ACL 1
REDS WIN AT HOME, BUT NO DANCING
Rostrevor 1-9 Ballyholland 0-7
Rostrevor registered their long overdue first home win of the season on Thursday night, but there was no dancing in the Square afterwards. Indeed, if on the off-chance you did see someone giving us a preview of Fiddlers Green, it was probably a group of Ballyholland fans tapping out their frustration with the injustice of this scoreline. For Harps cerainly deserved to take something home after a second half performance in which they roundly outplayed the home team but failed miserably to convert that possession into scores.

BLUNT
That the visitors should lack penetration in the absence of Ronan Murtagh and Robbie White was predictable. That they should so comprehensively dominate the middle third in the absence of Paul Murphy was much less so. Yet with Paudie McKernan, Paddy McAteer, Shane Mulholland, Paddy McAnulty and the effervescent Johnny Barry getting through such a power of work, Reds were always struggling to set up the platform of service to fullforwards Joe Fegan and Colm Clerkin which would made this more comfortable for them.

MISS
When Joe Fegan skied a first minute penalty high over the Harps crossbar, it was a sign that this was going to be one of those evenings where not a lot went right,[for either side , indeed], for the general standard of football was poor for most of the hour. The exception was the few minutes just before half time when Rostrevor grabbed the scores that were to prove decisive. The first quarter was turgid enough. Points by Colm Clerkin, Tony Havern and Shane Mulholland tied the scores at 0-2 each after 13 minutes but the home side put on a spurt to go 0-6 to 0-3 up by the 22nd minute as Turlough Murphy and Niall Farrell raced through for points from play and the reliable Colm Clerkin added two more frees. But The game was very much still in the balance as Johnny Barry and Paddy McAteer reduced the difference to one and it needed a spectacular diving block from Paul Magee on Johnny Barry to prevent a Ballyholland goal in the 24th minute. But we did at least see three minutes of pure quality on the edge of half time. First an intelligent pass out of deep defence from Aidan Cousins sent fellow corner back jarlath farrell rampaging up field to orchestrate a bewildering Rostrevor move which left Colm Clerkin to sidestep Kieran Murphy and tap in the only goal of the game. And if Colm could hardly have missed that, the same could not have been said about his next score, a glorious point under pressure from fifty yards which left the home team with a five point leading margin hardly warranted by the play.

ON TOP
But Harps still had plenty to say for themselves. Unfortunately for them they failed to say it on the scoreboard, where it counted. But after twenty minutes steady pressure, all they had to show for their efforts were two Shane Mulholland frees.Reds rode their luck and came up with the winning formula in the final ten minutes when they introduced Conor Daly and Martin Doran. Dorans work-rate began to spark a flow of possession over the half way line again, and Conor Daly picked off two fine angled points to ease Reds worries.

BETTER
The return of Doran and Daly was probably the brightest aspect of this performance from the Rostrevor point of view, although we also saw some excellent defending from Jarlath Farrell and Kevin McGrath, and Conor Mackin and John fegan showed plenty of ideas in an attack which reaaly ought to have done more to bring those ideas to fruition. Ballyholland have more to be pleased about [the result, obviously, excepted]. Anton Haughey and Paddy McAnulty were strong in defence, Joe Murphy and Paudie Mckernan edged the midfield battle, and Johnny Barry was outstanding in an attack where Paddy McAteer and Shane Mulholland also showed well.

Rostrevor scorers; Colm Clerkin [1-4] 3 frees; Conor Daly [0-2]; Joe Fegan [0-1] penalty; Turlough Murphy [0-1]; Niall Farrell [0-1]

Ballyholland scorers; Johnny Barry [0-3]3 frees; Shane Mulholland [0-2] 2 frees; Tony Havern [0-1]; Paddy McAteer [0-1]

Rostrevor team; Christopher McCartan; Aidan Cousins, Paul Magee, Jarlath Farrell; Gary Magee, Kevin McGrath, Turlough Murphy; Niall Farrell, Shaun Parr; Dermot Mackin, Conor Mackin, John Fegan; Joe Fegan, Colm Clerkin, Nicholas Mills
Ballyholland team; Kieran Murphy; Collie Barry, Anton Haughey, Sean McMahon; Shane Fitzpatrick, Kieran Murtagh, Paddy McAnulty; Joe Murphy, Paudie McKernan; Damian McCrink, Shane Mulholland, Tony Havern; Mattie Shields, Paddy McAteer, Johnny Barry
Referee: Leo Smyth