St Pats' Rapid Fire Start Secures Victory Over Ballon
This was an enthralling Intermediate Football Championship match that swung one way and then another at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday. The eventual winners, St Patrick's Athletic, got off to a flying start with two points from Craig Staunton in the opening minute, followed by another three minutes later.
The Slaneysiders continued their pressing, with Jack Kennedy finding the posts from a narrow angle on the right. However, Ballon struggled to maintain possession and Brian Byrne knocked over a two-point free for St Patrick's Athletic. Cathal Healy also contributed, while Ballon’s only point came from a Brian Maher free after 16 minutes.
With a 0-12 to 0-1 lead, the Tullow side then coughed up a good chance and Ballon capitalized by bringing the ball through the hands where Callum Crawford scored easily. Shane Duffy added another two-pointer for Ballon, followed by Alex Kelliher’s brace of points.
Despite Ballon’s dominance in the second half, St Patrick's Athletic held their ground and were rewarded with a Brian Byrne two-point free at halftime. Jack Kennedy extended the lead further with a 31st-minute free.
Ballon regained control for about 20 minutes, scoring points through Maher, Duffy, Kelliher, and Crawford. They even took a brief lead when Maher converted a 40-metre free on 53 minutes. However, St Patrick's Athletic responded with back-to-back frees from Byrne to regain the advantage.
The drama intensified as Ballon missed two clear goal chances, one of which was saved by the St Patrick's defense. Brian Maher’s shot narrowly missed the left-hand upright in a last-ditch effort to save their day. Despite only scoring five times in the second half, St Patrick's Athletic secured victory and are now firmly on track for the intermediate football championship.
St Patricks' Scoring Summary: - B Byrne: 0-8 (2tpf, 2f) - J Kennedy: 0-6 (3f) - C Staunton: 0-4 (2tp) - C Healy: 0-1
Ballon's Scoring Summary: - Brian Maher: 0-6 (2tp, 1f) - Shane Duffy: 1-2 (1tp) - Callum Crawford: 1-0 - A Kelliher: 0-2 - F McCaffrey: 0-1
