It was a case of a smash and grab for the home side at a sunny Kilbrein Park on Saturday, as our U14's fought hard in their last League game of the season.

Following a disappointing outing against the same opposition 2 weeks ago, our Ballyhar lads were determined to put up a fight and settled into the game well. Daniel Ryan, Killian O'Sullivan, and Jack Duggan were industrious up front against a much bigger and stronger home defence. With Adam Fleming, Luke Bartlett, and Ruben O'Leary Griffin getting the upper hand in midfield. O'Sullivan had a tough battle all game with their left back, and anytime he got the better of him, the very impressive No.4 always had his back covered. The best chance of the game did fall to O'Sullivan after he was beautifully put through by a combination of Ruben & Duggan, but under pressure from a tight angle, he didn't quite get the connection he was hoping for. H/T 0-0

The home side came out strong at the start of the 2nd half, with Ballyhar struggling to refind their groove. The Mastergeeha defence wasn't the only good backline on show as Daithi Allen, Eoin Cremin, Aaron Looney, and Darragh O'Sullivan making sure Adam Quirke had little saves to make. It was nip and tuck at this stage, with both sides trying to get a breakthrough. It looked like 1 defensive error could turn the game, and that's exactly what happened. Mastergeeha had a throw-in down in the corner that created a bit of panic, with a Ballhar clearance sent across the box and falling to an attacker, who controlled it and smashed it past Quirke for the only goal of the game. Ballyhar pushed hard for the remaining 20 mins but just couldn't find a way through. Bartlett having a good chance from a corner that had the direction, but just not the power. F/T 1-0

The Ballyhar boys can hold their heads high after battling very hard against a bigger, more physical team and a very solid defence. We now look towards the Cup competition and we congratulate Mastergeeha on their win.