Two goals for Scally as Kilbeggan advance with ease

Kilbeggan Shamrocks 4-6, Ballymore (Longford) 2-2

Westmeath junior football champions Kilbeggan Shamrocks were seldom troubled by a disappointing Ballymore side in last Saturday afternoon’s Leinster quarter-final, and Niall O’Brien’s vastly superior outfit were not flattered by their ten-point winning margin in cold but dry weather in The Downs.

The Longford champions actually failed to register even a single score until the 42nd minute, at which stage their opponents had clocked up 4-3. In the end, the visitors brought some respectability to the scoreboard without ever remotely threatening a Lazarus-like recovery.

The reward for the Kilbeggan men – who will be hoping that injuries to both midfielders, Niall Carey and Brendan McMahon, prove to be minor – is a Westmeath venue in the semi-final against Kildare representatives Milltown, and with two solid wins under their belt the men in maroon and white will be hopeful of reaching a provincial final.

Kilbeggan Shamrocks had the aid of a useful wind – which seemed to die down as the game progressed – blowing from the clubhouse end of the resplendent complex, and they had an unanswered 2-1 registered by the eighth minute. Conor Delaney’s point with exactly a minute gone was followed by clinically-taken goals from the boots of Nigel Scally (from close range after being superbly picked out by Paul Fennell in the fourth minute) and Fennell himself (a classy finish under pressure some four minutes later).

In truth, the winners were dominant in virtually every position on the field at this juncture, and only an element of complacency prevented them from increasing their already-substantial lead. Former Longford senior player Bernard McElvaney ought to have fisted his side’s first point in the 11th minute, and he was blocked from a goal attempt seconds later.

The hard-working Darragh Coffey had a first-time pull for a goal saved by Mattie McCrann, but there was no stopping Fennell’s quality point in the 26th minute or Scally’s second three-pointer a minute later (at the end of a move started impressively by Martin Ward). The woodwork denied the rampaging Scally a hat-trick in the 28th minute from an acute angle. Ballymore’s woes were summed up when McElvaney missed a scoreable free with the last kick of the first moiety, leaving the scoreboard at the interval reading: Kilbeggan Shamrocks 3-2 Ballymore 0-0.

On the change of ends, a wide for both teams preceded a converted free by Delaney in the 34th minute. Scally then appeared to be foot-blocked close to the Ballymore goalmouth, but the referee – who was consistent throughout in his refusal to award soft frees – opted to throw the ball in. In the 40th minute, a shot from Fennell broke kindly for sub Danny Scully who scooped the ball to the net, to put the Lake County champions a whopping 4-3 to 0-0 in front.

The well-supported black and amber-clad outfit belatedly got off the mark in the 42nd minute when Gavin O’Hara scored a terrific goal after a David Reilly delivery. Damien Monaghan soon added two points from routine frees. In the 52nd minute, Scally teed up Delaney who seemed certain to raise Kilbeggan’s fifth green flag, but the full forward was denied by a brave save from the advancing McCrann.

An immediate counterattack led to veteran sub Glen Kelly firing the ball wide soccer-style. Delaney slotted over a Kilbeggan free in their next attack.

Kelly was soon denied a flicked goal by an alert Sean Hanlon. An injury to McElvaney saw the losers down to 14 men with their sub allocation used up, but they still had enough in the tank for Kelly to superbly fist the ball past Joey O’Neill from a tight angle at the end of a Monaghan delivery on the hour mark. Kilbeggan Shamrocks rubber-stamped a fine win with injury-time points from Delaney (a fisted effort) and sub Cathal Finn (rounding off a flowing move).

Scorers – Kilbeggan: N Scally 2-0, P Fennell 1-1, C Delaney 0-4 (2f), D Scully 1-0, C Finn 0-1.

Ballymore: G O’Hara, G Kelly 1-0 each, D Monaghan 0-2 (2f).

Kilbeggan Shamrocks: Joey O’Neill; Sean Hanlon, James Fox, Martin Ward; Colin Draper, Aidan Stone, Mark Wrafter; Niall Carey, Brendan McMahon; Darragh Coffey, Shaun Pidgeon, Micheal Coffey; Paul Fennell, Conor Delaney, Nigel Scally. Subs used: Danny Scully for Carey (inj., 21), Dean Fitzgerald for McMahon (inj., 28), Alan Fennell for Ward (49), Mel Kiernan for M Coffey (54), Cathal Finn for Stone (59).

Ballymore: Mattie McCrann; Ben Creegan, Cian O’Hara, Ciaran Fahy; Mel Creegan, Padraig Boyle, Padraig Kavanagh; Sean Brady, David Reilly; Bernard McElvaney, Damien Monaghan, Oisín Flynn; Ciaran Reilly, John Boyle, Gavin O’Hara. Subs used: Donal McElvaney for J Boyle (27), Peter Walker for M Creegan (37), John Gorman for Fahy (41), Glen Kelly for C Reilly (43), Philip Dawson for Brady (43).

Ref: Paddy McDermott (Kildare).

Examiner's Eye on the game

Man of the match

Nigel Scally (Kilbeggan Shamrocks). In addition to scoring two very good goals, the former Westmeath senior panellist was always to the fore in attack.

Key moment

Scally’s second goal in the 27th minute put his side 11 points clear and well on course for a Leinster semi-final.