Kilcoo 0-13 Ballybay 0-7:Down champions Kilcoo proved much too potent a force for Ballybay and deservedly booked their place in the semi-final of the Ulster club SFC in Clones yesterday.
Played in adverse weather conditions, this was not a game for the fainthearted but Ballybay missed the influence of Paul Finlay, who is on his honeymoon.
Kilcoo got off to the brighter start with two excellent points from Jerome Johnson in the opening three minutes but by the 13th minute Ballybay had drawn level with points by Shane McGuinness and Hugh Malone.
The Monaghan champions then took the lead for the only time in the game with a point from a free by Thomas Kerr in the 19th minute but Kilcoo finished the half strongly with four unanswered points, two by Paul Devlin, one from a free, and one each by Jerome Johnston and Darragh O’Hanlon to leave the half-time score Kilcoo 0-6, Ballybay 0-3.
On the resumption Kilcoo extended their lead to four points with a point by Donal Kane and after an exchange of points between Paul Devlin and Thomas Kerr (free) before an opportunist point by Brian McCabe brought Ballybay to within two points some nine minutes into the second-half.
From there to the finish though it became increasingly Kilcoo as the Down champions registered five points without reply between the 19th and 30th minutes to seal the game.
Ballybay finished the game with 14 players following Drew Wylie’s straight red card with eight minutes left.
KILCOO: S Kane; N Branagan (0-1), N McEvoy, D Branagan; S O’Hanlon, A Branagan, G McEvoy; P Greenan (0-1), D Kane (0-1), J Johnston (0-4), P Devlin (0-2, one free), D O’Hanlon (0-3, two frees), C Laverty, A Devlin, G McEvoy. Subs: R Johnston (0-1) for A Devlin (42 mins), A McEvoy for J Johnston (58 mins), J McClean for G McEvoy, S Devlin for D Kane (both 60 mins). BALLYBAY: S Gorman; F Smyth, D Wylie, R Wylie; E Rutledge, B McCabe (0-1), B Wylie; S McQuillan, T O’Neill; T Kerr (0-2 two frees), S McGuinness (0-2, one free), F McArdle; H Malone (0-1), C McGuinness, C Malone. Subs: C McAviney for F McArdle (h-t), D Ward for C Malone (40 mins), P Stuart (0-1) for B McCabe (56 mins). Referee: B Cassidy (Derry).
