Ballinasloe shrug off jersey cock-up

Ballinasloe 0-14 Kenmare 0-10

One of the most storied clubs in Galway tradition, lying second in the county’s SFC roll of honour with 20 titles, Ballinasloe have fallen on very hard times in recent years.

They relished a return to the spotlight and thrived in it, refusing to be affected by the potential mood-sapper of not being able to perform at Croke Park in their own jerseys.

“We just left them behind us” said a smiling Ballinasloe manager, Séan Riddell. “It was unfortunate but we used it as a bit of banter inside. We said ‘This is probably lucky’. Lads were having a joke saying ‘What Dublin team won the All-Ireland and never played in it?’

“But the lad that forgot the jerseys never forgets anything, and he was in bits. All the lads, they didn’t care. If we had to go out in pink jerseys today, we didn’t care. We had a mission and we really wanted to do it today.”

That was evident as they were the dominant unit, apart from the opening and closing ten minutes of the game, a fact conceded by Kenmare trainer, Enda Crowley.

“It’s been a fairytale story but there was no fairytale ending” said Crowley.

“It just didn’t happen. The better team won on the day. They blew us out of it in the first half and we were only able to get back into the game the last ten or 15 minutes of the second half.

“The last day we took to it like ducks to water. I don’t know was it nerves or was it the occasion but something did affect our players today because‘cos we are better than that. We showed that in the last three games but we didn’t perform today.”

Kenmare had most of the early possession but Darragh McCormack scored at the other end from Ballinasloe’s first attack, in the fifth minute. That came from his left and he followed up with a point.

The Galway men got a grip around midfield as they resolved to break the ball, and people like Pádraic Cunningham, who landed a super first half score, hoovered up the breaks.

Ballinasloe led 0-7 to 0-4 at half-time and it was one-way traffic as they increased the margin to seven points, when Paul Whelehan landed their ninth successive score in the 41st minute. Paul O’Connor had been a very real threat early on for Kenmare but was starved of possession after the opening quarter. He did end a 25 minute scoreless period for Shamrocks from a free and as Ballinasloe retreated into their shells, the margin reduced to a goal.

Stanley Harrington had a shot from a tight angle smothered by Nathan King – who had made a stunning finger-tip save from O’Connor in the first half – and when Whelehan landed a late point for Ballinasloe, the celebrations could begin in earnest.

Scorers for Ballinasloe: D McCormack, P Whelehan, K Kelly (2fs) 0-3 each, P Cunningham 0-2, D Burke, J Shaughnessy, L Lynch (f) 0-1 each.

Scorers for Kenmare: P O’Connor 0-5 (1f), DJ Brennan 0-4 (3fs), S O’Leary 0-1.

Ballinasloe: N King; E Fenton, D Nevin, J Shaughnessy; N Hynes, K Kelly, S Kenny; L Lynch, L Tierney; D Burke, P Cunningham, G Canavan; D McCormack, M Colohan, P Whelehan.

Subs: C Casey for Kenny (53); S Cogavin for Colohan (56).

Kenmare: H Murphy; D Crowley, T O’Sullivan, C O’Sullivan; A O’Callaghan, S O’Leary, A Crowley; S Dolton, J Wharton; R O’Sullivan, M Crowley, A O’Leary; DJ Brennan, P O’Connor, K O’Sullivan.

Subs: S Duncan for A Crowley (21); P O’Dwyer for R O’Sullivan (26); S Harrington for Dalton (45); S O’Brien for Harrington (54).

Referee: C Branagan (Down).