For much of the second half of this game played in Quigabar it looked like Ballymote were going to win comfortably as they made little of the fact they played with 14 men for more than half of the game. Yet when it mattered most the men from Castleconnor found that little bit extra in the closing minutes of the game to gain an unlikely point. A sub plot of this exciting game was the scoring performances of two veterans – Eamonn Cawley for Castleconnor and Peter Lyons for Ballymote, both would finish top scorers for their teams.
Played in almost perfect conditions, except for a stiff breeze blowing towards Enniscrone, both teams started nervously with lots of mistakes. Ballymote hit the front in the 1st minute with a neat point from Adam Cunnane. Castleconnor missed an easy free before Ballymote doubled the lead when Lyons finished after a fine run by Cunnane. The westerners settled their nerves when Eamonn Cawley put over a free on 8 minutes after Kevin McDonnell was fouled 40 meters out. On 12 minutes they were level when Ronan Wilson finished off a nice move and from the resulting kickout he was fed again with the same result. It was tit for tat after that, Lyons winning and converting a free on 15 minutes, and then scoring one from play a minute later before Cawley tied it up again with another free. Cawley knocked over a beauty under pressure on 20 minutes to move Castleconnor ahead again but another fantastic run by the pacey Cunnane resulted in a point from Mark Irwin.
On 23 minutes Ballymote were dealt a blow when referee TJ Keaveney gave a second yellow card to Robbie Flannery and so from then until the end of the game they would play with a man less than Castleconnor. Kevin Langan fired over the best point of the 1st half from distance on 26 minutes but Ballymote responded with a fine free into the wind from Lyons. There was time for some more drama as Ballymote were awarded a penalty on 30 minutes, Malachy Healy fired low and hard to the left but Castleconnor’s goalkeeper Kenneth Healy made a superb save and the team trooped off level at 6 points each.
A quick point by Castleconnor’s Luke Munnelly following Trojan work by Kevin McDonnell started the 2nd half but an equally fine point from Ballymote’s Michael Doddy tied things up again. Cawley edged the westerners ahead from a free. However a big score came on 37 minutes when a long ball in to the Ballymote Full Forward line was won by Irwin, he played a perfect handpass to Lyons who had only one thing on his mind as he rocketed an unstoppable shot on the turn to the top corner. Castleconnor were rattled and 14 man Ballymote sniffed blood and they had discovered a winning formula, long early ball into Irwin and Lyons who were causing Castleconnor all sorts of problems. Lyons put the lead out to 3 points in the 40th minute and Dunnane added another a minute later and suddenly Ballymote were 1-9 to 0-8 ahead and looking increasingly comfortable.
As we entered the last quarter the men from the west looked to their leaders and they replied. The returning David Carrabine, who played with London this year, winning a free which Cawley converted, Captain John McDonnell with a strong run and finish on 47 minutes. Lyons and Kevin Langan traded frees. Castleconnor had a half chance for a goal, Kevin McDonnells powerful shot beaten away by Ballymote goalkeeper Daniel Feely but Paul Flynn pointed the rebound and there was only one in it with 10 minutes to play. But Ballymote had no intention of allowing the comeback to go any further and in the next 5 minutes they looked to have won the game with some super points, Irwin fisting over on 52 minutes when put through, Lyons adding another free on 53 and a wonderful point from play on 54 and it was back to a 4 point game with only 4 minutes to play.
Castleconnor responded by leaving Kevin McDonnell on the edge of the Ballymote small square and tried to find him with long, high dangerous ball. On 26 minutes the former county captain won a free which Cawley converted, 2 minutes later the same dose was repeated. With the bit between his teeth McDonnell went on a run from the half way line taking on, it seemed, the whole Ballymote defence before laying off to Ronan Wilson who finished well. Entering injury time there was only a single point in it. McDonnell thought he had levelled it with a fantastic catch and shot of the left which looked to have split the posts but it was waved wide. In the dying seconds a final Castleconnor attack resulted in Kevin Langan being fouled, up stepped Eamonn Cawley 40 meters out, 15 meters in from the end line and into the wind but he found a way to score with a simply superb strike.
So it finished honours even in this exciting Intermediate Championship game and both teams can take a lot of positives and look at just as many opportunities to improve.
Castleconnor – Kenneth Flynn, James Boland, Keith Earlis, Liam Naughton, David Carrabine, Jason Earlis, John McDonnell, Ronan Keane, Brian Howley, Eoin Kent, Paul Flynn, Kevin Langan, Kevin McDonnell, Ronan Wilson, Eamonn Cawley, Luke Munnelly. Subs Colin Gordon, Ronan Keane, Michael Cahill, Fergal Boland, Alan Cawley, James Tully, Odhran Quinn, Niall Judge, Stephen Kilgannon, Matt Geraghty, Daire Barrins, Colm Naughton, Alan Naughton, Benny Foody
Scorers – Eamonn Cawley 0-8 (7F), Ronan Wilson 0-3, Kevin Langan 0-2 (1f), Paul Flynn 0-1, Luke Munnelly 0-1, John McDonnell 0-1
Ballymote – Daniel Feely, Shane Langton, Kenny Meehan, Colm McCann, Oisin Conlon, Michael Doddy, Colin Byrne, Michael Rafferty, Malachy Healy, Dylan Martin, Peter Lyons, Adam Cunnane, Marty Underwood, Mark Irwin, Robbie Flannery. Subs Joe Trautmann, Daniel Clarke, Stephen Ross, Connor McGettrick, Kieran Tighe, Derek Tighe, Dermot McTiernan, Paul Mullin, James O Brein, Niall Colsh, Liam Og Gormley, Conor Scanlon, Gabriel Rafferty, Jason Dwyer, Jack Hever, Sean Stagg, Aidan Caffrey.
Scorers – Peter Lyons 1-8 (4F), Adam Cunnane 0-2, Mark Irwin 0-2, Michael Doddy 0-1