Ballywaltrim A 4
Coolboy 5
Eoin Horkan
Ballywaltrim Community Centre
Friday night football in Bray served up a nine-goal spectacle, with the visitors ultimately holding their nerve after surviving a fierce Ballywaltrim fightback.
The opening exchanges were cautious, with both sides feeling their way into the contest, but the away outfit very nearly struck first. A sharp break down the right looked certain to produce the opener until a superbly timed recovery tackle from a Ballywaltrim defender snuffed out the danger.
That scare seemed to jolt the hosts into life. Over the next five minutes Ballywaltrim began to dictate possession, and Andrew Conway registered the game’s first meaningful effort, drilling a low strike just wide. Moments later, they should have broken the deadlock when Anthony O’Toole rose highest in the box, only to see his powerful header brilliantly tipped away. Conway remained at the heart of the action, seeing a looping volley drift agonisingly over before another effort from a tight angle was well saved.
But football is ruthless, and completely against the run of play the visitors struck on twenty five minutes. A rare foray forward earned them a corner, and when Corey Wallace curled it in, the ball evaded everyone and nestled straight into the far corner to give his side a shock lead.
The north Wicklow men managed the game well from that point to the break, slowing the tempo and frustrating the opposition However, the second half had barely settled before Ballywaltrim drew level. O’Toole embarked on a brilliant solo run, skipping past two defenders before squaring for Conway, who made no mistake and finally got his reward.
Wave after wave of pressure followed, with Conway again denied by a fine save. And on the stroke of half-time, Ballywaltrim came inches from edging in front, only for Daniel McCann’s crisp strike to rattle the post, leaving the sides level in a breathless contest.
After the interval, the visitors struck first once more, and in some style. Corey Wallace stood over a free kick from well beyond shooting distance, and with seemingly no danger on the horizon he unleashed an absolute thunderbolt. The ball crashed off the bar, spun high into the air and dropped into the opposite corner to restore Coolboy’s advantage.
Ballywaltrim almost hit back immediately when Conway burst through on goal, but his low drive skidded narrowly wide — a sign that luck simply wasn’t on his side on the night.
Coolboy, buoyed by Wallace’s brace, carried a constant threat on the counter, and soon it was Evan Kavanagh’s turn to take centre stage. The winger surged down the flank before drilling a composed finish inside the far post. Moments later he doubled his tally, cushioning a loose ball at the edge of the area and steering it neatly into the side netting. The purple patch continued when substitute Mo Karai reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box, poking home to hand the visitors what appeared to be an unassailable lead.
But Ballywaltrim weren’t finished yet. O’Toole powered a header home from a free kick five minutes later to spark renewed hope, and the final quarter-hour became a siege on the Coolboy goal. With twelve minutes remaining, O’Toole struck again, volleying in from a deep cross to set up a grandstand finish.
The drama escalated further when a Coolboy clearance ricocheted off Conor Kelly and into the net, dragging the margin back to a single goal with seven minutes still to play.
However, despite the late pressure, the south-east men dug in resolutely, surviving the onslaught to take all three points back down the M11.
Ballywaltrim A:Ben Fox, Shane O’Hagan,Daniel McCann,Ben Connolly, Daniel Kelly,Jamie Doyle, Zakaria Mazzoui,Sean Clark-Doyle,Andrew Carney, Anthony O’Toole -Harris,Jake Kane.
Subs Used:Adam Kelly for Zakaria Mazzoui,Zach Walsh for Jamie Doyle, Conor Kelly for Jake Kane, Michael Doyle for Sean Clark Doyle, Dunan Bradley for Shane O’Hagan.
Coolboy Rangers: Mat Canavan, Cathal Ryan Mulligan, Jamie Purcell (c), Rory Tallon, Jack House, Evan Kavanagh, Luke Wallace,Ryan O’Neill, Macdara O’Neill,Corey Wallace
Subs Used: Mo Karai for Ryan O’Neill
Referee:Mark Wynne
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