Into injury time and two points when Mick Walsh wins a free in the middle of Fr. O’Hara Park, Charlestown…..Mick drives it down the field to JP Broderick who skilfully loses his marker and drives the ball into the back of the net. The ball is quickly played out by the Ballaghaderreen goalkeeper but to no avail as Tommie Ward blows the full time whistle and we end a ten year wait to win the Canon Henry Cup.
A great finish to a very entertaining match played by two well matched teams.
Ballaghaderren started off the better and after ten minutes led by 1-1 to no score. The goal a very well worked move up the middle of the field that had the swinford supporters worried that we could be in for a long evening but we quickly returned two points from JP Broderick and Liam Moran. Ballaghaderren returned with a point of their own before we took a grip on the game.
Our third point came from a free that dropped short but was gathered by Joshua Smith who was denied a goal by the Ballaghaderren goalkeeper before JP put the ball over the bar off thh upright. Eoin Gallagher got our next point to put only a point betwen the teams.
Sean Kavanagh caught a ball over the post and sent it down field where Darren Campbell made a great run and leveled the game. A free from Adrian Forkan put us ahead for the first time before Ballaghaderren had the teams level for the second time. Just before the break Darren Campbell put us back ahead after great work by Eoin Gallagher.
Within two minutes of the restart Ballaghaderren drew level before a free from Adrian Forkan kept us in front and this was extended by Liam Moran after the kickout was won by Jason Carney,
Ballaghaderren scored the next three points to put them back ahead before another free from Adrian Forkan had the teams level for the fourth time.
Two frees by Ballaghaderren put them two ahead with eight minutes left on the clock. Liam Moran pulled one back from the dead ball but Ballaghaderreen soon pulled two clear again. From there we entered into injury time and the great finish by JP Broderick to end the game Swinford 1-11 Ballaghaderren 1-10
It was a cruel way for Ballaghaderren to lose the game but a fantastic way to win the game. The team played very well together and earned their first silverware of the year.
Well done to the management Billy McNicholas, Tommy Feeney and Michael Lenehan and our physios Brian Galvin and Aisling Mulholland.
It also adds some silverware to join the Under 21 Championship to the social this Saturday evening in the Gateway.
Swinford: Sean Kavanagh, John Gerard Kelly, Paul McDonagh, Jason Carney, Aiden McLoughlin, Kevin Barry, Andrew Lenehan, Michael Walsh, Eoin Gallagher, Mark McNicholas, Liam Moran, Joshua Smith, Adrian Forkan, JP Broderick, Darren Campbell. Subs: Gerard Callaghan, Kevin McShea, Jonathan Moore.
Scorers: JP Broderick 1-2, Adrian Forkan, Liam Moran 0-3, Darren Campbell 0-2, Eoin Gallagher 0-1
Thanks to Shane and Rita Campbell in The Whitehouse for the celebrations afterwards.
