'They don’t know how to lose': Ballinora coach hails heroes after extra-time triumph

Ballinora's win against Ilen Rovers sealed the club's first county football title in 28 years

Ballinora have achieved first part of a potential double. Their hurlers face Cobh in the Cork JAHC semi-final next weekend. Pic: Chani Anderson.

Ballinora coach Ken O’Halloran always believed his team would prevail against Ilen Rovers in what was a topsy-turvy McCarthy Insurance Group IAFC final replay on Sunday afternoon.

The Muskerry team, not for the first time this year, showed their never-say-die attitude as Kevin Werner’s goal at the death sealed county glory for Ballinora after extra-time on a scoreline of 1-19 to 2-14 at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The game looked to have gone from them having left an eight-point advantage slip through their fingers.

The celebrations once the game was finally over said it all. A historic first title at this grade for Ballinora.

“I suppose, you go through a lot of bad moments in football over the years and you have good days, but to win a county in a replay with a last-minute goal, it’s just unbelievable,” the former Cork goalkeeper, who is in his third campaign coaching Ballinora, said post-match.

“The work the lads have put in over the last three years, they’re nothing short of brilliant. They deserve this, but I don’t think Ilen Rovers deserved to lose. I don’t think we deserved to lose either. We were down, they were down, both teams fought back and it just made for a great final.

“If the game had gone on a bit longer, we might have lost, but it’s just brilliant, honestly, I am speechless.” 

All the momentum and fizz had gone out of Ballinora’s play as the game wore on. Ilen Rovers were the team in the driving seat. Werner, who started the game, was replaced and then came back on, kicked 1-4 over the course of the match.

O’Halloran never felt his team were out of the contest even when the match went into injury time at the very end of a cracker.

“It all came down to just who had the legs, like you saw when one team had the ball, it was very hard to get it back off them because the lads were so tired.

“You’re on the line, you’re scrambling, trying to take fellas off, seeing who can come in and make a difference. But look, we just created one final chance and to be honest, I can’t remember how it even finished in the back of the net. I just saw Kevin [Werner] celebrating.

“This is an unbelievable achievement for Ballinora, these lads for the last three years, they’re never beaten, they don’t know how to lose.

“They’re young, they get stuck in and they deserve this success. A first county title in 28 years for the club, unreal. This will bring the club on,” O’Halloran concluded.

Ballinora have the first part of a potential double achieved. Their hurlers face Cobh in the Co-Op SuperStores County JAHC semi-final next weekend.

The team in green and red will be fancied in that one, but first of all, they will celebrate this one, and deservedly so.