A poud day for Ballinagore after 17-year wait
Michael Ennis, the manager of Ballinagore and a former Westmeath footballer, expressed his delight after guiding his side to victory in the Junior 2 Football Championship final against Delvin at TEG Cusack Park on Saturday.
Ennis, who had a distinguished playing career with Westmeath, winning an U21 All-Ireland title in 1999 and a Leinster Senior Football Championship medal in 2004, was instrumental in steering Ballinagore to this triumph.
Ennis, who was known for his brilliant performances as a wing-back for Westmeath, spoke about the challenges Ballinagore faced throughout the year. “We knew Delvin would be a very difficult team to beat. They beat us last year in the quarter-final, and they beat Garrycastle in this year’s semi-final, so we knew it would take a huge effort by us to win.”
On the hard-fought final, Ennis praised his team’s resilience: “The first half was a bit of a struggle for us, but we got the scores at the right times. We got off to a good start in the second half, and then they got the goal that rocked us, but we showed huge character to bounce back, and all the lads stood up to the mark, and we got over the line.”
Ennis emphasised how special it was for the club to return to success after a 17-year gap since their last final appearance. In recent years he was involved with Tyrrellspass, but winning with his own club was extra special.
Having won a Leinster club junior title with his club in the past, he was determined to give them a taste of success once more.
“It is 17 years since our last final, and to win anything with your own club is huge, but all the lads pulled together this year, and now they have got their due rewards, and I am just delighted to be part of it.
"I was involved with a few different teams in the past, but when you come back to your home club it is different."
Reflecting on the success, midfielder Darragh Seery said: “This is a huge win for us. We have had a couple of tough years in Ballinagore, but in fairness, Michael Ennis came in at the start of the year, and we all just got behind him, and he had a plan, and he set it out for us at the start.”
Seery, also echoed the importance of the victory: “There was a great buy-in by all our players this year. We are a small little community, so this is great for the community.”