Chicago-bound Daithí Hogan goes out on a high for St Patrick's

St Patrick’s 1-8 Ballingarry 0-8

County star Daithí Hogan signed off on his domestic season with St Patrick’s on a winning note last Thursday night before jetting off to the United States the next day to play football in Chicago for the summer.

Hogan scored the decisive goal as St Patrick’s beat Ballingarry in the FBD Insurance County Football League Division 3 Final at Anner Park, Cloneen, 1-8 to 0-8. Hogan’s next action will be with the Parnells club in the Windy City.

He scored a spectacular goal to decide the final that was played at St Patrick’s home ground, as Ballingarry had sought a postponement of the original fixture scheduled two weeks earlier for Mullinahone. Ironically, match winner Hogan would have been unavailable for that game, as he was still involved in the Tipperary footballers’ Tailteann Cup campaign.

The win bridged a 22-year gap since St Patrick’s last county league title win in 2004.

It wasn’t a night for fancy football. Played in a constant drizzle, with Slievenamon shrouded in mist, a greasy ball made it difficult for both teams, with players struggling to make passes stick and retain possession.

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St Patrick’s proved to be more direct, with Hogan and Tony O’Brien constant threats in attack. Hogan hit 1-3, 1-1 from play, and O’Brien knocked over three classy points. Hogan is one of the quickest players in the county and Ger Ryan had the unenviable task of marking him.

Ryan did well for most of the game, curtailing the space that Hogan revels in, but was caught for pace nine minutes into the second half when he allowed Hogan cut inside him following a run down the standside, and the county star finished the move with a blistering shot past Ballingarry goalkeeper David Cashin.

The goal put the Drangan/Cloneen side 1-6 to 0-5 ahead and they were never headed again. Ballingarry never gave up the battle and a pointed free from Adrian Cleere brought it back to a one- score game, but the kickout proved to be the last action of the game.

Cleere was not only a significant presence at full forward but decisive from frees, pointing four, including a fine two-pointer. It looked as if the Maroons had converted two excellent two-pointers from play in the first half, but after the umpire initially waved the orange flag, both were downgraded to single scores.

Michael Ivors was a busy playmaker for Ballingarry, switching play to create the openings. However, it was not a game that the team will remember for its shooting, with some very wayward shots, and just two scores from play – two from team captain Ben Ivors and the other from Diarmuid Ryan.

Cathal Mahony opened the scoring for St Patrick’s in the second minute when fisting over, and then the Daithí Hogan-Tony O’Brien axis that was to prove so crucial throughout the final put them two ahead, Hogan providing the assist for O’Brien.

Once Ballingarry settled, they played excellent football. An intercept by Conor Vaughan started a good move involving Michael Ivors, Darragh Pollard and Thomas Walton that just failed to produce a score.

However, they did get off the mark in the eighth minute when Ben Ivors finished a one-two with Michael Ivors, and drew level four minutes later when Diarmuid Ryan struck a fine kick that was first given as a two-pointer.

A dominant spell followed for St Patrick’s when they went 0-4 to 0-2 ahead in the space of thirty seconds. Mahony restored their lead with his second of the game, before Hogan won the kickout and raced through unhindered to hit a lovely score.

They might have followed up with a goal after panic in the Ballingarry defence. A Hogan shot, following good play from Willie Cleere and Mahony, was punched rather than caught by Ballingarry goalkeeper Cashin and the ball bobbed around the square before it was eventually cleared.

Adrian Cleere reduced the margin from a free and after two squandered chances for St Patricks,Ben Ivors levelled the score once more, again after an orange flag was initially waved. A two-pointer was recorded on the scoreboard but corrected at half time.

Ballingarry went in at half time with a 0-5 to 0-4 lead following another pointed free from Adrian Cleere following a foul on Conor Mangan.

However, it was St Patrick’s who dominated the first ten minutes of the second half to build up a lead that they never again lost. Oran Gahan was winning a lot of ball around midfield and as pressure mounted on the Ballingarry defence, the scores followed – in fact, three in a row came from Daithí Hogan.

An Aidan Buckley shot rebounded off the upright and when Sean Nash was fouled in the follow-up, Hogan tapped over the free for the equaliser. He then converted another free to regain the lead before his most vital impact on the game. His pace proved too much for Ger Ryan but he still had a lot of work to do and his finish to the Ballingarry net, to make it 1-6 to 0-5, was good enough to win any game.

Ballingarry’s response was impressive and the Slieveardagh side had it back to a two-points margin midway through the half with Adrian Cleere’s two-pointer free. And they should have been even closer but their shooting left a lot to be desired.

St Patrick’s proved to be more clinical with their chances and the lead stretched out to four points again when good work from Hogan and Gahan set up O’Brien for a score; and O’Brien followed up with a second in the space of four minutes, with Hogan again providing the assist.

When Adrian Cleere finally pointed his last free, it proved to be too late to make a difference for Ballingarry.

Two evenly-matched sides produced an entertaining battle on a difficult night for football, but St Patrick’s higher conversion rate – and the impact of Daithí Hogan, Tony O’Brien and Cathal Mahony – proved decisive.

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Scorers: St Patrick’s: Daithí Hogan 1-3 (2 frees), Tony O’Brien 0-3, Cathal Mahony 0-2.

Ballingarry: Adrian Cleere 0-5 (1x2pt free, 3 frees), Ben Ivors 0-2, Diarmuid Ryan 0-1.

St Patrick’s: Eoin Morrissey; Evan Holohan, Keith Morrissey, Cian Cranitch; Sean Nash, Aidan Fitzgerald, Charlie Noonan; Oran Gahan, Aidan Buckley; Ryan Cranitch, Willie Cleere, Eoin Horan; Tony O’Brien, Cathal Mahony, Daithí Hogan.

Ballingarry: David Cashin; Ger Ryan, Paul Butler, Keith Cleere; Conor Vaughan, Michael Ryan, Conor Mangan; Darragh Pollard, Thomas Walton; Shane Cleere, Michael Ivors, Ben Ivors; Declan Hayes, Adrian Cleere, Diarmuid Ryan.

Subs: Adam O’Connell for Shane Cleere (35), Simon Blackmore for Walton (35), Jack Ryan for Diarmuid Ryan (40), Jack Fennelly for Hayes (50).

Referee: Donncha Horan (Eire Óg Annacarty/Donohill).