Acorn Life County U21 Football Championship Round 1:
Ballymac 2-11 Laune Rangers 4-11
Date: 23rd May 2024
Venue: Ballymacelligott
It was a historic night for Ballymacelligott GAA Club when it fielded a team in the County U21 Championship for the first time. It was a proud night to have a club team with so many young players continuing to play football, having commenced their football in the academy at U6 or after 2009.
The opposition was Laune Rangers, a club with a long history in Club Championship, that won The All Ireland Senior Club Championship in 1996.
Laune Rangers opened the scoring with two points, followed by a point for the home side from Donal Daly. Ryan Diggins scored a goal for Laune Rangers. Donal Daly and Ryan Hassett swapped points. Niall Collins got a great ball, ran the field length with it, and passed it to Martin McGivergan, who scored a fine point. The scoreline was 0-3 to 1-03.
The next seven minutes were crucial for Laune Rangers, who swept through the Ballymac defence and scored two goals and a point. Three points from Donal Daly in that period (one from a free) had Laune Rangers winning 3-4 to 0-06 with eight minutes left in the half. John Burke added a point from Laune Rangers. Donal Daly scored a massive point from a 45, and Eoghan Hassett scored the last point of the half.
Half-Time: Ballymac 0-7 Laune Rangers 3-06.
It was a tough hill to climb for Ballymac going into the second half. The Ballymac team deserves credit for never giving up, and they kept playing and fighting for every ball until the final whistle blew. Donal Daly had scored a goal and a point for Ballymac within four minutes of the restart. Laune Rangers scored two points, and Donal Daly scored another in between for Ballymac. The next ten minutes saw Laune Rangers score a goal and two points, bringing the score with 15 minutes to play Ballymac 1-09 to 4-11
This goal from Rangers was a killer blow, and the Ballymac lads kept fighting and playing some great football. Donal Daly scored two points, had a ball hit the crossbar, and Ballymac kept up the pressure, leading to a penalty following a foul on Captain Adam Sheehy. Donal Daly made no mistake when he took the shot, and the ball hit the back of the net. This was the final score of the game.
Full-Time: Ballymac 2-11 Laune Rangers 4-11.
Team and Scorers:
Conor Martin, Cathal White, Eoin Creedon, Andy Rogers, Cathal Culloty, Sean Rice, Shane Gilroy, Adam Sheehy (Capt) James Kenny, Gearóid Healy, Niall Collins, Skye Lynch, Conal Savage, Donal Daly (2-10), Martín McGivergan (0-1)
Subs used: Jamie Burke, Micheál O’Connor, and Luke Griffin.
Management team: Ian Blake, Tony Silles, Gene O’Keeffe, Padráid Laide.
Coach: Anthony O’Leary. Logistics: Aidan Savage. Club Chairman: John Rice.
Ballymacelligott GAA Club took part in our first-ever U21 County Championship. On the night, our players demonstrated this pride with a powerful and passionate performance with Captain Adam Sheehy leading by example from the throw-in until the final whistle. By now, the older lads on this squad are integral to our Senior setup. The young players from the minor team proved equally competent and played exceptionally well. Our Club has a bright future with all of these fine young players. Fielding a Club U21 County Championship team is a testament to the commitment of players and coaches from U6s. Long may it continue. Ballymac Abú!
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