The short trip to Killorglin was made on Friday evening by our U13 A team who were making their debut in the Premier division against a strong and physical home side.
Killorglin put our lads under constant pressure in the 1st half, making good use of the full pitch, and catching Ballyhar a little cold, as they came to terms with the step up. The defence held firm for the majority of the half marshalled well by Fionn Clifford and Daithi Allen, with Callum Templeman and Killian O'Sullivan doing well on the wings. Noah Browne was excellent in goals making some great saves, as corner after corner rained down on him. Despite a few good passages of play, Ballyhar couldn't make a dent in the home side defence with Daniel Ryan and Alex Finn working tirelessly up front. Then just before half time, as Ballyhar were slowly pushing Killorglin back, we were caught on the counter attack. Following a blocked shot from Finn, the ball fell to a Killorglin midfielder who pumped it forward over our defence and straight into the on rushing striker who finished really well from outside the box. H/T 1-0
Ballyhar made a change at the break which seemed to turn the tide in their favor during the 2nd half. Adam Fleming partnered Luke Bartlett in the middle and they began to disrupt and distribute the ball much better. O'Sullivan moved up to right mid with his speed and pressure causing problems for Killorglin. Patrick O'Connor got on more ball down the left as Ballyhar pushed for an equaliser. But Killorglin absorbed all we could throw at them and always looked dangerous on the counter. Noah Browne was again solid when called into action, with new signing Darragh O'Sullivan doing fantastic at right back. But Killorglin increased their lead, scoring from an corner that fell at the edge of the box to a midfielder who struck it towards goal and poked home from close range despite calls for offside. The lads fought hard to find their first Premier goal of the season but only managed 1 shot on goal due to a very strong Killorglin defence.
As debuts go, Darragh O'Sullivan did very well with all of the lads putting in a massive shift following the step up to the Premier level. They will only learn and get better as the season goes on.
MOM - Noah Browne