Champions Ballyheane build towards future

Mayo Super League

Ballyheane 3
Edeh 11, 80, Lavin 73.

Kiltimagh/Knock United 1
Collins 3

DESPITE Sunday’s grey sky and torrential rain, the future looks bright for Ballyheane.
Upon arrival at Pat Quigley Park at around 10.15am, it was great to see Under-8s training (in the rain, they might as well get used to it) on the astro turf, and the Under-10s training on one of the club’s two excellent pitches, while the Super League players did the pre-match prep on the other.
Ballyheane have had a fluid squad this season.
They have introduced a lot of new players, many of them products of the club’s academy, and from their B team. Sunday’s starting XI included man of the match, Donie Behan, aged sixteen, at left back. Another youngster, Jude Lavin, came off the bench just after the hour mark, and produced an excellent performance including a well-taken goal.
Only Seán Kilcoyne and Dan Purcell are the far side of thirty.
Most of the rest are around the twenty mark.
“Welcome to the home of the champions,” was Walter Tuffy’s greeting, reminding me, in case I forgot, of their back-to-back league titles. Whilst they won’t win a third in a row, Ballyheane will be knocking on the door for the foreseeable.
Sunday’s was a typical Ballyheane performance.
They took a while to gauge the opposition.
During that period they conceded a cheap goal when Cormac Caulfield did the hard work on the wing to supply Stephen Collins, unmarked, to score the easiest of chances.
Ballyheane didn’t seem in the slightest bit bothered by this concession. They have been there before. And as the half progressed, they got a foothold in the game and eventually ran out winners.
Ben Edeh, who looked back to his best on Sunday, chipped advancing Kiltimagh-Knock Utd ‘keeper, Adam Byrne, to level matters in the 11th minute.
Jack Mullarkey might have put the visitors back in front, five minutes later, from the penalty spot, but Luca Meldrum guessed the correct side and saved at the post.
From then on, KKU were on the back foot. They lost centre-back David Brady to a nasty facial injury after 20 minutes. They had short spells on top, but mostly they lived on scraps and relied on counters. They rarely threatened, however. They have a few good providers, but with Jack O’Connor coming back from injury, KKU really lacked a finisher.
KKU are in transition too. They have lost Conor Byrne and Matty Leadbetter to emigration. James McGrath has joined Ballinamallard, the Co Fermanagh-based NI Championship side. And Darragh Hanlon is still not fully recovered from his injury.
The weather picked up for the first part of the second half, before the downpour recommenced. Ballyheane dominated proceedings and substitute, Jude Lavin, finished from a goalmouth scramble, after a disputed free-kick, with fifteen remaining.
Five minutes later, Edeh calmly rounded the ‘keeper for his second, and Ballyheane’s third.

“I thought we fully deserved it,” Ballyheane manager Ashley Stevenson told The Mayo News. “It was a good performance and I thought we were the best team overall. We’ve trained hard the past few weeks and I was glad to see we put all that into practice today. “There’s always something to play for. We’re trying to finish as high up the table as we can and there’s the external competitions. And next season is never far away.
“So we’re building for that. Lads get injured or move away. No team ever stays still. You need a big squad and the young lads that have come in are doing really well.”
Teenager Donie Behan said it was good to get the win.
“Conditions were tough,” he said. “The ball was slippery and the rain hardly stopped. But we wanted the win. We want to finish as high as we can in the league and show we’re still competitive and one of the better teams in the league.”
KKU manager, James Costello, was pleased his charges fought hard over the ninety minutes. “We were down a good few bodies from last weekend,” he said.
“We’ve lost a few lads and there are others away with other commitments. So Padraic McLoughlin came in there for his first game and Ethan Hosty came off the bench, they’re both young lads, so it’s good to see them on the pitch and prove that they are ready to cut it at this level.”
Behan, Edeh and Nathan Reilly Doyle were best for Ballyheane, who remain third in the Super League table. Ronan Malee put in a great shift in KKU’s midfield.

Ballyheane
L Meldrum, D Purcell, D Behan, C Redmond, J Tuffy, S Kilcoyne, N Reilly-Doyle, S McAtamney, L Morris, A Dunleavy, B Edeh.
Subs: S Rabbette, N Vahey, J Lavin, E Morris.

Kiltimagh-Knock Utd
A Byrne, J Kelly, C Finn, D Brady, B Gallagher, R Malee, S Collins, C Caulfield, A Cunnane, T Caulfield, J Mullarkey.
Subs: P McLoughlin, J O’Connor, E Hosty.

Referee: D McGrath.