This article is from page 97 of the 2009-04-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 97 JPG
BALLYEA kept their championship hopes alive by the skin of their teeth on Sunday morning as a last gasp Gary Brennan goal earned them a dramatic reprieve. A Daire Keane free for Kilmaley deep into injury time appeared to have been enough to finally see off Ballyea’s challenge but they had one last sting in their tail when Niall Keane’s long free into the square first broke to Don Flannery whose pull was partially blocked, only for Gary Brennan to react the quickest to finish to the net.
It was a bitter pill for Kilmaley to swallow, especially considering that they were six points clear by the 41st minute but in many ways, they were the architects of their own downfall.
Instead of killing off the game, they sat back and invited Ballyea onto them and tired legs resulting in indiscipline gave Ballyea a renewed window of opportunity that they eventually grasped.
There were some contentious deci- sions towards the finish but with the crowd totally immersed in the drama, the tension was heightened on the field as the tie reached it’s dramatic and ultimately fitting conclusion. Both sides had their moments over the hour with Ballyea’s haltf-back line and midfield bossing the open- ing half, despite facing the breeze that blow towards the clubhouse.
It meant that Kilmaley only led by 1-3 to 0-3 at the break, with Kilma- ley’s Michael O’Neill proving a con- stant irritant to the Ballyea defence, hitting 1-1 of that total with the goal coming in the 17th minute when John Cabey’s ball inside was fumbled by goalkeeper Seamus Doohan.
With only O’Neill, John Cabey and the impressive Noel Casey propping them up in the first period, Kilmaley were fortunate to hold that three point advantage into the interval as Ballyea hit nine wides against the conditions but on the restart, Kilmaley finally
began to assert themselves.
Chief marksman throughout the championship, Daire Keane came to life and along with the lively O’ Neill, they tacked on a brace of points each with only Gary Brennan replying for Ballyea as Kilmaley opened up a 1-
7 to 0-4 lead with less than twenty minutes remaining.
However, Ballyea got themselves back into the game through placed balls, although their recovery was slow and tense. The first signs of a fightback came when Declan Keane
was fouled and Francie O’Reilly stepped up to take the resulting 20 metre free but his effort was tapped over the bar by goalkeeper Bryan O’ Loughlin.
A Niall Keane free followed soon afterwards to cut the deficit to four
and the crowd were also left gasping when a Gary Brennan shot from close range was though to have gone past goalkeeper O’Loughlin but in fact, his effort was just left of the post.
Ballyea kept up the pressure though and after Don Flannery hit a huge point from distance, Niall Keane converted another free to claw it back to two points.
Not having scored in over twenty minutes, Kilmaley finally lifted the siege when Daire Keane pointed a free after being fouled himself in the 63rd minute but there was still time for one last attack and when Cathal O’Connor was fouled on the *45, Bal- lyea finally got themselves out of jail with that Gary Brennan goal.
It was to prove the final puck of the game and with the sides due to meet again this weekend, Kilmaley will pray that this late laspe won’t come back to bite them.