Ballyheane consolidated their place in the top five of the Super League thanks to a 3-0 win over Ballyglass on the road on Sunday.
Nathan Reilly-Doyle was the main man on the scoreboard getting all three goals for the visitors and in fact he could have had a few more if he had taken a couple of other good chances that came his way.
The visitors were trying to play the more incisive football throughout this game, but they were finding it hard to get the final pass away early doors and it wasn’t until Ballyglass were down to ten men for a short period of time with Keelan McDonnell off getting treatment for a cut to the head 42 minutes in they made the break through.
It was the hosts who had the better chances early on as they utilised Luke Jennings’ lengthy range of delivery from his box to try and unsettled the Ballyheane back four, with Evan Connolly more often than not the target of Jennings’ bombs.
Darren Reilly came close to opening the scoring for the hosts four minutes in but he headed over the bar after being left unmarked at the back post following a corner from Darren Murray.
Nine minutes later Connolly almost got in behind the defence after Ballyheane were turned over trying to play the ball out from the back but John Vahy was on his toes to snuff out the danger.
A minute further into the game and Ballyglass went close again with Alan Plunkett having a chance to head home from a cross by McDonnell but he failed to connect properly with the ball.
Ballyheane’s first chance came not long after when Darragh Ludden and Reilly-Doyle combined well but Jennings was out quickly to smother the ball. Two minutes later Liam Irwin tried to get off a shot but the Ballyglass defence stood tall to keep it out.
The visitors were contenting to prob and try and slip balls through to Reilly-Doyle and Ludden but were being repelled by the home sides rearguard, but it felt as though if they managed to finally find the right pass the visitors would be in with a good chance to score.
Ballyglass had the most of the possession in the opening half and both Conor Keane and Connolly had efforts in the 28th and 31st minute respectively - in between those chances Reilly-Doyle was almost played in but Jennings was out smartly to stop him getting a shot away.
The breakthrough pass final was played by Imoh Atoi who found Reilly-Doyle inside the right of the penalty area on 42 minutes and the Ballyheane number nine calmly finished to put his side 1-0 up before the break.
The second half opened up with Liam Hughes having a good chance for the hosts, but he pulled his effort across the face of goal.
Liam Irwin forced a good save out of Jennings when he was able to get himself free from a Sean Kilcoyne corner, but his header didn’t have the power it needed to beat Jennings.
The visitors had taken control of the game in the second half and Ludden and Jack Rochford all had chances to double their sides lead before Reilly-Doyle did so with 81 minutes on he clock when he finished smartly from inside the box after being played in by Kilcoyne.
The Ballyheane striker put the icing on the cake for his side with his third of the day three minutes from the end of normal time after he was quickest to react to a flick on from Paddy Bourke and finished with aplomb to grab goal number three of the day for himself and the three points for his side.
Ballyglass: L Jennings; A Moran, D Murray, M Hamilton, PJ Gibbons; A Plunkett, K McDonnell, D Reilly, C Keane; L Hughes, A Connolly. Subs: S Hamilton, C Heneghan.
Ballyheane: J Vahy; R Meldrum, J Tuffy, A Tuffy, J Rochford; I Atoi, S Kilcoyne, C Redmond, D Ludden; L Irwin, J Reilly-Doyle. Subs: D Fadden, P Burke, C Lyons, J Geraghty.
Super League wrap
Westport United saw off Ballina Town 2-1 on the road to remain the only side with a 100 per cent record in the league - report at https://www.advertiser.ie/mayo/article/117198/united-take-home-the-points-and-go-clear-at-the-top
Manulla moved level with Ballina Town and three points behind Westport United with a 2-1 win over Glenhest on Sunday. They trailed 1-0 early on but goals form Aiden Dunleavy and Sean Morrisey saw them pick up the win.
Castlebar Celtic came from 1-0 down see off Ballyhaunis Town 2-1 with Jordan Loftus getting the winner.
Swinford were 5-0 winners over Claremorris with James Devaney getting four goals and the other scored by Peter McNicholas.
