Ballinteer edge past Whitehall in O’Toole Park thriller

BALLINTEER ST JOHN’S 1-20

WHITEHALL COLMCILLE 2-16

Image courtesy Mark McDonagh

Ronan Cullen was the match winner at a bright and breezy O’Toole Park on Saturday afternoon as Ballinteer St John’s squeezed past the challenge of Whitehall Colmcille to get their Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship Group 2 campaign up and running in fine style.

Trailing by eight points in the early stages of the second half, Ballinteer subsequently turned the table on their northside counterparts and even led by a margin of two on a couple of occasions during a frantic finale. Yet Whitehall kept themselves in the reckoning and with county star Cormac Costello helping himself to an excellent tally of 0-11, they were back on level terms with the final whistle fast approaching.

Ballinteer kept their composure, however, and Cullen’s third score of the day right at the death ensured it was his side who came out on top.

Despite facing into a strong wind during the opening half of the game, it was actually Ballinteer who got the scoring underway with a Seamus Fenton point just 30 seconds into the action being supplemented by a fine effort from Aaron Bradshaw at the end of a patient move.

Whitehall initially took their time to settle into the proceedings, but their challenge came to life in the ninth minute. From a Costello ball that bounced favourably into his path, corner-forward Sean Gannon fired home for a clinically-taken goal.

While this was a set-back for Ballinteer, points from Liam Smith and Liam Fenton either side of a successful close-range free by Costello meant the tie remained delicately poised. In fact, after Costello edged Whitehall in front for the very first time with an impressive score from play, Ballinteer regained the ascendancy when Eoghan Fitzpatrick and Jack Lundy found the target in quick succession.

This remained the case after a two-point Costello free was matched by single efforts from Dublin senior footballer Luke Breathnach and Bradshaw, but Costello once again displayed his long-distance prowess by knocking over another orange flag score with the outside of his right boot at an awkward angle.

Another two-point contribution from wing-back Adam McDermott helped Whitehall to create a little bit of daylight between themselves and Ballinteer. Fitzpatrick’s second point of the day on 27 minutes was much needed from a St John’s perspective, but it was Whitehall who had the better ending to the first half.

Preceding a Sean Foran point, Costello gathered possession off a long delivery and passed out to Sean Gannon – who promptly dispatched the ball to the net for his second goal.

This propelled Whitehall towards a 2-9 to 0-9 interval cushion and this lead was enhanced after Costello split the posts in consummate style off an additional two-point free in the early stages of the second period.

Even though Ballinteer fired back with three points on the bounce courtesy of Lundy (free), marauding defender Ben Millist and Cullen, a well-worked score from inter-county star Lee Gannon kept Whitehall in a strong position coming up towards the third-quarter mark.

Still, Ballinteer were starting to gain a foothold around the middle-third and were very much in contention thanks to unanswered points from Breathnach and Mark McNally. A Costello free on 51 minutes had Whitehall five clear on the scoreboard, before Ballinteer injected fresh life into the game when substitute Patrick Coleman got on the end of a fast-paced move to claim a superb goal.

This was just the tonic that the southsiders required and after a Fitzpatrick two-pointer restored parity in ruthless fashion, Bradshaw and Cullen popped up with singles to suddenly leave Ballinteer in the driving seat.

Traded placed ball scores between Costello and Lundy kept St John’s ahead, but Whitehall dramatically levelled matters once more when a point from Dublin senior hurler Eoghan O’Donnell was complimented by Costello’s 11th of the proceedings.

The latter then had a chance to edge Whitehall back in front, but his tricky free facing into the elements drifted past the right hand-post.

With the teams still deadlocked, the next attack was going to be vital and it was the ice cool Cullen who kicked a 63rd minute point to ensure Ballinteer ultimately came away with the spoils in the most dramatic of circumstances.

Scorers – Ballinteer St John’s: E Fitzpatrick 0-4 (1 P2), J Lundy 0-3 (1f, 1 ‘45’), A Bradshaw, R Cullen 0-3 each, P Coleman 1-0, L Breathnach 0-2 (1 mark), B Millist, S Fenton, L Smith, M McNally, L Fenton 0-1 each. Whitehall Colmcille: C Costello 0-11 (3 F2, 4f), S Gannon 2-0, A McDermott 0-2 (1 P2), L Gannon, S Foran, E O’Donnell 0-1 each.

Ballinteer St John’s: A Clabby; C Fitzpatrick, M Gardiner, B Millist; S Fenton, L Smith, D Devereux; E Fitzpatrick, M McNally; L Breathnach, J Lundy, D O’Meara; A Bradshaw, R Cullen, L Fenton. Subs: P Coleman for O’Meara (h-t), L Cullen for S Fenton (38), J Long for L Fenton (46), I O’hEithir for Fitzpatrick (48).

Whitehall Colmcille: C Cummins; D Wherley, T Kellett, S Giles; A McDermott, E Moran, D Scanlon; M Moran, J McDermott; R Kerins, C Costello, L Gannon; S Gannon, S Foran, T O’Sullivan. Subs: P Moloney for McDermott (51), E O’Donnell for Kerins (53), J Thorp for O’Sullivan (56).

Referee: Brian O’Connor (Garda Westmanstown Gaels).