Kildare GAA: Ballyteague crowned Intermediate Champions with win over Castledermot

The Auld Shebeen Bar Athy Intermediate Football Championship

Ballyteague 2-13

Castldermot 1-12

There was a train of thought before Sunday's Auld Shebeen Pub Athy Intermediate football final that if Castledermot could hold Jimmy Hyland (Ballyteague) to four or five points in the game they (Castledermot) would be in with a right good chance of taking the Hugh Campion Cup home with them.

However the writing was on the wall early (and often) when the county man had four scoring opportunities in the opening ten minutes and raised four white flags.

The early marker was firmly put down and by the time we reached the half-time break the score-line read Ballyteague 1-9 Castledermot 0-4 with Hyland having chalked up no less than seven white flags, a mixture of one mark, two frees and four from open play.

It looked all but done and dusted for the Division 3 side but then again, and no doubt Castledermot manager Anthony Gray told his players they were in a similar situation in their semi-final with something like ten minutes remaining and got out of out but they had 30 minutes plus to perform a similar feat now in the final.

And boys did they give it a go, completely turning the game around drew, level, went ahead and looked to be on their way until The Larks began to sing again and in the end got over the line by a somewhat flattering four points.

A great game of football, thoroughly enjoyed by a very big and enthusiastic attendance on Sunday and with the result in doubt right throughout the six minutes of time added on no one was leaving the ground until that long whistle was sounded by referee Cathal Daly.

Within a minute of the throw-in Castledermot's Emmet O'Keeffe picked up a yellow for a fouled on Gary Nugent but three minutes in a long ball in was brilliantly fetched by Jimmy Hyland who duly took his mark and popped it over for the opening point of the game

Barry Nolan had the sides level but the boys from the south of the county hit three wides before Hyland struck again; the impressive Gavin Keating leveled with a mark; David Keating hit a brilliant point on the run and Castledermot were in front for the first time leading 0-3 to 0-2 with just ten minutes on the clock.

Tommy Callan found Jimmy Hyland and the wing forward did the rest and the county man then capitalised on a miss-placed clearance to give his side the lead on 12 minutes.

Two more wides did nothing for Castledermot before Fionn Murphy extended the lead to two, quickly pushed out to four after Hyland was fouled out close to the sideline but had little difficult in meeting the challenge firing over to make it 0-6 to 0-3 on 19 minutes.

Castledermot ended a 14 minute barren spell when Conor Nolan pointed but a foul on Fionn Murphy, converted by Jimmy Hyland, quickly followed by another Hyland point from play saw the lead pushed out to 0-8 to 0-4 on 26 minutes.

However, things were to get decidedly rosier for The Larks when a long ball into the danger area from Hyland was gathered by Seamus Hyland who turned and blasted it past Anthony Lawler and soon after a similar move, this time the centre from Fionn Murphy again saw Hanafin gather, turn but this time blasted over the bar to leave the half-time score reading Ballyteague 1-9 Castledermot 0-4.

Castledermot arrived back on the field of play with a few changes in personnel and no doubt words of wisdom ringing in their ears and they opened brightly with a point from John Joe Mahon inside two minutes.

Tow minutes later and the fat was really back in the fire when a shot from Emmet O'Keeffe was saved by Derrick Mooney but the rebound was directed to the back of the net by the inrushing Gavin Farrell to cut the lead back to four points with just four minutes gone in the second half.

The Castledermot fans were now in full voice as The Larks suddenly lost their way through a combination of the boys in blue suddenly picking most of the lose ball that they (Ballyteague) were winning in the first half.

Gavin Keating fired over a free before Fionn Murphy got a much-needed point for Ballyteague as we reached 40 minutes the score board reading Ballyteague 1-10 Castledermot 1-6.

A Gavin Keating point followed by a boomer from Emmet O'Keeffe and the margin was down to two with 'Dermot winning most of the ball and Ballyteague coming under big pressure on their own kick-outs as the opposition pushed up big time.

Another long range white flag from Paddy Whelan was followed by a leveling point from Colin Nolan before Gavin Keating cut inside and punched over to give his side the lead, 1-11 to 1-10 with 48 on the clock.
What a turn-around.

Ballyteague breathed a sigh of relief when Jimmy Hyland converted a free after being fouled himself to tie it up again. Referee Daly had a chat with him umpires before brandishing yellows to Barry Nolan (Castledermot) and Jimmy Hyland.

Brian McGrath cut inside from the right wing to regain the lead for The Larks but then Dermot hit wides but with a minute of normal time remaining Gavin Keating fired over from the 45 m line to tie it up again at 1-14 apiece.

