By John Coughlan, The Echo
Ballincollig 1-12
Glanmire 0-2
IT WAS a comfortable win for Ballincollig as they were crowned Féile Peil U15 Premier 1 champions in style, following the defeat of Glanmire at Ballincollig.
It’s hard to believe these teams couldn’t be separated when they clashed in the group stages at Trabeg on the morning of this decider, but Ballincollig learned and brushed aside their opponents.
Inspired by some lovely kicking from Joe Miskella, son of former Cork football star John, Ballincollig seldom looked in trouble against a fatigued Glanmire side.
There is little doubt Ballincollig’s fitness was crucial as there was only a 15-minute turnaround from both semi-finals.
Ballincollig were pushed to the wire by a talented Carrigaline side 0-7 to 0-5 as Glanmire got the better of the Barrs 3-3 to 2-2.
Speaking after the game, Ballincollig manager Gareth Harrington praised the commitment of his players.
“This is an incredible group of players, as they struggled when we played Glanmire in the group game,” he said.
“However, as good teams do, they learned a few lessons and did the business in the final.
“We have never lost at any level in league or championship since these lads got together, and I think this win is just reward for the effort they have put in from a very young age.”
Ballincollig started in a blistering fashion, and consecutive points from Joe Miskella put them in pole possession.
The biggest problem Glanmire were encountering was winning possession, as they looked leg-weary.
It got worse for Glanmire in the fourth minute, when a sweeping three-man move saw the ball fall into the path of Eoin Stack, who drilled a low shot to the corner of the net.
On the rare occasions Glanmire got out of their own half, their shooting was wayward, as their supporters were willing them on to open their scoring account.
The Ballincollig defence was seldom troubled for the remainder of the half, and Miskella finished with a free that saw him chalking up his fourth point and helped his team lead by nine points at the break.
On the restart, the trend of the game didn’t change and Bobby Power could have put the game out of sight, but his fisted attempt producing a miraculous save from Glanmire keeper Tom Hurley.
Glanmire did break their drought with a Donagh Healy point, and the hardworking Tom Huggins got his just reward when he also split the posts.
That’s as good as it got for Glanmire, as the class and fitness of Ballincollig was evident from start to finish, with both teams putting in a hard day’s work at various venues around the city.
Scorers for Ballincollig: J Miskella 0-5 (0-3f), E Stack 1-0, F Walsh 0-3, C McDonnell 0-2, B Power, C McCarthy (0-1 each).
Glanmire: D Healy, T Huggins (0-1 each)
BALLINCOLLIG: D McCarthy; P Skehan, L Higgins, E Lynch; J Harrington, E Harris, J Costello; J Miskella, E O hUrnai; R Fitzgerald, E Stack, F Walsh; B Power, M Downey, C McDonnell.
Subs: B Farrell for M Downey (15), D Murphy for C McCarthy (22), R Doyle for J Miskella (26), S O’Brien for C McDonnell (27).
GLANMIRE: T Hurley; S Carey, A O’Sullivan, A Soltani; F O’Sullivan, C McMahon, E O’Donovan; E Considine, E Dawson; D Healy, M Sullivan, J Daly; A Maher, T Huggins, J Daly.
Subs: T Desmond for S Carey (inj 10), A McCarthy for F O’Sullivan (h-t), E O’Donovan for C MacDonald (20), D Forbes for J Daly (25).
Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan, Valley Rovers.
