SIXMILEBRIDGE 1-22 BALLYEA 0-19

Ballyea will have to avail of the backdoor once more if we’re to retain the Clare SHC after Fergal Hegarty’s team were edged out by a fine Sixmilebridge in this evening’s Round Two clash in Cusack Park.

Ballyea were trailing by just two points with two minutes of normal time to go, despite losing James Murphy to a second yellow card midway through the second half, but then the Bridge’s excellent Jamie Shanahan rifled home a goal that all but sealed the game for the 2015 county champions.

In truth, The Bridge were that bit slicker and more cohesive in attack. Their starting six forwards finished with a combined 1-12 from play, in contrast to Ballyea’s 0-5, while John O’Meara’s team also got five points from their bench in the decisive last quarter. A couple of Ballyea players were only back in the country and their lack of match sharpness showed, but there was also enough here to suggest that with an extra few weeks’ training under their belt, Ballyea can still be seriously players in this year’s championship.

The reigning county champions actually got off to a blistering start, blitzing The Bridge for four points from play in the opening two and a half minutes of the game, the fourth of them a terrific score from Eoghan Donnellan after he was brilliantly picked out by Paul Flanagan. Tony Kelly in particular was rampant in those opening stages and by the seventh minute he’d already scored his third point from play with a magnificent strike off his hurley on the run along the left touchline.

The Bridge though then settled into the game and on the 20th minute drew level on seven points apiece as the ageless wonder Niall Gilligan fired over a trademark point.

Over the next 20 minutes the sides would share the lead on five different occasions. The Bridge were a point up at halftime, 0-10 to 0-9, but any time they sneaked ahead, Ballyea tended to respond, usually through a free from Niall Deasy or another wonder point from Kelly. Of considerable concern though was the fact that three of the Ballyea starting six backs had picked up yellow cards in that first half, a precarious position for any backline to be, and as it would transpire, one of them – Murphy – inevitably picked up a second.

In truth, The Bridge had moved into the ascendancy at that point. Physically they’re one of the few teams in the county who can match Ballyea on that count, and some of the inter-link play between the likes of countymen Cathal Malone and Jamie Shanahan was of the highest order. Although Ballyea’s own powerhorse, Gary Brennan, was now establishing his presence in the game from puckouts and some stirring runs along the wing, The Bridge were finding it that bit easier to score from play, whereas Ballyea were relying too heavily on Deasy frees and some magic from Kelly.

In the end Kelly would finish up with six points from play, but Shanahan’s goal would foil him from being the game’s leading scorer from play.

And so The Bridge are now straight through to the quarter-finals while Ballyea will now have to encounter one of the winners of this weekend’s Round Two Losers series, which includes such dangerous opponents like 2014 champions Cratloe, Tulla and Clooney-Quin.

That said, whichever one of them draw Ballyea will be up against a very dangerous opponent themselves.

BALLYEA: Kevin Sheehan; Joe Neylon, Jack Browne, Brian Carrigg; Gearóid O’Connell (0-1), James Murphy; Tony Kelly (0-6), Stan Lineen; Niall Deasy (0-9, six frees, one 65), Gary Brennan (0-1), Tadhg Lynch; Pat Joe Connolly, Eoghan Donnellan (0-2), Pearse Lillis.

Subs: Brian Murphy for Carrigg (24 mins), Martin O’Leary for Lynch (44), Mark Coughlan for Lillis (51), Aonghas Keane for Connolly (58),

SIXMILEBRIDGE: Derek Fahy; Noel Purcell, Aidan Quilligan; Barry Fitzpatrick; Caimin Morey, Páidí Fitzpatrick; Kevin Lynch (0-1), Brian Carey; Cathal Malone (0-4), Cathal Lynch (0-1), Jamie Shanahan (1-7, four frees); Brian Corry (0-1), Shane Golden (0-2), Niall Gilligan (0-2).  Subs: Conor Deasy (0-1) for Qulligan (inj, 20); Alex Morey (0-2) for Lynch (50), Alan Mulready (0-10 for Corry (53), Gavin Whyte for Gilligan (59).