Carnaross 1-9, Ballinabrackey 0-7

Carnaross were crowned B League division 5 champions on Sunday last after a hard-fought win over Ballinabrackey. It was a thoroughly deserved victory for the North Meath side who remained unbeaten throughout the campaign.

The match was played in the impressive Trim venue on a chilly, blustery afternoon. A minute’s silence was observed before the game for the late Ballinabrackey clubman Pat Dalton. Both sides brought great intensity to the opening exchanges resulting in several turnovers. Carnaross opened the scoring with Patrick McDermott splitting the posts but the Bracks responded with a point of their own.

Declan Reilly then put some daylight between the teams with a spectacular goal. The full forward blocked down a Bracks defender before gathering the loose ball and finding the back of the net with an exquisite chip over the on-rushing keeper. Carnaross immediately got another chance to extend their lead after Reilly was brought down in the box. However, the Bracks keeper produced a fine save to keep out the penalty from McDermott.

Ballinabrackey had a goal chance of their own shortly afterwards but Carnaross keeper Shane McNiffe raced from the line to make a crucial interception, hoofing the ball to safety and preventing a certain goal. McNiffe was then called into action again as the Bracks worked the ball into goal-scoring range. The Ross keeper stood his ground forcing a shot from a narrow angle which flew wide of the post.

Carnaross had weathered the storm and went on to dominate the rest of the half. Relentless running from the half backs and midfield created plenty of opportunities for the forwards. The Ross outscored the Bracks by 4 points to one in the closing stages with points from Reilly, Killian Porter and Stephen Flattery to lead by 1-5 to 0-2 at half-time.

Reilly picked up where he left off after the break and split the posts after Pierce Fleming forced a turnover in midfield. Carnaross were then forced to withstand a period of sustained pressure as the Bracks rattled off the next three points from placed balls. However, the Carnaross defence denied Ballinabrackey any chance for a goal during this period and held them to two points from play.

McDermott relieved the pressure with a vital, long-range effort and, although Ballinabrackey went on to score a further two points, Carnaross substitute Ollie Murphy scored the insurance point late on to secure the win on a scoreline of 1-9 to 0-7.

The victory was a fitting reward for John L McGee’s charges. The squad has a mix of exciting young talent and experienced campaigners who have produced consistently strong performances since the start of the campaign all of nine months ago. They will be aiming to repeat this year’s success in Division 4 next year and the Ross also have a chance to add more silverware in the Tailteann cup final next week.

Carnaross team and scorers: Shane McNiffe, Jack Roche, John Brogan, Matt Reilly, Cillian Comaskey, Thomas Nugent, Stephen Dawson, Pierce Fleming, Cian O’Reilly, Stephen Flattery (0-1), Brian Comaskey, Killian Porter (0-1), Shane Casserly, Declan Reilly (1-3, 2f), Patrick McDermott (0-3, 1f). Subs: Paddy Nugent for Matt Reilly, Paul Donoghue for Flattery, John L McGee for Casserly, Ollie Murphy (0-1, 1f) for Donoghue.

Tweet

Most Read Stories