Ballyboden St Enda’s win first ever Leinster senior club football title

By Brendan O’Brien, Tullamore

Ballyboden St Enda’s 2-9 Portlaoise 1-11

Dublin’s Ballyboden St Enda’s claimed the club’s first ever Leinster senior club football title this afternoon, but only on the back of a dramatic one-point defeat of a luckless Portlaoise side that will have made the short journey home overburdened with regrets.

The Laois side had numerous opportunities to at least take the game into extra-time in the final minutes but spurned every one with a close-in free from Paul Cahillane that ballooned wide in injury-time the most devastating of them.

It was a stunning wide for such a capable player who had claimed his side’s only goal shortly before the interval and Portlaoise will also rue superb saves by Donegal goalkeeper Paul Durcan who denied Brian McCormack and Brian Glynn in the second-half.

‘Boden’s two goals arrived before the interval, Andrew Kerin claiming the first six minutes in by poking a finish through the legs of Portlaosie goalkeeper Graham Brody while Michael Darragh Macauley added the other seconds after Cahillane’s three-pointer and on the stroke of half-time.

Ballyboden were well served by Durcan, corner-back Shane Clayton who did a fine job on Cahillane, and forward Conal Keaney in particular and they now await the winners of the All-Ireland quarter-final between Tipperary’s Clonmel Commercials and London’s Tir Chonaill Gaels.

Scorers for Ballyboden St Enda’s: A Kerin (1-2); C Keaney (0-4 frees); MD Macauley (1-0); C Basquel, S Maloney, A Waters (0-1 each).

Scorers for Portlaoise: P Cahillane (1-2, 0-2 frees); B McCormack and B Smyth (0-2 each); C Rogers (0-2, 0-1 free); E Whelan, C Healy and B Glynn, (all 0-1).

Ballyboden St Enda’s: P Durcan; B Dwane, S Hiney, S Clayton; S O’Connor, D Nelson, R McDaid; MD Macauley, D O’Mahony; D O’Reilly, C Basquel, D Davey; S Moloney, C Keaney, A Kerin. Subs: S Gibbons for Davey (34); A Waters for O’Reilly (42); S Durkin for O’Connor (47); D McCabe for O’Mahony (63).

Portlaoise: G Brody; J Delaney, C Healy, D Seale; E Whelan, K Lillis, B Mulligan; D Cullen, C Boyle; G Dillon, C Rogers, B Glynn; B McCormack, P Cahillane, B Smyth. Subs: C Dunphy for Cullen (12); R Maher for Dillon (52).

Referee: J Hickey (Carlow).