Sublime Setanta put Ballinascreen to the sword to advance in Ulster IHC

Gerard Gilmore was in dazzling form hitting 1-9 as 14-man Setanta were comfortable winners over 13-man Ballinascreen in Owenbeg on Saturday. 

Ballinascreen 1-10 Setanta 3-13  

The Donegal champions lost team captain Mark Callaghan to a straight red card deep in injury time, which had no bearing on the result. 

But Ballinascreen lost corner forward Ronan O’Kane to a straight red card just before half-time and Niall Doyle in the 50th minute. 

And while the sending-offs did have an impact on the game, they did not take away from Setanta’s overall supremacy. 

But the real turning point in the game came in the 39th minute when Gilmore scored a superb goal which put Setanta into a commanding 2-8 to 0-10 lead, a platform they never lost.  

Ballinascreen were quickly off the mark as Waterford native Cormac Gough converted a free after Setanta midfielder Declan Coulter was fortunate not get a card after a loose pull on Aaron Kelly. 

It was all Ballinascreen in the first moments as Setanta conceded some poor frees from Gough and wing-back Aodhan O’Hagan made it 0-4 to 0-0. 

Coulter then opened the scoring for Setanta with a fine long-range point for the Donegal champions. 

It got even better for Setanta as Danny Cullen was clearly fouled but referee Colum Cunning waved the advantage. 

Gerard Gilmore took a shot that fell to Josh Cronolly McGee and he scrambled the ball to the net. 

The game had swung in an instant as Gilmore put his side in front from a free and Oisin Marley extended that lead. 

Setanta then had the ball in the net but Ruairi Campbell was controversially ruled to be in the square as he finished from Cullen’s blocked shot. 

Ronan O’Kane replied with a point for Ballinascreen before Gilmore hit two more points on the spin to put Setanta into a 1-5 to 0-6 lead. But the accurate Conway replied in kind to level matters by the 19thminute. 

Setanta looked the more purposeful side as Gilmore and Cronolly McGee made it 1-8 to 0-8 for the Donegal champions at the break. 

But Ballinascreen were struck a real blow on the cusp of half-time when corner forward O’Kane was given a straight red card for an alleged strike on Setanta keeper Kevin Campbell, whose head was bandaged as a result of the incident. 

Ballinascreen threw on Martin Bradley and had the better of the opening exchanges as Gough and Bradley narrowed the gap to the minimum margin as Setanta led by 1-8 to 0-10. 

It was then the dazzling Gilmore struck for the crucial score of the match when he gathered the ball at an acute angle and rifled to the top corner of the net in the 39th minute. 

That put Setanta firmly in command as Coulter and Gilmore made it 2-10 to 0-10 by the 48th minute. 

Ballinascreen lost another player in the 51st minute Niall Doyle was lined for a second yellow card. 

They had the ball in the Setanta net a few minutes later but play was brought back for a free. 

Cormac Gough got a late consolation goal from a 20m free and Oisin Marley got a similar score for Setanta after a massive solo run. 

And Setanta captain Callaghan also got a straight red card in injury time as Coulter was also forced off with an arm injury. 

Setanta scorers: Gerard Gilmore 1-9,6f; Josh Cronolly/McGee 1-1; Oisin Marley 1-1; Declan Coulter 0-2.

Ballinascreen scorers; Cormac Gough 1-4,4f; Aidan O’Hagan 0-1; Ronan O’Kane 0-1; Marty Bradley 0-1; Eamon Conway 0-3,3f.  

Setanta: Kevin Campbell: Conor McGettigan, Steven McBride, Mark Callaghan; Conor Gallen, Bernard Lafferty, Niall Cleary; Declan Coulter, Dean Harvey; Sean Ward, Danny Cullen, Oisin Marley; Gerard Gilmore, Ruairi Campbell, Josh Cronolly McGee.

Michael Donaghue for Conor Gallen (40), Colm Melaugh for Dean Harvey (51), Ryan Coyle for Conor McGettigan (56), Ryan Callaghan for Sean Ward (60), Sean Ward for Declan Coulter (62 inj). 

Ballinascreen: Aodhan McCallion; Andy McBride, Philip McGlade, Jamie-Lee McGlade; Daire Kelly, Paul Cleary, Aodhan O’Hagan; Niall Doyle, Aaron Kelly; Reece McSorley, Cormac Cough, Noel Rafferty; Ronan O’Kane, Eamon Conway, James McDaid.  

Subs; Marty Bradley for James McDaid (h-time), Ciaran Doyle for Reece McSorley (41), Ruairi McWilliams for Eamon Conway (49), Eoin McCallion for Aaron Kelly (58). 

Referee: Colum Cunning (Antrim)