Six minutes of time added was announced before Brian McGrath found Hyland, who took the mark and fired over to push his side one clear.

Another Castledermot wide followed before Jimmy Hyland made a brilliant catch from a kick-out, the ball went forward, gathered by Anthony Lawlor but he lost control, the ball falling to Fionn Murphy whose point attempted was half blocked down but spun, and ended up in the back of the net.

The final whistle arrived, incredibly joy for Ballyteague while it was absolute despair for a gallant Castledermot side.
A mighty game of football, with Ballyteague just about deserving to take the Hugh Campion Cup on a final score line of Ballyteague 2-13 Castledermot 1-12.

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SCORERS
Ballyteague: Jimmy Hyland 0-9 (3 frees, 2 marks), Seamus Hanafin 1-1, Fionn Murphy 1-2, Brian McGrath 0-1.

Castledermot: Gavin Keating 0-5 (1 free, 1 mark), Gavin Farrell 1-0, Conor Nolan 0-2, David Keating 0-1, Barry Nolan 0-1, Paddy Whelan 0-1, Emmet O'Keeffe 0-1, John Joe Mahon 0-1.

TEAMS

Ballyteague: Derrick Mooney; Paraic Hanley, David Randles, Ryan Webb; Glen Thorpe, Donal Dempsey, Gary Nugent; Seamus Hanafin, Gerry Melia; Fionn Murphy, Stephen Ennis, Jimmy Hyland; Cian Loughlin, Tommy Callan, Brian McGrath. Subs: Cathal Hanafin for Tommy Callan (40 minutes); Conor Hanley for Cian Loughlin n(50 minutes); Niall Moran for Stephen Ennis (65 minutes).

Castledermot: Anthony Lawlor; Thomas Murphy, Oisin Nolan, Barry Nolan; Billy O'Gorman, Bryan Nolan, James O'Reilly; Gavin Farrell, David Keating; Conor Nolan, Pauric Murphy, Gavin Keating; John Joe Mahon, Emmet O'Keeffe, Paul Fitzgerald. Subs: Paddy Whelan for Paul Fitzgerald (half-time); David Dooley for James O'Reilly (half-time); William Kelly for John Joe Mahon (56 minutes); Niall Dooley for Thomas Murphy (65 minutes).

Referee Conor Daly.

Post-match reaction

It hasn't sunk in at the minute was the quick reply given by Ballyteague manager Michael Ennis following his side's brilliant win in Sunday's IFC decider against Castledermot.

“We had the belief” he said when he got his breath back, “we worked, we had a big lead at half-time but we didn't forget what happened to Sallins last week and we said to the lads in the dressing room at half-time 'this game isn't over' but at the back of my mind I kept saying to myself 'they can't come back from that, no they can't come back' but did they (Castledermot) put the bit of hair I still have of standing on the back of me head but great credit to Castledermot, we got the rub of the green with the late goal, a half blocked ball that ended up in the back of the net and we know it would take two scores from then to catch us at that stage and with the time running out but it is brilliant, it was 31 years in the making so couldn't be happier.”

Asked if he was worried when Castledrmot initially drew level and then took the lead if he was worried Michael replied “we were worried, of course we were but we knew the lads wouldn't give up, we knew they would dig deep and we had to defend and defend hard but we kept the pressure on them and forced them to kick a few wides; we kept going to the end; a few subs gave us fresh legs and that made a difference.

“And what can you say about Jimmy Hyland, every time he kicked the ball in the first half it went over the bar and we knew if he could do that again in the second half it would be a cake walk but remember Castledermot a Division 1 side, we knew they would not cave in and they kept coming back at us, pushed up on our kick-outs but we worked on that 'D', protect the 'D', protect the 'D' and it worked out.”

When you passed Terry Hyland's house, winter or summer, for the past 15, 16 or 17 years, there are ten or fifteen balls out in that field and a goal post and he (Jimmy) never stops, he just kicks the ball over and over the bar without even looking, a special player, added the manager.

Jimmy Hyland
“Amazing” was the word used by the great man himself as he was surrounded by fans and autograph hunters after the game.

“I can't really believe it, I suppose when I came back to Ballyteague at the start of the championship we were staring at Division 4 in the face and now to be intermediate I just can't describe it, it is really right up their for me anyway.

“It was a tough game but we knew they would come back as they have in practically every game this year, they are a good side, we knew they were never going to go away, there was a bit of a breeze down the field so we knew they would come back.”

Worried when they went ahead?
“Ye, but there is something different about Ballyteague this year, we had the belief and that's for sure.”