Ballinora relegate Glenville in IAFC playoff
Neil Lordan, Ballinora getting away from Ciaran O'Leary, Glenville during their IAFC relegation match at Riverstown. Picture: Dan Linehan
BALLINORA have narrowly escaped the drop to Premier Junior football after a hat-trick of late Neil Lordan frees helped them to a massive victory over Glenville in Riverstown.
The loss for Glenville means the dreaded drop but their second-half showing was one to be proud of.
Despite being the dominant side in the first half, it was far from plane sailing for the Ballinora, with Glenville coming out swinging in the second period.
Glenville were the sharper and more clinical side in the second half but a goal from Ballinora’s Robert Quirke and three super scores from frees on the bounce from half-back Neil Lordan put the game beyond doubt late on.
Even though Glenville managed the first couple of scores of the game, Ballinora dominated possession from the fifth minute to the short whistle.
Dangerous on the transition, with some beautiful sequences of link-up play, the mid-Cork side looked like men on a mission but Glenville were always on their tails.
After 12 minutes Brendan Lehane used his soccer skills to knock the ball past his man and slot it past the keeper into the Ballinora net to give his side the advantage, completely against the run of play.
Glenville moved up a gear just before half time. They could have had two goals before the break. The first golden opportunity came when Brendan Lehane’s effort for a point fell short landing in the hands of Sean Desmond whose effort hit the post and went wide.
Two minutes later, Lehane again played the ball across the square to full-forward Padraig O’Leary who tried to palm it into the net but pushed it left and wide. Ballinora went in at the interval two points to the good at 0-9 to 1-4 but Glenville came out a different unit in the second half.
Three scores from Daire O’Leary, Conor O’Keefe and Colin Cronin gave Glenville an unlikely lead early in the second period but disaster struck for Glenville on 47 minutes when Tommy Burns laid the ball off just in time to Robert Quirke who calmly placed low and left into the net to give Ballinora the lead once more.
Glenville responded well with the next three scores to decrease the deficit but eventually ran out of steam. Three pinpoint accurate Neil Lordan frees took the wind out of Glenville's sails and despite a late goal chance from Sean Desmond, they never found their way back into the contest.
R Quirke 1-2, N Jordan 0-5 f, S Kingston 0-2 (0-1 f), M Quirke 0-2, T Burns, J Keohane, I Wycherley, I Quirke 0-1 each.
B Lehane 1-1, C O’Keefe 0-3, S Desmond 0-2 (0-1 f), D O’Leary 0-2 each, J Carver, C Cronin, C Fitzgerald, P O’Leary 0-1 each.
A McAllen; R Barrow, M Lordan, T Forde; N Davis, N Lordan, I Quirke; D Holmes, J Lordan; L Lyons, M Quirke, T Burns; I Wycherley, S Kingston, R Quirke.
J Byrne for R Barrow (41), A Laverty for T Burns (48), J Keohane for I Wycherley (56).
C O’Reilly; D Sheehan, E Delahunt, S O’Reilly; J Carver, M O’Driscoll, C Cronin; C Fitzgerald, D McCarthy; C O’Leary, D O’Leary, J Cooke; B Lehane, P O’Leary, D O’Sullivan.
S Desmond for D O’Sullivan (27), C O’Keefe for J Cooke (HT), L Foley for C O’Leary (41), S Curtin for P O’Leary (53), E Fitzgerald for C Fitzgerald (55).
Brian Coniry (Crosshaven).
App?
