The Elverys Sports Super League will hit its penultimate game ahead of the midway mark on Saturday evening and there is only one place any soccer fan should be tomorrow evening, that is Belleek Park in Ballina where the league leaders Ballina Town will host second placed Ballyheane. The home side picked up their fifth win from five league games last weekend when they scored two goals in the final half hour to see off Manulla in Carramore. Ballina were made to work hard for the win, with Manulla succeeding in stifling their attempts until the 63rd minute when Ben McGarry struck and Eugene Gorman made the points safe with their second goal 12 minutes later. Ballyheane, like their opponents, have yet to taste defeat in the league this season, and picked up their second win so far to go with their three draws already in the bank with a five-goal destruction of Claremorris in Ballyheane last Sunday. Ballyheane were three goals to the good by the break with Arek Tobiaz putting the ball in the back of the Claremorris net three times inside the opening 35 minutes. Ballyheane rounded off their win with two goals in the final 20 minutes from substitutes Terry Maughan and Nobert Karo to round off another impressive performance for Ballyheane.
Good start is down to hard work says Ballyheane man
Ballyheane’s David Sheridan put his side’s good start to the season down to the hard yards they put in pre-season this year. “Last year we won the Premier A title after a battle and a lot of that was down to our fitness, and this year we’ve put in even more work, I’d say we’re the fittest team in the league and everyone has put in the work.” When the fixture list came out, Ballyheane’s first few games looked to be daunting tasks, but they were ready for them according the Heane striker. “When you saw Iorras, Celtic, and Westport in the first three games, you knew it was going to be a tough start to the league, we had to be ready for it and we were fit and ready to go, and also we didn’t really know how good Arek was either.” New Ballyheane striker Arek Tobiaz has been a revelation in the league this season and a thorn in the defences across the county. “It’s been great to have someone like Arek in the side, he’s a real goal scorer and is lightning quick too, it’s something we’ve struggled for in the past. We’ve always been solid at the back and in the middle but a goal scorer is someone we needed.” Sheridan has led the line for Ballyheane for a number of years in the Super League, and when they went down to the Premier A a few years ago. He also commented that there was a great commitment from all involved with the side this year. “We’ve a good panel with some depth which is a big help, I think we’ve brought on our three subs in each game and everyone’s stepped up. It’s hard to make the team these days which is a great thing, I don’t even know will I play the next day, but we’re all looking forward to the game.” Ballina are going to be a tough test for the newly promoted side, but Ballyheane are relishing the challenge. “We’ve a pretty good record down there, I can’t remember too many results going against us over the years. The new pitch they have has a great surface and all the lads are looking forward to going down and playing on it and playing the ball about against them. We’re going to win, that’s the objective, and it’ll make sure that the league isn’t over and done by the half way mark.”
Plenty of other entertaining contests in store
With the Westport United and Castlebar Celtic game called off last weekend, both sides will be looking to get back and moving on Saturday night. Celtic will face a tough local derby in Conway Park when they take on Snugboro United. The home side in the game went home from north Mayo pointless last weekend when Iorras Aontaithe moved over the bottom of the table with a 6-2 win from a game that saw six goals in the first half in Carnenash. Westport will be in Carramore on Saturday evening to face a Manulla side who are in third place in the table on goal difference but are coming into the game on the back of that 2-0 loss at home to Ballina last weekend. The final game in the division is the meeting of two of the current bottom three in Concannon Park where Claremorris will host Iorras Aontaithe. A Claremorris win will springboard them two points in front of their opponents.
