Ballinderry 1-9 Rathnew 0-7:On days like this, the coaching manual is thrown out the window. You improvise, work as hard as you have ever worked on a football pitch, and notch whatever scores come your way.
Yesterday, on a pitch that was unplayable, but nevertheless was played on, Ballinderry Shamrocks - the Derry and Ulster champions - mastered the conditions much better than Rathnew to deservedly win the AIB All-Ireland club football championship semi-final at Pearse Park, Longford.
"The worst conditions that I've ever played in my life," remarked a mud-splattered and ecstatically happy Ballinderry captain Adrian McGuckin afterwards. In the hours and minutes running up to the throw-in, Ballinderry had attempted to have the match postponed. Referee Michael Collins had conducted a 9 a.m. inspection and deemed the pitch playable but, by match time, further rainfall left the pitch surface oozing water - hence Ballinderry's unhappiness.
Rathnew, meanwhile, had exiled themselves to the nearby Longford Slashers ground awaiting word. "We left it to the officials to decide," admitted manager Harry Murphy, adding: "The pitch wasn't good, it was a bit of a lottery, but it was the same for both sides. They adapted better than we did and were too hungry. On the day, the better side beat us. We have no complaints."
Once the decision was made to play Ballinderry rolled up their sleeves. In the opening couple of minutes, players skidded on the surface and, on more than one occasion, the ball stuck in water. But, most crucially, Ballinderry had established control. Indeed, the most crucial score of all came after just three minutes when Gerard Cassidy was brought down by Rathnew goalkeeper Tommy Murphy when he was certain to score a goal.
Conleth Gilligan stroked the penalty with aplomb to the bottom corner.
From then on, Rathnew were unsuccessfully chasing the game. And the principal tormentor, particularly in the first-half, was Gilligan. The centre half forward defied the conditions with a series of aggressive runs. He added three points to the goal by the 23rd minute.
Gilligan's strong running and impeccable shooting was at odds with everything else that was happening on the pitch. Players were slipping and sliding like Olympic downhill skiers and the ball seemed to resemble a bar of soap, almost impossible for anyone to hold, especially under pressure. For Rathnew there was the added problem that Tommy Gill was having problems with his free-taking and, slowly but surely, Ballinderry's grip on the game got ever tighter.
The pitch cut up badly and, not surprisingly in the circumstances, late challenges and a degree of frustration crept into the proceedings. There were eight bookings - five Rathnew, three Ballinderry - and there could have been more; but, through it all, Ballinderry's tight and disciplined defence gave Rathnew no clearcut chances to score the required goal.
Ballinderry's 1-5 to 0-4 half-time lead was well merited. While Gilligan was the outstanding player, the workrate of his team-mates was also impressive. Enda Muldoon covered a huge area of ground and Adrian McGuckin won some vital ball and used it intelligently.
With conditions deteriorating by the minute as the second-half wore on, and any white on the Ballinderry jerseys replaced by mud stains, it became a match that relied more and more on physical work rather than on any skill.
Ballinderry used the ball much better, however, and whenever Rathnew managed to sneak a point, the Ulster side's response on each occasion was to grab one of their own. When Leighton Glynn scored for Rathnew, Balinderry wing-back Paul Wilson replied immediately and Ger Cassidy added a pointed free for interest. And when Gill kicked a free, Cassidy again hit back.
There was just no way that Rathnew could even create so much as a half-chance for a goal. Probably the closest they came was in the 57th minute when, reduced to speculative lobs rather than any constructive build-up, the ball broke to substitute Nicky Mernagh, but his first time kick wide was more dangerous to the rain-soaked spectator on the terrace behind the goal than to anyone else.
So, Ballinderry have claimed a place in the final - against either Nemo Rangers or Charlestown, who play next Saturday - for the first time in their history. That they did it the hard way in atrocious conditions will only make it all the more pleasing.
BALLINDERRY: M Conlon; K McGuckin, N McCusker, J Bell; P Wilson (0-1), R McGuckin, D Crozier; S Donnelly, E Muldoon; B McCusker, C Gilligan (1-3), D Conway; D Bateson, A McGuckin (0-1), G Cassidy (0-4, three frees). Sub: J Conway for B McCusker (59 mins).
RATHNEW: T Murphy; L Glynn (0-1), M Coffey, D Power; E Franey, T Doyle (0-1), B Mernagh; D Coffey, D Byrne; S Byrne, T Gill (0-5, three frees), A Mernagh; K Gill, R Coffey, M Doyle. Subs: E White for K Gill (half-time); N Mernagh for M Doyle (44 mins); S Kavanagh for S Byrne (51 mins).
Referee: M Collins (Cork).
Ballinderry ... 1-9
Rathnew ... 0-7
