Carrigaline end Ballygarvan’s reign to claim South East Junior A crown

(JJ Hurley)

Carrigaline  celebrate a 34-year gap as they capture the Procure.ie SE Junior A Football Title with a win over Ballygarvan at Minane Bridge on Sunday (Bernard Laverty)

Carrigaline secured their first South East Junior A Football title in 34 years after overcoming reigning champions Ballygarvan by 1-9 to 0-7 in Minane Bridge on Sunday.

Ballygarvan had been chasing a fourth consecutive title, but Carrigaline proved the more effective side in front of goal when it mattered most. The victory now sets up a county championship first-round meeting with either Mayfield or Douglas.

There was little to separate the sides for much of the contest, with the decisive spell arriving after the 41st minute. Carrigaline took control during a crucial ten-minute period, turning a tight encounter into a comfortable lead.

The game began with Evan O’Connor opening the scoring from a free for Ballygarvan, before Ben Delaney registered Carrigaline’s first point eight minutes later.

O’Connor quickly restored his side’s advantage, courtesy of a well-worked move involving Cork senior footballer Séan Brady.

O’Connor added his second and third points by the 16th minute, leaving Ballygarvan ahead by 0-3 to 0-1. An injury to Stephen Fenton then interrupted proceedings, but Carrigaline used the restart to build momentum.

Mossy Vaughan got Carrigaline moving with a point in the 23rd minute, while Delaney followed with his second score to bring the teams level.

Tim Cronin then edged Carrigaline in front with a late first-half free, giving them a narrow 0-4 to 0-3 advantage at the interval.

Ballygarvan made good use of the wind after the restart, with O’Connor registering twice to put his team ahead by the 40th minute.

Cronin responded almost immediately, restoring parity and setting the stage for Carrigaline’s decisive surge.

Delaney added a further point from a placed ball, before Jack Kelly and Vaughan also found the target.

Those scores helped Carrigaline establish a 0-9 to 0-5 lead with 11 minutes remaining.

The key moment arrived on 50 minutes.

An attempted point from Olan Barry was carried off course by the wind, but Vaughan gathered the ball and fired it into the net to give Carrigaline a commanding advantage.

Ballygarvan added late points through Ray O’Halloran and O’Connor, but the deficit proved too much to overcome.

Carrigaline held firm to secure a memorable championship success, with Vaughan’s goal and overall contribution earning him man-of-the-match honours.

After a 34-year wait, Carrigaline can now celebrate their return to the top of the South East Junior A Football ranks.

Scorers:

Carrigaline: M Vaughan 1-2; B Delaney 0-4 (1 pt f); T Cronin 0-2 (0-1 f); J Kelly 0-1.

Ballygarvan: E O’Connor 0-6 (0-4 f); R O’Halloran 0-1.

Carrigaline: S Mellett; M Kiernan, I Sheerin, E Murphy; N O’Keeffe, J Kelly, J Shannahan; N O’Keeffe, T Foley; E Ryle, B Delaney, K McNulty; T Cronin, O Barry, M Vaughan.

Subs: S Turner for J Shannahan (42); R McCarthy for Olan Barry (52).

Ballygarvan: C Fitzgerald; P Ryan, A Dunne, I Crowley; S O’Donovan, S Brady, K Lyons; J Fenton, S Fenton, C Mackey, K Fitzgerald, C O’Regan, E O’Connor; D Mackey, N Dowd.

Subs: L Collins for S Fenton (11, injured); J O’Callaghan for N Dowd (35); R O’Halloran for D Mackey (50).

Referee: Brian Coniry (Crosshaven).