St Kierans power past Ballylanders in the Limerick Senior Football Championship

IMPRESSIVE St Kieran’s ran out convincing winners over Ballylanders in perfect conditions for football on a score line 3-11 to 0-8 in the Irish Wire Products County Senior Football Championship group one opening round in Ballyagran this Saturday evening.

The sides last met in 2022 when the west Limerick club ran out winners by the finest of margins on a score line of 2-9 to 2-8. Last year neither club progressed to the knockout stages and will face a similar challenge this year in a highly competitive group that includes Na Piarsaigh, Adare, Mungret St Pauls, and Monaleen.

St Kieran’s showed their intent from the off forcing a top-class save from Declan O’Connor in the Ballylanders goal after a driving run from Noel Callanan within the first minute.

Ballylanders had a brief dominant spell thereafter but failed to make it count, hitting a handful of wides and dropping several shots into the grateful hands of Ray Noonan in the St Kieran’s goal to leave the sides tied at 0-1 apiece by the 10th minute.

Kieran’s then took over and two quickfire goals from Eoin McEnery and Michael Long sandwiched between a couple of Alan Daly points gave the west Limerick side a nine-point advantage by the 20th minute as they led 2-4 to 0-1.

Jimmy Barry Murphy knocked over a good score from play for Ballylanders shortly before the interval as the half-time score read 2-6 to 0-2.

Kieran’s continued their dominance into the second half and seven minutes after the restart the game as a contest was as good as over when McEnery rifled his shot into the roof of the net for his second goal.

Danny Frewen frees kept Ballylanders ticking over on the scoreboard as it read 3-7 to 0-6 by the 50th minute. Moments later Ciaran Kelly was denied what could have been a game-changing moment from a Ballylanders point of view when his shot was saved brilliantly by Ray Noonan in the 56th minute which put to bed the south Limerick team’s unlikely comeback.

Noel Callanan received a straight red card for striking in the 63rd minute, reducing Kieran’s to fourteen but moments later they were awarded a late penalty which Daly blasted over.

That was to be the game’s final action as St. Kieran’s ran out deserving winners on a scoreline of 3-11 to 0-8.

Both sides will be back in action next weekend where Ballylanders aim to get their campaign back on track against Na Piarsaigh in Hospital. Meanwhile, St Kieran’s will travel to Adare to take on Monaleen.

SCORERS: St Kierans: Alan Daly 0-6 (3frees, 1 pen), John Hayes 0-2 (2frees), Eoin McEnery 2-0, Michael Long 1-0, Liam Kennedy and Adam Lacey 0-1 each. Ballylanders: Danny Frewen 0-3 (3frees), Ciaran Kelly 0-2 (2frees), Jimmy Barry Murphy and Jason Leigh 0-1 each.

ST KIERANS: Ray Noonan; Michael Shanahan, Brendan McCarthy, Mossie Shine; Darragh McMahon, Darragh Treacy, Michael Long; Diarmuid Mulcahy, John Hayes; Adam Lacey, Eoin McEnery, Anthony Mullins, Alan Daly, Liam Kennedy, Noel Callanan. Subs: Dylan Moloney for  Michael Long (45mins), Cormac Mann for Adam Lacey (55mins), Sean Long for Anthony Mullins (63mins).

BALLYLANDERS: Declan O’Connor, John Hayes, Tom O’Dwyer, Pa Kelly, Oisin Browne, Shaun Moloney, Tommy McDonnell, Jason Leigh, Mark O’Connell, Robbie Downey, Darren Frewen, Ciaran Kelly, Jimmy Barry Murphy, Cian Browne. Subs: Cillian O’Brien for Robbie Downey (26mins), Brian O’Connell  for John Hayes (33mins), Liam Dennehy for Shaun Moloney (41mins).