Claremorris seal return to Super League and send Ballyhaunis straight back down
Claremorris players celebrate Brandon Walsh’s (second from left) goal. Pictures: John Corless
Claremorris will play Super League football next season after a hard-fought win over Ballyhaunis Town in the promotion/relegation play off on Saturday evening in Ballyglass.
Claremorris took to the field without nine regular first teamers, but manager Simon Collins has strengthened his squad over the course of his two-year tenure, and they had enough to see off their neighbours despite a cagey performance, especially in the first half when Ballyhaunis were the better team.
Claremorris went in 2-1 up, at the break, and a super strike from Brandon Walsh just after half-time sealed the victory which relegates the East Mayo side to the Premier League for next season.
Adnan Hamze’s opening shot after five minutes lacked power and didn’t trouble, Scott Hewson, the Claremorris ’keeper. Soon after, Evan Gannon sent one wide for Claremorris and Mohammed Abdouni sent a good ball over the defence, but an offside flag spoiled the moment for Ballyhaunis. In the middle, Lucas Garcia showed his quality with his passing and overall reading of the game.
Twelve minutes in Claremorris went in front when player of the match, Liam Kearns, broke on the wing and sent a perfect cross, for Liam McCormack to head home, unmarked, at the back post. Two minutes later Jason Murphy’s fine strike hit the Ballyhaunis upright. Ballyhaunis settled and Garcia came close, and the lively Isaac Owusu showed his pace when he broke on the wing, but Emanuel Fasanmi couldn’t connect with the cross.
Disaster struck Ballyhaunis just after the half hour, when they failed to clear McCormack’s corner, and Kearns finished well, to double the lead.
Ballyhaunis steadied and got one back, when Jake Powers forced the ball into the Claremorris net through a deflection off Fionn McLoughlin.
Kearns and McCormack had chances from corners but couldn’t add to Claremorris’s score, and at the other end, Hamze, John Morley and Emanuel Fasanmi all came close before the break.
The contest was ended just after half-time when James Morley rolled a free kick, laterally, to Bandon Walsh. The full back’s strike was sweet and powerful and gave Lujubo Spajic no chance. At 3-1, it was game over.
Claremorris threatened to add more with McLoughlin coming close, and neat combination play involving Murphy and Kearns could have made it four. Morley, McCormack and substitute Ben Smyth all came close, and for Ballyhaunis, Hamze fired a terrific shot narrowly wide. Just before referee Damien McGrath signalled the end of Ballyhaunis’s current stay in the Super League, their substitute David Leavy saw red for unsporting behaviour.
Simon Collins, manager of Claremorris said his players were delighted with the outcome.
“I'm delighted, too,” he told the . “Job done as far as we're concerned now. We couldn't get it done in the league, but look, job done and into the Super League, and that's what we wanted at the start of the year. We were missing 11 players from the squad. We had to bring up a lot of lads from the B team who'd done a good job. A lot of lads had to step up who hadn't played in a lot of minutes all year. That strength and depth is something we've been missing the last couple of years. We were a bit flat in the first half. I think, the lack of relationships between the players that haven't really played together before. And Ballyhaunis came out and they had a go. They have good players and they came out and they played, and they challenged us and they really put it in front of us.
“I think when the team is together and we have full numbers, we could compete with most teams; not all of them, but most of them.”
Liam Kearns said it was great to end the year on a high. “We got the cup win a couple of weeks ago” he said. “We started off the year poorly from our expectations, but regrouped towards the end, got a good cup win and looking forward to next year now, again.
“When we took a 2-0 lead early on, we probably sat on our laurels a small bit and let them back into it and then a brilliant free kick from Brandon Walsh, at the start of the second half kind of just set us in stone and from there we just ground it out.
“There's a lot of good young footballers here. It's all about building a squad, getting more lads involved and you can only try to do your best, you can only try to improve every year. So, it's an opportunity for lads to prove themselves that they deserve to be playing there and that's what it's all about.”
Ballyhaunis manager, Richie Crinnigan, was upbeat despite the defeat and the relegation.
“That was probably the best we've played all year. I was really delighted with the performance and if we can carry that performance, and hold on to the players we have, which is a very young squad, and build on it, we can have a very good season next season in the Premier League.
“We had a lot of different players throughout this season. We were pulling out of every corner. We had a few lads that retired and they came back. There was a time there throughout the season that we didn't think we'd finish the season. Some of the lads that have pulled this club through to today and seen out every fixture, it's been brilliant, to be honest, that they've done that for the club.
“But, it ended the way it did, and that's just football. I wouldn't say the lads are disappointed. I think they're looking forward to not getting beaten by hockey scores next season, and, yeah, we'll regroup and look towards next season.”
Kearns was the standout player for Claremorris. Lucas Garcia was Ballyhaunis’s best player.
After the game, both managers indicated to the that they had stepped down from their roles.
