Valley Rovers far too slick for understrength Ballincollig

Ballincollig 0-7 Valley Rovers 1-19 

VALLEY Rovers comfortably defeated a depleted Ballincollig side away from home in the Cork Credit Unions Division 1 Football League on Sunday morning. 

Ballincollig, who are down more than 10 players due to Cork duties, injuries and other factors, couldn’t handle a slick Valley Rovers. The Carrigdhoun outfit have picked up their first win following one point from the first two outings. The Village are bottom and pointless from three games.

Valley Rovers hit four consecutive points inside 13 minutes, the impressive Darragh Murphy with two long-range scores, while the effective Eoghan Delaney and Adam Walsh-Murphy also found the target. The Muskerry team did kick two of the next three points, to reduce the margin down to three but that is the closest they got. Valleys scored five of the last six points of the half to lead 0-10 to 0-3 at half-time.

Valleys pushed 10 points clear five minutes into the new half thanks to four of the first five points of the new half. A Darren Murphy free and a Peter O’Neill effort did reduce the deficit, but an Eoghan Delaney free and an Eoin O’Reilly white flag restored the 10-point cushion with 15 minutes remaining, 0-16 to 0-6. O

’Neill slotted over a free for Ballincollig after 47 minutes but it would be their last score of the game. Rory O’Sullivan, William Hurley and sub Adam Casey raised white flags for the Innishannon team before Ciarán O’Shea finished with aplomb past Jack Gibbons in the Ballincollig goal to put the icing on the cake.

Valley Rovers are at home against Éire Óg in their next game on Saturday, April 8 at 6pm. The Village are away to Douglas the day after at 11.30am.

Scorers for Ballincollig: P O’Neill (f), D Dorgan 0-2 each, C Dorgan (f), D Murphy (f), R Curran 0-1 each.

Valley Rovers: E Delaney 0-5 (0-2 f), F Lynch (f), D Murphy 0-3 each, C O’Shea 1-0, C McCarthy 0-2, E O’Reilly, R O’Sullivan, A Casey, A O’Leary (f), A Walsh-Murphy, W Hurley 0-1 each.

BALLINCOLLIG: J Gibbons; B Dore, F Down, S O’Donoghue; J O’Connor, Shane O’Neill, D Ebili; P O’Neill, E Cooke; Seán O’Neill, R Noonan, D Murphy; D Dorgan, C Dorgan, R Curran.

Subs: C Sheehan for Seán O’Neill (14, inj), C Buckley for E Cooke (18, inj), L Harris for S O’Neill (41).

VALLEY ROVERS: C Desmond; C O’Keeffe, D Muckian, J Kenneally; J Kiely, W Hurley, A Walsh-Murphy; F Lynch, D Murphy; R O’Sullivan, D O’Shea, C O’Shea; E O’Reilly, E Delaney, C McCarthy.

Subs: A O’Leary for J Kiely (h-t), C Johnson for A Walsh-Murphy (47), A Casey for E O’Reilly (50), A Sheehan for J Kenneally (53), J Cronin for D O’Shea, M Savic for C McCarthy (both 55), C Hogan for C O’Keeffe (61).

Referee: John Ryan (Macroom).