St Joseph's get off to a flyer in league opener

St Joseph’s laid down quite a marker on the opening night of Division 1 of the Football League. The reigning champions set out their stall with a one-sided win over the visiting Ballyroan Abbey as Eoghan O’Flaherty stole the show. 

Six points from O’Flaherty as well as a goal each from Matthew Campion and Jamie O’Brien sent the hosts on their way to an emphatic victory. Both sides were missing some regulars, but the absentees seemed to have no effect on St Joseph’s, who totally dominated the game.

 St Joseph’s 2-13

 Ballyroan Abbey 0-4 

ACFL Division 1 Round 1

O’Flaherty opened the scoring in the second minute after some good build up. The two sides were feeling each other out in the early goings, neither committing too many men forward. Josh O’Brien added another good score for the hosts in the 9th minute before Campion got in for his goal a minute later. It was a simple move from St Joseph’s that easily broke through the Ballyroan defence. 

The visitors opened their account in the 13th minute when Diarmuid Whelan finished off a patient team move. It seemed like Ballyroan had turned the tide, but the Joseph’s defence was on top form, repelling a series of attacks without even conceding a shot, let alone a score.

The hosts then tagged on four scores in three minutes, including two from O’Flaherty, to go eight points up inside the opening twenty minutes. Campion’s eventful evening then continued when the forward received a black card.

A free from Brian Whelan followed to give Ballyroan-Abbey a slight reprieve, but two frees from O’Flaherty towards the end of the half gave St Joseph’s a convincing lead at half time; 1-8 to 0-2. 

The second half got underway with a free on either side from O’Flaherty and Whelan, but tempers were starting to flare. After a number of heavy collisions, the game boiled over in the 40th minute with a mass brawl near the side-line. The majority of players on both sides decided to get involved, so too a supporter who took exception to Ballyroan-Abbey midfielder Cathal Doyle. 

Referee Hugh Coghlan had quite a job on his hands to calm things down. He gave a yellow card to each team – Josh O’Brien for Joseph’s and Diarmuid Whelan for Ballyroan – before brandishing a red for Dylan Doyle, reducing St Joseph’s to 14 for the second time.

But it made no difference as the hosts kicked on, scoring a further 1-4 without reply. Jamie O’Brien had come on in the 36th minute and the substitute got on the end of a long ball before smashing it past Adam Jones. 

There was a consolation score late on for Ballyroan, for whom it will be challenging to find any positives from their night’s work. Things do not get any easier for them, as they prepare to host Portlaoise up next. St Joseph’s will be eager to keep things going when they travel to Portarlington in Round 2 in two weeks’ time.