Ballintubber’s Dillon sinks Shrule

Dillon delivers telling blow


Division 1A
Ballintubber 1-6
Shrule/G’corrib 0-6

Sean Rice
Clogher

A GOAL by Alan Dillon a minute from the end of normal time clinched for Ballintubber a close, dogged tie at Clogher on Sunday. It came out of the blue  . . . from a risky pass that no opponent should attempt when Dillon is prowling.
Goalkeeper Pat Conroy had just made a good save. And we all looked the other way for the clearance as the two sides ground their way toward stalemate.
Instead of the long wind-assisted kick out of defence, however, an attempted short pass by one of the defenders was intercepted by Dillon on the edge of the rectangle. A familiar body check, a dummy, and in a flash the ball was hugging the net. Game over.
It was not the result we expected as the teams trooped to the dressing rooms at the interval. Ballintubber led by three points, but they had had the advantage of the strong, biting wind. They had missed a good opportunity of a goal, and a scatter of possible points that were carried wide on the wind . . . chances we thought they would regret before the end.
On the evidence, Shrule/Glencorrib looked the side most likely to finish in front. Although they had not scored up to the 19th minute, they played sensible football, and but for the tricky wind might well have been ahead.
They also had the benefit of a trio of Mayo forwards — Mark Ronaldson and Trevor and Conor Mortimer, as well as Kieran Conroy at full-back.  Two points, by Conor, from a free, and Ronaldson was the return of their efforts. But you felt things would be different after the break. Any one of them was a match winner.
Ballintubber held no such feeling. Their five first-half points were hard earned . . . Jason Gibbons, John Duffy, Damien McGing, and Dillon (2), the scorers. McGing’s should have been a goal. He was alone inside the defence when he got possession.
Slender though the lead may have been, it was defended with typical Ballintubber  grit. Defeat was not contemplated. And when Padraic O’Connor flung a free over the bar two minutes after the re-start, a greater urgency surged through Shrule.
Trevor Mortimer, who had moved outfield in the first half was now back at full-forward, flanked by Conor and Ronaldson, and all Shrule had to do to turn the game was get the ball into that trio.
Ballintubber’s resistance began to wilt, it seemed, as Conor and Ronan Warde swung over a brace of points each, and by the 42nd minute the teams were on level terms at six apiece.
Believe it or not, Shrule never raised a further flag. As time wore on desperation gripped them, and try as they did, their star-studded front line was denied by a combination of poor supply and some heroic defending by Gary Loftus, Cathal Hallinan and Paul Earley.
Alan Dillon was the driving force behind Ballintubber’s defiance. John Feeney, Kevin McGuinness and Jason Gibbons rose to the challenge and their confidence in general soared.
And just when it seemed the spoils were about to be shared, all of Dillon’s experience was put to use in availing of that fatal defensive boob and grabbing the winner.

Ballintubber
B Walsh; G Loftus, C Hallinan, P Earley; D Geraghty, J Feeney, R O’Connor; K McGuinness, J Gibbons (0-1); T Kilcoyne, A Dillon (1-2,1f), J Duffy (0-1); M Nestor, D McGing (0-1), P O’Connor (0-1,1f).
Subs used: G Dillon for Kilcoyne; D Coleman for Duffy.

Shrule/Glencorrib
P Conroy; R Walsh, K Conroy, R Murray; D Walsh, L Garvey, N Sullivan; J Lohan, C Dowd; E Ronaldson, Kieran Walsh, R Warde (0-2); C Mortimer (0-3,3fs), T Mortimer, M Ronaldson (0-1).
Subs used: Dermot Geraghty for Murray; D McTigue for K Walsh; R Carey for Dowd; Kevin Walsh for Ward.

Referee: L Higgins (Ballina)