Lismore make champions work for their win
Ballygunners' Paddy Leavy trys to get away from Lismore's Joe Lenihan during their Co. SHC tie in Fraher Field. Photos: Sean Byrne.
Though yet to field what might be considered their full strength side at this early stage of the championship Ballygunner still found a way to preserve their ten year unbeaten run on the domestic scene as they saw off a stronger than expected challenge from a valiant Lismore side in windy and wet Fraher Field on Sunday.
With five minutes remaining in this game Lismore trailed by just two points despite Maurice Shanahan’s poorly struck penalty having been saved by Stephen O’Keeffe and then being reduced to fourteen players with the sending off of David Prendergast, all midway through the second half. When Lismore’s teenage full forward, Ben O’Sullivan scored his third goal in the 52nd minute just one point separated the teams but in the remaining eight minutes experience told as the Gunners pulled clear, outscoring Lismore by five points to two.
Ballygunner appear to be building towards peaking later in the season as such as Philip Mahony and Dessie Hutchinson were again missing from the starting line up and being joined on this occasion by such as Mikey Mahony and Peter Hogan with Shane O’Sullivan and Patrick Fitzgerald coming back on board. Lismore made two changes from the side that beat Dungarvan with Shane Barry and Tadhg Duffin replacing Joe Lenihan and Charlie Lineen.
Ballygunner won the toss and elected to face the breeze blowing into the dressing room end. It was Lismore who opened the scoring with a Maurice Shanahan point but by the 10th minute Ballygunner had moved into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead with two points apiece coming from Pauric Mahony (1F) and Patrick Fitzgerald. Lismore hit back with two points from Maurice Shanahan frees, the first for a foul on Ben O’Sullivan and the second for a foul on himself.
Ballygunner were looking comfortable as Harry Ruddle raced through to bring out the best in goalie Fionn O’Gorman who had to react quickly to deny Jake Foley on the follow up at the expense of a ‘65’which Pauric Mahony pointed in the 15th minute. Mahony gave his side a three point lead in the 17th minute following a foul on Fitzgerald but a minute later Lismore levelled when Jordan Shanahan won possession on the left touchline and laid the ball off to Maurice who, drawing the cover, passed on to the unmarked Ben O’Sullivan on the edge of the square and he gave Stephen O’Keeffe no chance as he shot to the net.
Lismore took the lead in sensational style after six scoreless minutes when Tadhg Duffin was fouled going forward. The referee clearly signalled advantage but there seemed to be some hesitation in the Ballygunner defence in expectation of the free as the ball was sent on to O’Sullivan who again finished to the net with authority. Finbar Reaney followed up with a splendid point from long range and, trailing now by four points, Ballygunner were in a game.
The response from the champions was immediate. Attacking from the puck out Cormac Power made the break from the left wing passing on to Kevin Mahony in support and the county player gave Fionn O’Gorman no chance as he crashed the ball to the corner of the net. Points from Pauric Mahony and Kevin moved their side into a one point lead but with the half going into a minute of added time Maurice Shanahan sent over a free following a foul on Jordan Shanahan and in the last action of the half he sent over a glorious point from a free on the touchline, well inside his own half, to give his side a 2-6 to 1-8 half-time lead they just about deserved.
Ballygunner took control immediately on the resumption with Jake Foley sending over the equaliser and by the 37th minute the champions were leading with further points coming from Conor Sheahan and Pauric Mahony (F). At that point Lismore introduced the experienced Paudie Prendergast in place of a somewhat unhappy Ray Barry but Ballygunner maintained their momentum with Pauric Mahony adding a point from a free and Patrick Fitzgerald returning the following puck out over the bar for a four point lead.
The Gunners decided it was time to put the game to bed with a three pronged substitution in the 42nd minute that saw experienced duo Peter Hogan and Mikey Mahony replacing Harry Ruddle and Conor Sheahan with teenager Conor Tobin coming on for Jake Foley. Lismore had yet to score in the second half when Maurice Shanahan was fouled heading for goal in the 44th minute resulting in a clear penalty. The normally reliable Maurice stepped up to take it but his effort was comfortably saved by Stephen O’Keeffe.
There were a few bad tempered outbreaks close to the Lismore goal that resulted in the sending off of David Prendergast on a second yellow card and also a yellow card for Kevin Mahony before Maurice Shanahan had his side’s first score of the half from a free in the 47th minute. Pauric Mahony replied in kind but in the 52nd minute a high delivery into the Ballygunner goalmouth was broken down by Shanahan and Ben O’Sullivan was on hand to whip the ball to the net for his third goal, leaving just a point between the sides.
The challenge was now put down to the champions and they responded as would be expected with points coming from Patrick Fitzgerald and Conor Tobin to one in reply from Jordan Shanahan before two points from Pauric Mahony and one from Peter Hogan, against one coming back from a Maurice Shanahan free, secured a hard earned win for the Gunners.
– 0-10 (5Fs, 1’65’), Kevin Mahony 1-1, Patrick Fitzgerald 0-4 (1F), Jake Foley, Conor Sheahan, Conor Tobin, Peter Hogan 0-1 each.
– Ben O’Sullivan 3-0, Maurice Shanahan 0-7 (6Fs), Finbar Reaney and Jordan Shanahan 0-1 each.
– Stephen O’Keeffe, Ian Kenny, Barry Coughlan, Ronan Power, Shane O’Sullivan, Tadhg Foley, Aaron O’Neill, Conor Sheahan, Paddy Leavey, Pauric Mahony, Kevin Mahony, Harry Ruddle, Cormac Power, Jake Foley, Patrick Fitzgerald. – Peter Hogan for Ruddle, Conor Tobin for J. Foley, Mikey Mahony for Sheahan (all 42mins).
Fionn O’Gorman, David Prendergast, Iarlaith Daly, Conor Howard, Aaron Whelan, Shane Barry, Finbar Reaney, Joseph O’Keeffe, Ray Barry, Oisin O’Gorman, Jack Prendergast, Jordan Shanahan, Tadhg Duffin, Maurice Shanahan. - Paudie Prendergast for Ray Barry (37), Basil Trigg for Duffin (52).
– Michael O’Brien (Portlaw)..
