Walsh Island rally superbly to send Ballycumber out in Senior B Football CHampionship

WALSH Island rallied superbly in the closing twenty minutes to advance to the semi-finals of the Senior “B” Football Championship with a deserved win over Ballycumber in Tullamore on Sunday afternoon.

Tullamore Court Hotel Senior “B” Football Championship quarter-final

Walsh Island 2-18
Ballycumber 1-18

Behind by four points, 1-14 to 1-10 ten minutes into the second half, Walsh Island were in serious trouble but they were brilliant from here on. Despite having a handful of players well in their thirties, Walsh Island actually looked the fitter team late on as they got on top in all sectors.

It was a great comeback by Walsh Island, who have confounded expectations all year but now find themselves just one game away from the final.

The first half was a very tight affair with nothing separating them. Walsh Island started very well with Alan Mulhall doing well to find the net in the third minute. They were 1-3 to 0-1 up after ten minutes and playing all the football.

Walsh Island's finishing was superb in the first half and they didn't have a wide until Willie Mulhall kicked one in the 41st minute. Walsh Island were 1-6 to 0-3 up after seventeen minutes but an opportunist Gary Larkin goal brought Ballycumber back into it in the 19th minute, 1-6 to 1-4.

Ballycumber were the better team from here to the interval. It has been a very mixed season for them and the low point was just scoring two points in their group defeat by Bracknagh. They played some of their best football of the year coming up to half time, scoring six of the last eight points for a 1-10 to 1-9 interval lead.

Ballycumber continued where they left off in the second half. They got four of the first five points and Joe Lowry's one at the start of the half should have been a goal but that 1-14 to 1-10 lead still represented a very good position for them.

They didn't build on it as Walsh Island got back into it with a Willie Mulhall free followed by an opportunist goal from the veteran forward in the 43rd minute. Suddenly it was a draw match and Ballycumber were in a dogfight.

They got back in front with a Gary Larkin point but Walsh Island replied with two from Willie Mulhall, one a mark won by John Doyle but he sustained a knock and couldn't take it, the other from a free. Ballycumber could have got two goals in this spell – Nigel Grennan was bottled up as he got sight of goal, claiming a penalty while Gary Larkin blazed wide with a great chance in the 52nd minute.

Ballycumber paid a dear price for those misses as Walsh Island smelt a big win. They were three points up, 2-16 to 1-16 with two minutes left and now Ballycumber needed a goal. The losers got it back to two points twice in the closing minutes but their forward line were very poor in the last quarter and couldn't manfacture one – Cormac Quinn did fire over the bar with a half goal chance.

It was a great win for Walsh Island who will be delighted to be in the semi-final. Tommy Brereton scored three sensational points from the half back line while Thomas O'Connor, Colm Gavin, Willie Mulhall, Oisin Murphy, John Doyle and impressive sub Jack Haverty also did very well.

It was a very disappointing defeat for Ballycumber. 1-18 was a good return and they had spells of real dominance but they didn't play consistently well for long enough. Midfielder Cormac Quinn was their best player while John Egan, Gary Larkin and Joe Lowry, after a slow start, also impressed.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Willie Mulhall (Walsh Island): There is a temptation to go with Thomas O'Connor for a very solid, hard working display but you just couldn't ignore Willie Mulhall's contribution. He got 1-10, 1-4 from play and he also had all four of Walsh Island's wides. That was a lot of shots at the post and Walsh Island could not have won this game without him.

THE SCORERS

Walsh Island: Willie Mulhall 1-10 (5f and 1m), Tommy Brereton 0-3, Oisin Murphy and John Doyle 0-2 each, Thomas O'Connor 0-1.

Ballycumber: Gary Larkin 1-3, Cormac Quinn 0-6 (2f), Joe Lowry 0-4 (2f), Fergal Daly 0-2 (1f), Keith Lawlor, Colin Daly and Adrian Kelly (f) 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

WALSH ISLAND: Ian Duffy; Rory Connolly, Evin Gallagher, James Gallagher; Emmet KcKenna, Tommy Brereton, Rory Galvin; Colm Gavin, Thomas O'Connor; Reece Cuddihy, Willie Mulhall, Oisin Murphy; John Doyle, Alan Mulhall, Sean McCloskey. Subs – Jack Haverty for Connolly (48m).

BALLYCUMBER: Oisin Carroll; Alan Flanagan, Ethan Keena, Clive Keena; Marcus Keena, John Egan, Adam Daly; Cormac Quinn, Shaun Creevy; Gary Larkin, Fergal Daly, Keith Lawlor; Jamie Cornally, Colin Daly, Joe Lowry. Subs – Nigel Grennan for Fergal Daly (35m), Adrian Kelly for Lowry (47m), Tom Corcoran for Colin Daly (53m), Joe Lowry for Cornally (58m).

Referee – Chris Dwyer (Clara).