Ballinlough 3-13 Ratoath 2-12

Ballinlough welcomed Ratoath to a pristine Park in Ballinlough, the recent dry weather allowing the groundsmen to show off their impressive array of skills to have the sod and surrounds looking beautiful before throw in, and it was the Senior side who took control of proceedings early on hitting four points on the bounce by the fifth minute to leave Ballinlough in a spot of bother from the get go.

It didn’t take them too long to respond though with Harry Ryan pointing a free in the eight minute before the Smith cousins linked up well, Benji setting up the younger Jack to allow him fire over from play in the 11th minute to cut the deficit to two points. Another Ratoath point clipped in off the post kept their lead intact but they were pegged back again, this time the older Smith, Benji converting well from an acute angle before a Collie Mallen free in the 17th minute left just one point between the sides.

A Keeper swap for the visitors in the 20th minute didn’t have any immediate drawbacks with Ratoath pointing twice in as many minutes to extend their lead to three points, but Ballinlough were playing a lot better football now, with Darragh Caffrey exceptional in carrying the ball out of defence and into attack, and when Caffrey shifted the ball onto Jack Smith, he cleverly worked it quickly to Harry Ryan who after taking on a couple of defenders, fired a rocket of a shot from distance that rifled the bottom corner of the net in the 24th minute to leave the sides level.

Another well worked move set Kit Óg Lynch up to score in the 27th minute and Ballinlough were to take a two point lead in at the break when Conor Fleming landed an excellently struck 45’ in the 28th minute. So when Referee Martin Dawson blew the half time whistle Ballinlough lead on a scoreline of 1-06 to Ratoath’s 0-07.

From the restart Ballinlough pushed on with Brandon Brunton, Niall McDonnell and Darren O’Higgins all combining well but it was the in-form Harry Ryan who put the ball over the bar three times in a row by the 34th minute to extend Ballinlough’s lead to five points.

The home side had a chance to extend their lead further when they were awarded a penalty in the 35th minute when Darren O’Higgins was felled , but Collie Mallen couldn’t keep his effort down and had to settle for a point from the penalty spot. Mallen was withdrawn moments later with an injury so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that the leg was niggling him as he stepped up to take the spot-kick!!

Another Harry Ryan free left seven between the sides before Ratoath finally got motoring in the second half with a fine point from play followed by a goal straight from the next play to leave three points between the teams in the 42nd minute.

Massive credit to Ballinlough though who responded in kind and with the next attack Darren O’Higgins palmed a high ball down into the path of Harry Ryan, who danced his way through defenders and fired a lovely shot between the tight space between the keeper and the post to boost Ballinlough and restore their six point lead.

Another Ratoath point in the 45th minute kept them in it but there was no stopping Harry Ryan this evening as he added two more points, a free he himself was fouled for before a superb point from play in the 50th minute.

Ratoath kept battling and were rewarded with a point from play in the 51st minute, but Ballinlough were in rampant form and when the Ratoath keeper erred in his clearance Niall McDonnell was alive to pounce on the loose ball, the only way to stop him was to foul him which the Ratoath defender duly obliged, leaving Referee Martin Dawson little option but to point to the spot for the second time this evening.

With Collie Mallen off injured up stepped Harry Ryan with thoughts of completing his hat-trick and he did so with aplomb, striking an excellent penalty in the 53rd minute… like Chelsea a few weeks ago, if there were any doubts as to who the penalty taker should be, Harry declared himself the Cole Palmer of Ballinlough tonight !!

With a serious shift put in across the field and with a limited number of substitutes on the bench, it was inevitable that Ballinlough might wilt a-bit in the closing stages, allowing Ratoath to finish strongly, rattling off two points before a goal in the 59th minute to lower the deficit to four points. It was too little too late however as Ballinlough held on and came away with a deserved victory on a scoreline of 3-13 to Ratoath’s 2-12.

Next up is an away trip to Walterstown for our Div.7 side on Sunday morning where we will be hoping to make it four wins out of five games in that Division!!

Ballinlough: C.Monaghan, C.Fleming (0-01(one 45’), R.Farrell, B.Jordan, C.Rennicks, D.Caffrey, J.Lynch, H.Ryan (3-07(4f)), C.Mallen (0-02(2f)), B.Brunton, B.Smith (0-01), N.McDonnell, D.O’Higgins, J.Smith (0-01), K.Óg Lynch (0-01)

Subs: M.Tynan for C.Mallen 37’, P.Muldoon for M.Tynan 54’

Referee: Martin Dawson

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