Ballinlough 1-09 Longwood 0-10

Ballinlough headed on the long road to Longwood on Friday evening for Round 7 of the Division.4 League. The last times these sides met in League action it was a somewhat tempestuous affair with the home side just nicking it at the death and the scoreline followed a similar pattern towards the end but this time it was the visitors who returned home with the two points in the bag.

Longwood started this game in a fast fashion hitting the first three points without reply by the seventh minute, indeed they could have being further ahead only for a defiant block by Robbie Farrell and from there the ball was worked forward with Darren O’Higgins jinking his way through but his goal effort was straight at the keeper and the chance was gone.

Ballinlough did take the next score with a Harry Ryan free, and they doubled their tally when great running from Conor Fleming set up Jack Smith to fire over in the 13th minute. Another free for Harry Ryan restored parity on the scoreboard in the 18th minute but Ballinlough were to be masters of their own downfall as they gifted scores to the home side and Longwood duly obliged, hitting four unanswered points by the 25th minute to put themselves in the driving seat.

Another goal chance for the visitors was twarthed in the 26th minute but Conor Fleming was more than able to nail the resulting 45’, sweetly stroking the ball over the bar to leave three points between the sides.

Another point for Longwood coming from a forced turnover, something the home side are particularly adept at, in the 29th minute to conclude the scoring in the first half. So when Referee Stephen Cregan blew the half time whistle Ballinlough trailed on a scoreline of 0-04 to Longwoods 0-08.

Upon the restart Ballinlough came out of the blocks flying and a long range free off the turf from Conor Fleming in the 31st minute left three between the sides, and the gap was reduced further when Harry Ryan landed a free which came about it in comical fashion, Longwood penalised for playing the ball back to the Keeper from the kickout, the novelty of the act coming because the outfield player had to kick the ball back a good 40 yards to find his goalie !!

A Longwood free kept them ticking over and Ballinlough were left to rue some very kickable chances while a second Longwood free extended their lead back to four in the 40th minute.

An excellent run forward from Darragh Caffrey resulting in Harry Ryan landing a tidy point in the 45th minute and the visitors were to find themselves level two minutes later when a quick free from Josh Lynch located Mark McCulllen, who in turn sent it in the direction of Darren O’Higgins.

With two men around him he still had plenty of work to do but he scooped up the ball and danced his way through defenders to finish to the net in the 47th minute to boost Ballinlough.

Both teams scuppered chances to take the lead with Longwood sending a goal chance well wide, while at the other end Ballinlough had a couple of point efforts stray wide of the posts.

But the leading score eventually came in the 57th minute when Harry Ryan stepped up to take a free that was really more suited to a left footer, but Ryan made easy work from the tricky angle, floating the ball over the bar to give Ballinlough a one point lead.

From that score the visitors pushed up on the kick-out and were rewarded when Kit Óg Lynch latched onto the short ball and chipped it over the bar to extend Ballinlough’s lead to two. With time running out Longwood attacked relentlessly searching for the goal that would win the game for them, but Ballinlough defended like dogs and managed to keep them out and not cough up any serious goal chance.

So when three minutes of additional time were played and with Ballinlough coming out of defence with the ball, Referee Stephen Cregan called time, the visitors taking two points back home with them on a scoreline of 1-09 to Longwoods 0-10.

Ballinlough: A.Gibney, C.Fleming (0-02(1f, one 45’), R.Farrell, C.Rennicks, J.Connell, D.Caffrey, J.Lynch, H.Ryan (0-05(4f)), M.McCullen, N.McDonnell, B.Smith, D.O’Higgins (1-00), K.Óg Lynch (0-01), J.Smith (0-01), B.Brunton

Subs: L.Maguire for N.McDonnell 47’

Referee: Stephen Cregan

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