St Loman's overpower Ballynacargy to reach semi-final

St Loman's, Mullingar 2-18, Ballynacargy 1-10

By Shane King

St Loman’s, Mullingar put on a brilliant display of football in the Westmeath Junior 1 Football Championship quarter-final on Sunday lunchtime, overcoming Ballynacargy by an 11-point margin in Shandonagh.

Conditions were ideal as the sun shone brightly, but while the sides were evenly matched for the opening 20 minutes, a devastating Loman’s purple patch before half-time proved decisive. By the interval, they had racked up an unassailable 11-point lead, one Ballynacargy never looked like overturning.

It was a disappointing afternoon for Ballynacargy, who never found their rhythm from the off. Relegated from the intermediate ranks last year, they entered the tie hoping to push on, but struggled to cope with the finely tuned Loman’s outfit. The Mullingar men, a blend of youth and experience, were well organised and clinical in attack, which may point to the benefit of training alongside their senior counterparts.

Ballynacargy started brightly with corner forward Jamie Loran opening the scoring with a free before Philip Price doubled the lead. Loman’s soon found their footing, Ryan Jones picking out Thomas Meehan who opened his side’s account.

Both teams traded neat scores from play as Troy Maher pointed for Ballynacargy before Tristan Graham replied for Loman’s. The Mullingar men then struck their first major minutes later when Dano Fitzsimon’s effort rebounded off the post and was pounced upon by Jones, who rifled to the net.

Bal responded through a Loram free and a lively move sparked by Seamus Gannon’s turnover, which ended with Loran clipping a fine point. Conor Byrne also found the target, but Tristan Graham replied from a free to keep Loman’s noses in front.

From there, the game turned completely in the winner’s favour. In the final 12 minutes of the half, Loman’s hit 1-8 without reply to open up a commanding interval lead. Graham raised the green flag after clever build-up play by Meehan and Tadhg Kenny, while points flowed from Senan Russell, Ethan Brown and even goalkeeper Rory Matthews, who converted a long-range two-point free. Kenny added another fine score before Graham rounded off the half with three in a row, two from placed balls. At the break, Loman’s were 11 clear, on a scoreline of 2-11 to 0-6.

On the restart, Loman’s almost killed the game outright when Kenny was teed up for goal by Fitzsimons, but Thomas Nally pulled off an excellent save to keep Ballynacargy alive. A scrappy spell followed, with wides at both ends, before a lifeline arrived when referee Rob Cornally awarded Ballynacargy a penalty for a debatable push in the square. Jack Doran stepped up to dispatch confidently to the net to narrow the gap.

But any hopes of a revival were short-lived. Loman’s tightened their grip again, Kenny slotting a two-point free before Shane Mulderry clipped over a superb effort under pressure. Byrne replied with a tidy point for Bal, but Loman’s hit back instantly through the rampaging Riley Sheahen and another score from Kenny.

Loran added to his tally with a point from play after a strong run, yet Loman’s always had the answers. Jones and Fitzsimons split the posts before substitute Adam O’Connor joined the scoring list. Maher kept battling with points for Ballynacargy, but Shane Mulderry had the final say to seal an emphatic 2-18 to 1-10 victory.

For Ballynacargy, the defeat marks a disappointing end to their campaign and they will be frustrated with their performance, which didn’t showcase their full potential. However Loman’s were the better team on the day as their attack flowed with purpose and their fitness and sharpness told throughout. They now march into a semi-final meeting with Ballinagore in two weeks’ time, confident that their mix of youthful energy and seasoned experience could carry them further.

Scorers: St. Loman’s - T Graham 1-5, R Jones 1-1, T Kenny and S Mulderry 0-2, R Matthews 0-2 (1 2pt f), T Meehan, S Russell, E Brown, R Sheahan, D Fitzsimons and A O'Connor 0-1 each.

Ballynacargy - J Loran 0-4 (2f), J Doran 1-0 (1 penalty), T Maher and C Byrne 0-2 each, P Price and R Maher 0-1 each.

St. Lomans: Rory Matthews; Tristan Johnson, Ethan Brown, Ruairi Doonan; Tom Dorr, Riley Sheahan, Senan Russell; Nedas Bielicas, Dano Fitzsimons; Tristan Graham, Ryan Jones, Shane Mulderry; Thomas Meehan, Paddy Dowdall and Tadgh Kenny.

Subs: Eoghan Kenny for Dowdall (10, inj.), Mark O'Gara for Graham (53), Seanie Dennigan for S Russell (53), David Morgan for Johnson (54) and Adam O'Connor for Jones (54).

Ballynacargy: Thomas Nally; Conor Keena, Tony Doran, Séamus Gannon; Callum Maher, Mark Murphy, Jack Doran; Conor Byrne, Jack Penrose; Niall Peyton, Eoin Nally, Rhys Keena; Philip Price, Troy Maher and Jamie Loran.

Subs: Gary Fagan for Keenan (HT), Luke Price for Doran (40) and Rian Conroy for Byrne (57).

Referee: Rob Cornally (Mullingar Shamrocks).