Kilbeggan knock out Longford Junior champions Ballymore
AIB Leinster Club Junior Football Championship Quarter-Final
Kilbeggan (Westmeath) . . . 4-6 Ballymore . . . 2-2
Played in difficult conditions at The Down GAA grounds on Saturday, nothing went right for Dermot Murphy's charges who trailed by 3-2 to 0-0 at the break with the superior Kilbeggan side scoring a couple of killer goals through Nigel Scally and Paul Fennell in the early stages of the game and a Scally rocket raised another green flag in the 27th minute.
A fourth Kilbeggan goal materialised in the 39th minute when substitute Danny Scully scrambled the ball over the line before the Ballymore scoring famine was eventually ended.
Gavin O’Hara found the space to exploit a gap in the Kilbeggan defence and he made no mistake to register a great goal with 12 minutes gone in the second half.
A couple of frees converted by Damien Monaghan was followed by a spectacular fisted goal from prominent substitute Glen Kelly in the 60th minute as Ballymore battled it out to the bitter end.
KILBEGGAN: Joey O’Neill; Sean Hanlon, James Fox, Martin Ward; Colin Draper, Aidan Stone, Mark Wrafter; Niall Carey, Brendan McMahon; Darragh Coffey, Shaun Pidgeon, Michael Coffey; Paul Fennell (1-1), Conor Delaney (0-4, 2 frees), Nigel Scally (2-0).
Subs:- Danny Scully (1-0) for N Carey (injured, 21 mins); Dean Fitzgerald for B McMahon (injured, 28 mins); Alan Fennell for M Ward (49 mins); Mel Kiernan for M Coffey (54 mins); Cathal Finn (0-1) for A Stone (59 mins).
BALLYMORE: Mattie McCrann; Ben Creegan, Cian O’Hara, Ciaran Fahy; Mel Creegan, Padraig Boyle, Padraig Kavanagh; Sean Brady, David Reilly; Bernard McElvaney, Damien Monaghan (0-2, frees), Oisin Flynn; Ciaran Reilly, John Boyle, Gavin O’Hara (1-0).
Subs:- Donal McElvaney for J Boyle (28 mins); Peter Walker for M Creegan (36 mins); John Gorman for C Fahy (40 mins); Glen Kelly (1-0) for C Reilly (44 mins); Philip Dawson for S Brady (44 mins).
Referee: Paddy McDermott (Kildare).