying out of Group A.

In what was a lovely evening for football, the game started in a strange fashion. Both teams were guilty of misplaced passes and a lot of handling errors. It had to be said the first goal of the game after 5 minutes was a peculiar one. Tommy Mccullen hit a 45 and it glided just short right under the crossbar. The ball was caught by a Nobber defender and had it in his grasp but he fell back over the line. The umpires agreed he crossed the line and the goal was given. Brian Farrell kicked Nobber's first from a free which was then followed up by a Jordan Morris free. The game ebbed and flowed with both sides scoring a few frees each. The move of the game happened in the 23rd minute with Thomas Murtagh playing at wing back making a darting run down the pitch. He blitzed open the Ballinlough defence and fed Jordan Morris the ball who palmed it to the net at the scoreboard end. That goal was followed by 2 Sean Meade efforts from play in the run up to half time. Peadar Byrne came on to notch his side a free and the last score of the half was a long distance point from the dangerous Sean Geraghty.

Half time: Nobber 1-6 Ballinlough 1-4

This was always going to be tight throughout and Ballinlough came out of the traps quickly. 5 minutes hadn't been played and Ballinlough got the game back level. Nobber had a blow with the influential Morris getting injured early in the 2nd half with Fiachra Mcentee taking his place. Alan Farrell got Nobber up and running in the 2nd half with a well executed point from play. The game was hard hitting and very stop start. Brian Farrell and Peadar Byrne were doing their fair share in keeping the score board ticking over with frees. Both defences were tight and forwards were finding it difficult to get through for goal attempts. Gavin Farrelly slotted one from play as did Peadar Byrne and Sean Geraghty at the other end. Sean Meade sent over a crucial score from an acute angle to put Nobber 3 up with less than 10 left. With what seems to be the norm of this championship season for Nobber, they were reduced to 14 men. Gavin Farrelly picked up a second yellow card with 5 minutes remaining. Ballinlough piled on the pressure and reduced arrears to a solitary 1 point game. Nobber remained water tight in defence and from a great disposession the ball was moved up quickly to Brian Farrell who was fouled. He kicked the free himself in what was to be the last play of the game. 

This was an intense battle between the 2 North Meath teams and as a result Nobber top the group with 7 points out of a possible 8 with Kilmainham to play in the last game in 2 weeks time. Ballinlough have Meath Hill to play in what really is a winner takes all encounter to see who qualifies for a quarter final. 

Nobber: Dary Hutchinson, Barry Cassidy, Eanna Fagan, Pauric Weldon; Thomas Murtagh, Stephen O' Brien, Paul Meade; Alan Farrell (0-1), Gavin Farrelly (0-1); Colin Clarke, Brian Farrell (0-6), Andrew O' Brien; Jordan Morris (1-2), Sean Meade (0-3), Brendan Heffernan 

Subs: Fiachra McEntee for Jordan Morris, Jack Condra for Alan Farrell, Cathal Cassidy for Colin Clarke, Dale Larkin for Andrew O' Brien

Ballinlough: Dereck Muldoon, Padraig Muldoon, Emmet Smith, Robert Farrell; Matthew Farrell, Sean Geraghty (0-2), Jonnie Reilly (0-2f); Lorcan Maguire, Thomas McCullen (1-00); Mark McCullen (0-1), Ronan McGuinness, Niall McDonnell; Benji Smith, Simon Deevey, Dara Caffrey

Subs: Peadar Byrne (0-6, 5f) for Niall McDonnell, Junior Reilly for Thomas McCullen

Ballinlough Report

Ballinlough 1-11  Nobber 1-13

Ballinlough and Nobber met, just as the sun was setting on a picturesque Castletown this evening, in Round 4 of the Intermediate Championship. 

This game was as close and contentious as we all expected but it was by no means a classic. Instead it was dogged, dire and damn hard to watch at times, as the fear of losing far outweighed the hope of winning for both teams and nerves were on show from all angles in the opening minutes.

Ballinlough opened the scoring in the most peculiar of fashions when awarded a 45’ in the fifth minute. Tommy McCullen took the placed ball too quick for referee Peter Skelly’s liking, and so lined up for a second attempt. The ball had the accuracy but not the distance and dropped short right on the goal-line. I honestly can’t tell you what happened between the Nobber goal keeper and his defender, but I can tell you the ball was bundled over the line and the goal awarded to Ballinlough and the boot of Tommy McCullen.

