Intermediate Championship Quarter-Final (Saturday, 24-July-99)

Ballintubber........2-14
Lahardane............1-7

The well-worn old sporting cliche of the result not doing the defeated team justice received an airing on Saturday night in Clogher when Ballintubber advanced to the last four of the championship at the expense of Lahardane.

It was only in the last twelve minutes that the winners asserted themselves. Until then the teams were level with Lahardane the most likely looking team.

But a couple of astute substitutions inspired Ballintubber and they played some delightful stuff in the final ten minutes, scoring a total of a goal and six points in the process.

The introduction of P.J. Derrig into the winners defence and Alan Dillon to the attack changed Ballintubber. A previously stuttering machine was transformed into as smooth running an operation as one would wish to see.

But it was a cruel ending for Lahardane who had competed on an equal footing for so long. Despite playing into a strong first half wind they took the game to Ballintubber and were the better and sharper team for the opening half.

Indeed, it would be fair to say on the evidence of the first half Lahardane would have expected to have won this game. They started the second half well too and led by a point after eight minutes.

Shortly afterwards Ballintubber made their substitutions. Derrig impacted in a big way, tightening up a previously shaky looking unit while up front Alan Dillon announced his introduction with a piledriver of a shot that was brilliantly saved by Daire Nolan.

That seemed to alert Ballintubber to their true potential. Suddenly, the movement and fluidity that everyone knows they posess in attack, started to manifest itself and they pulled away with some ease in the closing stages.

On their form of the final ten minutes they will take some beating in this championship but they will also be only too well aware that they will have to produce a far more consistent performance over the sixty minutes than they did on Saturday evening.

One had to have sympathy for Lahardane. Their young team was well prepared and they had a great attitude to the game. In the first half in particular there was a real edge to their game.

Everything they did was executed with purpose. Damian Kelly, Trevor Marley, Anthony McDermott, James Gillespie and John Rowland were causing all sorts of problems for Ballintubber.

Rowland was particularly effective. His ball winning and use of possession was at the root of most of their attacks while Gillespie shook off an injury to turn in an excellent first half.

It was such a shame that they could not maintain their performance for the hour and they will be desperately disappointed at the manner of their late collapse. But maybe we should be complimenting Ballintubber for the way they picked it up late on.

Two early Ballintubber wides were indicative of their first half performance. Lyndon Reilly did kick a good point from play after three minutes but Cormac Rowland levelled a minuter later for Lahardane.

The losers also had a goal chance early on but John Rowland's punch landed just wide. Reilly and Rowland exchanged points again before Lahardane struck for their goal after eighteen minutes.

Centre-forward Vinnie Cawley made the incisive burst through the home defence before slipping the ball to John Rowland who netted from close range.

However, their joy was short lived and four minutes later Joe Glynn combined with Noel Finnerty and James Horan to score an excellent goal for Ballintubber. A minute later Kieran Lally pointed for Ballintubber.

Still though it was Lahardane who threatened the greater going forward. Cormac Rowland and Vinnie Cawley kicked two great points from play before Gary Dillon kicked the last point of the half to leave Ballintubber leading by just one point at the break.

Lahardane will have felt confident at the restart, just a point in arrears, a wind at their back and playing well. Nothing that happened in the first ten minutes of the second half would have changed their thinking.

Three points for Cormac Rowland to two from Lyndon Reilly meant the teams were level at 1-7 apiece after ten minutes. But that was as good as it got for Lahardane. The catalyst for the upsurge in the Ballintubber performance was the introductions of P.J. Derring and Alan Dillon.

All of a sudden Ballintubber were a different team. James Horan, pretty well shackled til then, kicked two superb points and Kieran Lally, Lyndon Reilly and Alan Dillon did likewise.

James Horan got in on the act, linking with his brother, to fire over a fine score and then with time running out Lyndon Reilly scored a goal after his initial shot had been saved and the rebound punched against the crossbar by James Horan.

Then with the supporters heading for the exits Vinny Keane capped a memorable ten minutes for Ballintubber with the last point of the game.

Lahardane: Daire Nolan, Mervyn Marley, Damian Kelly, Ray McDermott, Trevor Marley, Anthony McDermott, J.J. Leonard, James Gillespie, Shane Blake, Gerry McGreevey, Vinnie Cawley (0-1); John Rowland (1-1); Cormac Rowland (0-5); Declan Leonard, Tom Cawley.
Sub.: Brian Rowland (for T. Cawley).

Ref.: Martin Murphy, Ballinrobe.