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KELLY CUP - O'Leary double enough for O'Dempsey's

O'Dempsey's were full value for their win with Barry and Ed Kelly in particularly fine form, and Ballyroan-Abbey simply had no answer for the powerful home side performance.

With conditions nigh on perfect for football, it was somewhat surprising that both teams were guilty of some very sloppy passages of play in the opening stages. Misplaced passes and poor kicking punctuated the first few minutes, but things gradually improved and Ballyroan's Mark McDonagh cut in from the right to fire over the game's opening score.

It would be the only time that Ballyroan enjoyed a lead, and quick-fire points from Ed Kelly and Michael Finlay soon got O'Dempsey's on their way. Scott Conroy equalised briefly with the first of his six-point haul, but he was one of a small few Ballyroan men that would have been pleased with their day's work.

With O'Dempsey's utilising Brian Nugent as a third midfielder, they enjoyed the lion's share of first-half possession, and they quickly carved out a healthy lead. Ed Kelly's low shot somehow stayed out after hitting off both posts but he was more successful moments later when he sent a stunning effort straight over the bar from a tight angle.

Although Scott Conroy again pulled Ballyroan back into it with a well-taken point, Stephen O'Leary popped up at the end of a typically energetic O'Dempsey's attack to send a low shot past the helpless Alan Burnell in the Ballyroan goal.

Burnell fared significantly better towards the end of the half.
More at home in midfield than between the posts, Burnell pulled off a terrific save from Barry Kelly that any established keeper would have been proud of. Unfortunately, he could do very little about the points that were frequently sent over his bar, and further scores from Barry Kelly along with two from Michael Finlay left O'Dempsey's with a four point lead at the break.

Finlay extended his side's lead with a free early in the second half, and substitute Darren Finlay notched a point over with his first touch of the game to put six points between the sides. Scott Conroy, now carrying his side almost single-handedly reduced this to five with another excellent point, and when Colm Lalor scored a close-range point minutes later, a comeback looked on the cards.

However, midway through the second half, Stephen O'Leary put the game to bed with a neatly-finished goal after well-worked build-up play. Ballyroan's defence were unable to cope with the tireless work-rate of the O'Dempseys attack, and only the best efforts of keeper Alan Burnell and young full-back Rory Dunne kept them at bay.

Ballyroan kept plugging away, but scores from Conroy and Ciaran Keegan served only to keep an air of respectability about the scoreboard. Ed Kelly capped a terrific performance with a tremendous point with five minutes to go, and O'Dempsey's seven point lead afforded them them the opportunity to send in a number of substitutes.

Scott Conroy benefitted from a strong Darren O'Dea run to slot over his sixth point. Tomas Slevin, one of O'Dempsey's late subs pointed well and as the game approached its conclusion, Jamie Whelan's stinging shot was excellently parried over by O'Dempsey's sub-keeper Francis Finn to complete the afternoon's scoring.

SCORERS - O'Dempsey's: Stephen O'Leary 2-0, Michael Finlay 0-4 (two frees), Ed Kelly 0-3, Barry Kelly, Darren Finlay and Tomas Slevin 0-1 each; Ballyroan-Abbey - Scott Conroy 0-6 (three frees), Mark McDonald, Ciaran Keegan, Colm Lalor and Jamie Whelan 0-1 each

O'DEMPSEY'S: Padraic Bannon; Tomas Finlay, JJ O'Connell, Nigel Delaney; Liam Finlay, Brian Meredith, JP Kehoe; Rory Bracken, Brian Behan; Stephen O'Leary, Ed Kelly, Barry Kelly; Michael Finlay, Paddy Hyland, Brian Nugent. Subs: Darren Finlay for Behan (34 mins), Tomas Slevin for Nugent (46 mins), Ross Behan for Delaney (55 mins), Francis Finn for Bannon (55 mins), Diarmaid Fitzpatrick for Hyland (58 mins)

BALLYROAN-ABBEY: Alan Burnell; Michael Walsh, Rory Dunne, Niall Wallace; James Keegan, John Madigan, Darren O'Dea; John Murphy, Danny Donohue; Mark McDonald, Colin Lawlor, Ciaran Keegan; Eoin Kearns, Scott Conroy, Jamie Whelan. Subs: Owen O'Brien for O'Dea (injured - 21 mins), O'Dea for Murphy (43 mins)

Published Date: 11 March 2010
By Tom Moss for The Leinster Express