Leixlip have too much for Ballyteague
Leixlip reached the final four in comfortable fashion with a 1-16 to 0-7 win
Leixlip 1-16
Ballyteague 0-7
Leixlip booked themselves a place in the 2024 Auld Shebeen Athy Intermediate Football Championship semi-finals after they carded an impressive triumph over Ballyteague in Clane on Sunday.
David Jordan’s side were full value for their victory, which featured seven points from Jack Barrett and a late goal by substitute, Ciaran Silke that went a long way to setting up a clash with Milltown in the penultimate rounds of the competition next Saturday.
It took them less than a minute to open their account last weekend, Eamonn Murphy shooting over the bar before Brian McGrath levelled it up for Ballyteague three minutes later.
Barrett and Ballyteague’s Jimmy Hyland then exchanged a brace over the next seven minutes, before
Leixlip began to pull clear through scores from Murphy, Barrett and Paddy Meagher.
Both Luke Mahon and Murphy went close to goals for Leixlip, the former letting slip Darren O’Connor’s pass just as he was about to pull the trigger, before Murphy poked the ball fractionally wide of the post minutes later.
At the other end, Jimmy Hyland was desperately unlucky not to haul Ballyteague right back into it almost midway through the first half when his long-range attempt came back off the crossbar.
Likewise, Leixlip’s Tommy Moolick was also denied by the framework ten minutes later when he turned two defenders and unloaded a vicious effort that smacked the bar.
Padraic Murphy did reduce Ballyteague’s arrears with a point following a brilliant defence-bursting run, but Leixlip finished the half strongly with points from Barrett and Moolick to see them take a 0-9 to 0-4 cushion into the break.
David Jordan’s players maintained that momentum when they returned to the pitch, Moolick, Barrett and Darren McDermott all splitting the posts to extend their side’s lead to seven points with as many minutes gone in the second period.
Ronan Fitzsimons added to that with a superb strike over the bar, but Leixlip did suffer a setback when Luke Mahon was shown a black card for his challenge on Ryan Webb on 44 minutes.
Leixlip did begin to sit deeper as a result of that, but not before Murphy increased the gap to nine points when he converted a free.
While Ballyteague were afforded the chance to push forward over the closing 15 minutes, they found it increasingly difficult to unlock a stubborn Leixlip rearguard that gave up only two points over the closing 20 minutes.
And Leixlip did finally chalk up the goal their performance deserved when Ciaran Silke combined with fellow substitute, Darragh Melville to eke out the space he needed to fire home, capping a brilliant counter attack late on in the tie.
Scorers: Leixlip: Jack Barrett 0-7 (0-1 45 & 0-1 mark), Eamonn Murphy 0-3 (0-1 free), Ciaran Silke 1-0, Tommy Moolick 0-2, Ronan Fitzsimons 0-2, Paddy Meagher 0-1, Darren McDermott 0-1.
Ballyteague: Jimmy Hyland 0-3 (0-2 frees), Brian McGrath 0-1, Padraic Murphy 0-1, Glen Thorpe 0-1, Seamus Hanafin 0-1.
LEIXLIP: Niall McConnell; Eamonn Murphy, Ryan Doyle, Kevin Conneely; Ciaran Fadian, Jack Travers, Jack Quinn; Tommy Moolick, Ronan Fitzsimons; Ben Travers, Luke Mahon, Darren O’Connor; Jack Barrett, Darren McDermott, Paddy Meagher. Subs: Darragh Melville for Meagher and Ciaran Silke for Murphy (both 53 minuteds), Sean Englishby for Travers (56 minutess), Niall White for McDermott (58 minutess) and Sean Jeffrey for O’Connor (59 minutes).
BALLYTEAGUE: Jason Casey; Paraic Hanley, Cathal Hanafin, Ryan Webb; Cian Loughlin, Gerry Melia, Glen Thorpe; Seamus Hanafin, Tommy Callan; Luke Jacob, Brian McGrath, Padraic Murphy; Stephen Ennis, Fionn Murphy, Jimmy Hyland. Subs: David Randles for Cathal Hanafin (34 minutess), Conor Hanley for Padraic Murphy (40 minutes), Darragh Kearns for Callan (50 minutes) and Jamie Lambe for Jacob (55 minutes).
REFEREE: Raymond Kelly.