Impressive
Mitchels dent Ballyholland’s promotion hopes - 28/08/2003
Newry
Mitchels 0-9 Ballyholland Harps 0-9
Taken
from Newry Democrat
The bottom line with this game is
that Mitchels very nearly won and, in all honesty, probably should have won. After
producing their best performance of the season, defending resolutely, looking
very fit and being in front for fifty minutes, their players must feel like they
threw away a great opportunity to beat their local rivals. Ballyholland on the
other hand, must be wondering why they continually fail to deliver against opposition
that they should de dispatching with ease. Of the sides at the foot of the table,
Ballymartin, Carryduff, Glassdrumman and now the Mitchels have all taken points
off them.
The fact that promotion is still a possibility
is remarkable and owes only the to the inconsistent form of Attical, Drumgath
and especially the Shamrocks. Unbelievably, it took Ballyholland until injury
time in the first half to even register a score as a combination of forceful defence
and abysmal shooting allowed Mitchels a five-point head start. I don’t think too
many in attendance could believe what was unfolding before their eyes as the Harps
produced their worst half’s football in recent memory. Aidy McAteer fluffed a
goal opportunity before the excellent Stevie Poacher opened the scoring with a
fine forty-metre free, earned by Ciaran McLogan’s charge upfield. Harps proceeded
to amass a series of wides and Brendan O’Hare smashed a shot off the crossbar
as Ballyholland looked like they couldn’t buy a score. Poacher increased his side’s
lead with another pair of frees, one of which was a huge fifty-metre drive after
Kevin Kearney was dragged down. Kearney’s brother Stephen was instrumental in
the first score from play, which, amazingly, didn’t arrive until the twentieth
minute.
After a surging run, he laid the ball off to Stevie
Fitzpatrick for a simple finish, before Martin Boyle added another point moments
later. Ballyholland’s evening took another turn for the worse as Ronan Murtagh
had to leave the fray before half-time with bruised ribs. Despite this setback
John Barry, who was introduced as a sub, finally got Ballyholland’s first score
of the evening from a short free. The Harps began the second period with a greater
sense of purpose and within a couple of minutes had clawed two points back. First
Shane Mulholland knocked over an angled effort before Eugene Campbell, who had
also opened up the space for Mulholland’s point, earned a difficult free, which
Barry pointed delightfully. Mitchels fought back strongly though, as Poacher and
Stephen Kearney in turn knocked over the contenders for score of the evening.
Poacher’s effort was a magnificent, arcing drive from around
the forty-metre mark, while Kearney’s fisted score came after he had embarked
on a terrific sixty-metre charge. Joe Price pulled off a terrific stop from a
low Mark O’Hare shot and Kieran Murphy pointed after a nice Ciaran Hartigan pass
as Ballyholland finally started to gather some momentum.
Although
Richard Troupe added to Mitchel’s tally, Shane Mulholland’s influence on the game
became more discernible as he first hit the crossbar then set Mark O’Hare through
for a point.
Three consecutive Mulholland frees followed
as Ballyholland finally grabbed their first lead of the evening and it looked
as though the Harps had played their ‘get out of jail free’ card. Mitchels had
other ideas though and after Declan Morgan’s charging run was stopped illegally
in the last minute, Poacher stepped up to tie the scores again and earn Mitchels
their first league point since May.
This was a terrific
result for the town team and they were very good value for it. Although Harps
kicked considerably more wides, the Mitchels defence was excellent and they closed
down space continually and comprehensively. They competed well at midfield and
caused Ballyholland’s defence quite a few problems. Ballyholland though, would
struggle to deliver as bad a performance as this again.
Indeed Harps cannot even use the excuse of a weakened team as this was easily
the strongest squad of players that Ballyholland have had available this season.
Defensively they were sound, but at midfield and up front nobody was prepared
to provide the width Ballyholland desperately needed as all the play was bunched
up the middle and attacks inevitably petered out due to sheer numbers. There were
too many chiefs and not enough Indians in that respect. Their tactic of isolating
two full-forwards simply didn’t work as either the timing of the pass, the quality
of the pass or bad handling continually let them down.
It is no coincidence that when they did eventually break down the Mitchels rearguard,
it was as a result of abandoning these tactics for a shorter passing game. Miraculously
for Ballyholland, Shamrocks suffered a defeat at Warrenpoint and as a result their
promotion hopes are not over. But with their remaining games against three of
the best sides in the division, Shamrocks, Attical and Warrenpoint, another performance
like this will extinguish any lingering hopes. Man of the Match: none of Ballyholland’s
starters really caught the eye, although Ciaran Hartigan made a difference and
used the ball well when he entered the fray. For the Mitchels, Michael Dillon
had a fine game and performed very well on Ronan Murtagh. Stephen Kearney showed
glimpses of class at midfield and Stephen Fitzpatrick proved a great target for
the Mitchels defence to play through. Stephen Poacher was the best player on show
though.
His free-taking was exceptional and he picked up
a lot of ball around the middle in his third midfielder role. On top of this he
showed great leadership throughout and was the driving force behind the Mitchels
performance.
Ballyholland:
K Loughran, G Elmore, S
O’Hare, P Duffy (P Murphy), John Patterson, R Murphy (J Shields), C Smith, James
Patterson, B O’Hare, A McAteer (J Barry (0-3, 2f)), S Mulholland (0-4, 3f), E
Campbell, M O’Hare (0-1), R Murtagh (C Hartigan), K Murphy (0-1).
Mitchels:
J Price, M McCaul, K McLogan, C McLogan, N Allen, M Dillon, D McLogan, S Kearney
(0-1), S Cooney, D Morgan, R Troupe (0-1), S Fitzpatrick (0-1), M Boyle (0-1),
S Poacher (0-5, 4f), K Kearney.
