Match Reports >> 2009 Match Reports >> Ballinrobe Town 4-1 Crossmolina

September 13th 2009 Ballinrobe Town 4-1 Crossmolina

On a sweltering hot Sunday in Ballinrobe JP Gorman exorcised the demons of a subpar first half with a quickfire hat trick in the second that powered Ballinrobe to victory against Crossmolina. The hosts entered the match with relegation fears hovering over them and an indifferent first half performance did little to dispel those worries. Both teams should be commended for managing to last the ninety minutes at all on a day that was only fit for mad dogs and Englishmen. The oppressive heat had an obvious impact on the game as neither side managed to grasp control of proceedings. The visitors edged the first half and just about deserved their goal advantage at the break. However, it was the hosts who enjoyed the majority of the goal chances in the half and they could have taken a lead after a quarter of an hour but some miraculous defending by the Crossmolina rearguard managed to prevent a goal. Ballinrobe’s striker had eluded the challenge of Jason Canavan in the penalty area and, six yards away from the right post, he shot at goal. Fortunately for the visitors Mark Howley was stationed on the goal line and he prodded it clear, but only as far as Kevin Connolly whose reflex headed effort from ten yards was somehow saved by a scrambling Mark Fox. The hosts would rue the missed opportunity three minutes later when they conceded a calamitous penalty. John Fitzpatrick had the seemingly straightforward task of passing the ball back to his goalkeeper on the edge of the penalty area but he procrastinated and allowed Eoin Corcoran to nip in and pick his pocket. Instinctively he immediately hauled the striker down as he attempted to accelerate goalwards and the referee was left with no option but to point to the penalty spot. Johnno Heffernan despatched it with aplomb into the bottom right corner to give the Deelsiders the lead. Connolly had a chance to atone for his earlier miss moments later when he beat the offside trap but he dragged his effort across the face of goal from fifteen yards out. The visiting defence was caught napping again in the twenty fourth minute when they managed to clear a corner kick from the right but when it was dumped back in from outside the area they stood still and allowed JP Gorman to sneak in behind them. They were granted a reprieve when the striker struck the ball directly at Fox in nets. Crossmolina could have doubled their lead just before the half hour mark when Sean Hiney won a crunching tackle in midfield and sprayed the ball out to Eoin Corcoran on the right wing. Corcoran immediately despatched an inviting cross to the back post where Howley arrived to meet it with a header but he directed it too high and Ballinrobe blushes were spared. Gorman registered the hosts last notable chance of the half ten minutes before the break but, again, it was easily gathered by Fox.

Five minutes into the second half Howley was presented with an opportunity to make amends for his earlier miss when he managed to get on the end of a cross from the left wing but his solid header was saved by Barry Donovan. The netminder instantly booted the ball the length of the field and Connolly allowed it to bounce once behind the Crossmolina defence before rasping a twenty yard effort just over the angle of bar and post. Gorman caused more panic in the visiting backline ten minutes in when he forced a mix-up between centre back Anthony Timoney and Fox. He seized on the loosed ball and, from the right side of the penalty area, with Fox out of nets, floated the ball dramatically goalwards. It fell just wide of the far post though. Just before the hour mark Connolly was involved again when he fired a wild shot over from twenty five yards out. The referee adjudged that it deflected off a defender and awarded a corner kick which Ronan O’Dea headed in at the back post to level the scoreline. Ballinrobe sensed a victory and they converted a purple patch late in the game into the final scoreline. Their second goal with twenty minutes remaining was as a result of a poor defensive clearance that allowed JP Gorman to be set up for a simple conversion eight yards out. The third, moments later, emanated from another misplaced defensive pass that was intercepted and relayed to Gorman for another simple goal. The last was a clever set piece that the hosts had obviously practised in training. They were awarded a free kick thirty yards out and the taker dinked it over the defensive wall to Gorman who had cleverly circled in behind them. He carried the ball towards goal and completed his hat trick with another close range finish.

Ballinrobe – Barry Donovan, Maurice Walsh, Bart Grimes, Ronan O’Dea, John Fitzpatrick, Enda Reilly, Derek Heneghan, Brian Conroy, JP Gorman, Kevin Connolly, Pat Delaney,

Crossmolina- Mark Fox, Jason Canavan, Anthony Timoney, Johnny Burke, Paul Flaherty, Mark Howley, Sean Hiney, Pat Cafferty, Anthony Ruddy, Johnno Heffernan (John Duggan 63), Eoin Corcoran (Mark Loftus 69)

Match Reports >> 2009 Match Reports >> Ballinrobe Town 4-1 Crossmolina