Nobber responded immediately with a free before Jonnie Reilly got Ballinlough’s first point of the game in the 11th minute. From the kick-out Nobber won possession and worked the ball down the field and launched a high one into the square, and although Rasher Muldoon got a hand to the ball, he didn’t hold onto it and it spilt to the Nobber full-forward who sent the ball flying towards the net, only to be denied by the heroics of Robbie Farrell, throwing himself at the ball to deny the goal scoring opportunity. 

But the Nobber tails were up and they took the next two points, both from frees before getting a major of their own, when the Ballinlough defence were found wanting as Nobber walked through them and the ball was easily palmed to the net in the 22nd minute to leave them two points to the good. 

Jonnie Reilly lowered the deficit back to one with a free in the 28th minute before Nobber kicked over a fine effort from play on the 30th minute. Referee Peter Skelly would have wanted eyes on the back of his head and maybe a couple on the side, such was the level of off the ball activity and tomfoolery going on by some players, and as such there were six and a half minutes added on in the first half, when in reality, a bit more could easily have been added, such was the stop start nature of the opening thirty minutes.

Nobber extended their lead in injury time kicking two more points from play a mere minute apart, but it was to be Ballinlough who got the final scores of the half, when Peader Byrne pointed at the first time of asking after coming off the bench, with a free in the 34th minute, before Seánie Geraghty scored a great point from play in the 36th, just before Peter Skelly blew the halftime whistle, leaving the men in black and amber with a slender lead of two points.

Nobber opened the scoring in the first minute of the second period to extend their lead to three, but it was Ballinlough who hit a purple patch in the next ten minutes with Peader Byrne proving too hot to handle, and repeatedly being fouled whenever in possession, allowing him to send the ball over the bar three times between the 33rd and 42nd minute to draw the sides level.

Rather than push on from there, Ballinlough allowed Nobber back into the game and they got a free of their own in the 45th minute, followed swiftly by a point from play, almost directly from the restart to give them the vital two point lead once again.

The industrious Mark McCullen kicked a peach of a Point in the 47th minute to reduce the gap, before Nobber kicked a point from play moments later.

Seánie Geraghty kicked his second point of the game in the 49th minute but Ballinlough could not seem to get any closer than the one point deficit. In fact Nobber pushed their lead back out to three points by the 56th minute with two points from play. They were then reduced to 14 men a moment later, in what is now almost becoming a Championship tradition for them this year, they lost a man to a red card, for a second bookable offence, after a high tackle on Peader Byrne. 

The same Peader Byrne cancelled out both of those Nobber points with two of his own, another free and a point from play, two minutes into injury time. Ballinlough had chances to get an equalising point but although the ball was worked well around the half forward line, the opportunity to get a shot off was squandered and Nobber came away with the ball. They worked it quick up the field and with Podge Muldoon being caught somewhat on the hop, he was forced to concede the free, which was slotted over the bar with ease to leave Nobber with that two point lead that they had retained for most of the match. 

There was to be no time for one last Ballinlough attack, and truth be told even if there was, we never looked likely to score the goal that would have been required to take something from this game. And so after a great effort from the lads, ultimately we just fell short of the line and now must go into the last Group game needing a win to keep our Championship hopes alive, whereas Nobber have now done enough to see themselves through to the knockout stage and can take it easy in their last group game. 

Next up for Ballinlough is a massive game V Meath Hill in a couple of weeks time, and if there’s one certainty for that game, it will be more fire and brimstone as both sides will be looking to keep their name in the hat for the Matty McDonnell Cup a little longer! 

Ballinlough scoers: P.Byrne (0-06(5f), T.McCullen 1-00, S.Geraghty 0-02, Jonnie Reilly 0-02(2f), M.McCullen 0-01

Ballinlough: D.Muldoon, P.Muldoon, E.Smith, R.Farrell, M.Farrell, S.Geraghty, Jonnie Reilly, L.Maguire, T.McCullen, M.McCullen, R.McGuinness, N.McDonnell, B.Smith, S.Deevey, D.Caffery. Subs: P.Byrne for N.McDonnell 25mins, Junior Reilly for T.McCullen 44mins

 

 

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