Ballincollig AFC

Progression over Premier opposition

Youths Team
Lucozade Sport Munster Youths Cup 3rd Round
Passage, Saturday 26th December 2009, 2.00 p.m.

Castleview 1 – 1 Ballincollig

Ballincollig won 8 – 7 on penalties

In what was the only game played on St Stephen’s Day, Ballincollig travelled to Castleview battling the ice conditions to record a great victory over the Premier Division side. The match was played in bitter conditions and full credit to both sides for playing excellent passing football despite the soggy underfoot conditions.
Castleview went ahead in the first half when a lack of communication in the Ballincollig defence allowed the Castleview sticker an easy finish. Ballincollig to their credit never dropped their heads and pushed forward at every opportunity. They were rewarded with a powerful header from Mark Walshe from a beautiful corner kick from Aaron Cooney. Both sides had good opportunities to seal victory in normal time but the sides remained level after extra time. It was down to penalties for the second week running for this team having gone out of the National Cup last weekend to Passage on penalties. Those memories must have been in the minds but credit to the Ballincollig players who converted eight penalties to Castleview’s seven. It was a great team performance by Ballincollig given the conditions but special mention must go to Gavin Hennigan the Ballincollig keeper who saved three penalties.

Raffle Results

The Christmas Raffle took place in Healy’s Bar on Monday the 21st Decemeber. Thanks to everyone who sold and bought tickets and to those who provided the prizes. Every little helps with keeping the club going in what is a very tough year both on and off the pitch. The list of winners is below:

Maglin Construction support Seniors

Philip Hayes of Maglin Constuction presents new training gear and jackets to the management of the Senior Team.

New Playing Gear for Seniors

P.J. Carton of Sam’s Bar presents a new set of playing gear to the Senior Team. We’d like to thank P.J. very much for his support and ask that as PJ has supported us our friends, players and members would also support him.

Good win keeps Ballincollig Top

U12 Premier Schoolboys
Umbro U12 Leagues CSL Premier Division
Moneygourney, Sunday 20th December 2009, 10.30 a.m.

Douglas Hall 0 – 3 Ballincollig

After six weeks without a game due to the weather, Ballincollig’s Under 12 Premier Team travelled to Douglas Hall. Conditions were near freezing but due to the all weather pitch at their disposal, the match went ahead. Ballincollig wanted to get their passing game going early and despite the lay off, they started very well. Plenty of good football got them into positions in their opponents half and they had Douglas under pressure from the start. The Douglas Hall goalkeeper had his hands warmed early with a shot from Japhet Mata and Ballincollig forced a succession of corners. Nothing came from these early attacks and the home side made it more difficult by playing five at the back and only one striker in an effort to frustrate Ballincollig.
The away team kept plugging away and from a Douglas hall breakaway they took the lead. Evan O Mahony won a great tackle at the edge of his own penalty area and passed the ball down the right hand side where a quick move involving Ruairi Cotter and Brian O Callaghan set Japhet free. Japhet’s pace took him around the goalkeeper and he finished with ease. Douglas Hall to their credit played well on the break but only had two chances, one of which came back off the crossbar and was cleared to safety by the covering Ruairi Cotter. The score at the break saw Ballincollig one up on the Hall.
Playing up the slight hill in the second half and also from the efforts of the first period, Ballincollig took a while to get into their stride. Sean Lucey and Kevin Browne again got a grip in midfield and from then on the game looked safe. A great ball down the left from Jamie Manahan found Brian free and as the ‘keeper advanced Brian lobbed it over him, only to see it come back off the crossbar. However, Japhet was following, up as a good striker should, and his header finished it to the net. The defence then came under pressure for a short time but with great direction from goalkeeper Aidan O Donovan, they held firm. Deservedly, for his non-stop work during the game, Brian O Callaghan got the third goal with 5 minutes left and again it was at the end of a great move. He finished it brilliantly and the goalkeeper had no chance. A good end to the year for this team who remain unbeaten in the league, with seven wins and a draw, scoring 28 goals on the way and a game in hand over the team in second. Keep up the good work lads. They don’t hand out the medals at Christmas.

Heartache after penalties for Youths

Youths Team
FAI Umbro Youths Cup 3rd Round
Passage, Saturday 19th December 2009, 3.00 p.m.

Passage 1 – 1 Ballincollig

Passage won 10 – 9 on penalties

Ballincollig went out of the National cup after a tough match with Passage. Ballincollig had a lot of possession but lacked the cuttting edge up front. Passage went ahead through a free kick but Ballincollig equalised with a powerful header from Donal Murphy. Ballincollig had several chances to win the game but could not find the net. Extra time was followed by penalty kicks with both sides scoring excellent penalties. In the end it was Passage who progressed to the next round

Something to draw heart from

Junior Team sponsored by Four Star Pizza
Murphy’s Irish Stout AUL Premier A
Gurteenard, Saturday 19th December 2009, 2.00 p.m.

