Ballynagross serve notice

Ballynagross serve notice

27 April 2016

BALLYNAGROSS enhanced their promotion aspirations with a commanding win against a severely depleted Castlewellan side at the Bann Road on Saturday.

The equation for Nigel Smyth’s side is now a simple one — win their remaining four games and they move into 2B.

Not a bad bit of work for Ballynagross in their debut season, especially as they have also reached the Cochrane Corry Cup final where they face Woodvale next Wednesday night at Seaview.

Saturday’s victory over their old nemesis was richly deserved and gained with a brand of football that used to be Castlewellan’s trademark.

Ballynagross set out to feel Castlewellan’s collar from the outset and that they did with an intense, route one style of play that constantly puts defences under pressure.

They got little joy out of Conor Stratton’s back four in the opening exchanges and if anything, it was Castlewellan who should have taken the lead on the counterattack.

With 17 minutes gone Stratton broke up a Ballynagross attack and immediately sent Karol Jarosinski scurrying down the left flank. Alas, Jarosinski was out of luck as Cathail Arnold tipped his effort over the crossbar for a corner.

Three minutes later, Sean Fitzsimons was out of luck after Stevie Trainor had nudged a long throw into his path.

Ballynagross’ first real chance came in the 25th minute when Donal McCavera broke free of Eoin Moag’s clutches, but shot narrowly wide.

Donal then teamed up with his brother Eoin to carve Castlewellan wide open, but Moag did well to cut the latter’s cross from getting into the six yard box.

Castlewellan failed to clear the resulting corner and paid the penalty for some sloppy defending when Eoin McCavera was perfectly placed to beat Danny Cassidy with a crisp finish.

Ballynagross continued to call the shots with Deaglain Arnold assuming control of the middle of the park and with 33 minutes gone Jordan Finnegan made it 2-0. Eon McCavera swung the ball in from the right wing and Finnegan scooped the ball up before volleying it to the back of the net from just inside the box.

It could easily have been 3-0 a few minutes later when Arnold got his head to a Finnegan cross, but his effort crashed against the bar.

It was 3-0 seven minutes after the break when Conor Stratton unfortunately headed a Chris Fryer cross into his own net.

Trainor had a glorious chance to pull a goal back immediately, but he missed a sitter from close in after Conor Stratton cushioned a corner into his path.

Two minutes later, a tempting cross from Sean Russell begged to be put away, but there was nobody at home in the box.

With 70 minutes gone the McCavera brothers again combined to cut Castlewellan open, but Eoin was again out of luck after some superb approach play.

Russell and Jarosinski and then did well to leave Ballynagross chasing shadows, but when the ball was played in Trainor inexplicably blasted the ball over from a few yards out.

Stevie’s day went from bad to worse when he was harshly shown a straight red after tangling with man of the match Fryer, after an innocuous incident looked worse than what it was.

Ballynagross tried to turn the screw with Castlewellan down to 10 men, but a severely depleted Town outfit, who had an entire team unavailable for selection, defended well over the closing period.

Castlewellan: D Cassidy, C Magorrian, C Burns, C Stratton, E Moag, S Fitzsimons, M Stratton, M Toner, A Dornan, K Jarosinski, S Trainor. Subs: S Russell, J O’Neill, D Gregory.

Ballynagross: C Arnold, C Marron, C Fryer, D McGrady, R Fryer, D Arnold, J Finnegan, R Burns, D McCavera, M Magill, E McCavera. Subs: G Jervis, L Cunningham, P O’Reilly.