Kanturk 2 – 4 Ballincollig

The league leaders triumphed against the relegation strugglers in this Premier AUL A tie played on a chilly Saturday afternoon but they were made to work very hard for the three points on offer.
The home team took the game to the visitors from the off hitting the post on six minutes and with another free header going wide soon after but Ballincollig adapted to the pace of the game and enjoyed some possession without creating many chances. Their first chance came on 25 minutes when the ball was switched to David Rath who found himself in space on the left but his shot was well wide. Ballincollig felt that they were well in this game and Kanturk found it hard to get any time on the ball. Tim Brennan, in particular, was Patrik Viera esque in his tackling on the right wing.
Kanturk took the lead towards the end of the first half. A good run beat the offside trap down the left with the resulting shot well saved by Rob Quinn but the follow up was rammed home by the Kanturk centre-forward who is the league’s top scorer. Any illusions Kanturk had about an onslaught were ended a minute later when a penalty was given for a handball in the box. Last season Ballincollig missed a penalty in the same fixture (yeah, remind us who missed it again Steve?) but this time John-Paul Rath made sure punishment was exacted. His shot low and to the left had enough power in it to beat the net-minder who had managed to get a hand to it and both teams went in at the break with a goal a piece.
The ten minutes around the hour mark saw a flurry of goals with the lead changing hands in the process. Ballincollig took the lead through Tom Ross. A defender all of last season he seems to be enjoying life as a centre forward. He nicked the ball from the centre-half on the half way line and raced clear. With three defenders chasing him and the keeper advancing the cheeky striker fainted his shot to make the keeper take to the ground and then had the presence of mind to dink it over him. It was a goal that showed incredible finesse on his part.
If the Mid-Cork side thought they were going to get one over their opponents they were quickly disabused of the notion. The Kanturk danger man turned and twisted in the box with his back to goal and got his shot away to secure the equaliser. A penalty two minutes later awarded against Ballincollig for a carbon copy of the infraction in the first half was stuck for the hat-trick. There was a real feel of a contest to this game and the next goal was to prove crucial although Ballincollig will have a feeling their luck deserted them with about twenty minutes left.
The linesman was over ruled by the referee who gave the throw to the home side. Cries of, “Foul throw!” from the Ballincollig players were to no avail. The ball was played to the edge of the box where a shot which Rob Quinn had anticipated took a wicked deflection to find its way into the net breaking Ballincollig hearts amid the cheers of the Kanturk players and supporters. Tim Brennan almost replied with a header. He stretched his neck muscles as far as possible but he just couldn’t connect with the ball.
Try as they might Ballincollig couldn’t find any way through after that and the best they could muster was a few half chances. Ballincollig will take heart from this performance and Kanturk will take this game as a warning that nothing comes easy in this league. Best for the ‘Collig on the day were Rob Quinn, Tom Ross and JP Rath.

Cup Run ends…

Senior Team sponsored by Sam’s Bar
Umbro FAI Intermediate Cup 3rd Round
The Farm, Sunday 20th December 12.00 p.m.

Ballincollig 2 – 4 Fanad United

Ballincollig’s run in the Intermediate Cup came to an end on a chilly Sunday afternoon where failure to turn possession into goals and mistakes at the back saw the Northerners progress.
Ballincollig dominated the opening 15 minutes and had two clear chances both from corners. The first fell to Alan O’Donovan who volleyed his shot over the bar and Ian Hayes will felt he should have done better with his header. Fanad’s first real opportunity resulted in a goal. A through ball split the Ballincollig defence and the tackle got all of the man and none of the ball. The penalty was coolly slotted away and very much against the run of the play the visitors had the lead.
The next quarter of an hour saw little in the way of clear cut chances as both sides enjoyed possession and time in the opponent’s half but on 32 minutes Fanad showed the ‘Collig how to take advantage of slack marking. A corner from the right was met with a powerful header on the edge of the box. It was to get worse for the home team five minutes later when a rocket of a free-kick went through the wall to put the Donegal side three goals to the good and that was the way it stayed until the half-time whistle.
The feeling on the sideline during the break was that the next goal would prove crucial and to the disappointment of the watching crowd it was the visitors who got it. A free kick near the half way line with two minutes gone was quickly taken catching the Ballincollig defence off guard. A run down the left and a ball across the box finished into the corner led to fears that there could be a rout but Ballincollig weren’t about to lie down.
Changing their formation Ballincollig pushed to get back into the game. This they managed on 53 minutes when James Murphy found the net with a volley following a scramble from a corner. The bench was emptied and resulted in some real opportunities. Jason Murphy will rue the chance he had. Having dispossessed the defender and taking it past the keeper he was off-balance as he hit the shot at a tight angle and the centre-half was grateful for the lack of power it contained as he cleared it off the line. Ballincollig put some respectability on the score-line when a ball switched to the left wing found sub Gavin O’Callaghan and he made no mistake with a low drive smashed into the corner giving the keeper no chance.
Fanad now have Douglas Hall at home in the 4th round while Ballincollig must look to the league and the very tough challenge that lies ahead for them in the battle to stay in the Munster Senior League Premier Division.