Ballina Town 4-1 Crossmolina

Ballina Town enjoyed a Sunday stroll in the Summer sunshine as they swept aside visitors Crossmolina in a comprehensive 4-1 victory at Belleek. Table toppers Ballina entered the match as hot as the weather with a 3 game winning streak while opponents Crossmolina had a solitary victory to show from their three league games. Crossmolina wasted the first chance of the match after 5 minutes when a John Hegarty free kick from midfield was scuffed goalwards by Ronan O’Mara into the hands of goalie Kiernan O’Malley. They were punished a minute later when Fergus Quinn pounced on some defensive indecision in the Crossmolina 18 yard box to fire home the first goal of the game. They proceeded to double their lead four minutes later when Fergal Forde dispossessed Damien Syron in midfield before playing an inviting pass for Daniel Fahy to race onto. The coltish striker finished with the assuredness expected of a class player to give Town a 2-0 lead. Ballina Town were totally dominant throughout the game and they strung together good passing sequences which mesmerised their labouring opponents. Fahy showed his superiority in the 12th minute when he turned and lashed a half volley which dipped just beyond the top right corner of the Crossmolina goalmouth. In the 25th minute some intricate passing around the edge of the box cut the Crossmolina defence to ribbons and Brendan Lackey teed the ball up for Fahy whose rasping shot was just wide of the right post. In the 34th minute Philip Devers swung in a left wing cross which cleared the Crossmolina defence, to the back post where Fergus Quinn controlled the ball before scoring from 10 yards out for a 3-1 lead. Crossmolina replied immediately when a long ball bounced high off the hard ground over Town netminder O’Malley leaving Derek Greham unhindered to score into an open net. After half time Ballina Town assumed the upper hand again and within ten minutes had extended their lead to 4-1. John Hegarty was in possession of the ball going towards his own goal when he lost control and Daniel Fahy nipped in to score easily from 8 yards out. This finished the game as a contest with Ballina Town content to bask in their handsome lead and Crossmolina unable to mount any threat. The visitors only chance of the half was instigated and averted by Ballina goalie O’Malley. He struck his kickout directly at the charging Crossmolina striker Simon Rowland and the ball rebounded off him over the stranded goalie. It seemed inevitable that Rowland would score but O’Malley made an amazing recovery to swipe the ball off the striker’s forehead as he prepared to head it in. On a good day with everybody firing on all cylinders Crossmolina can compete with Ballina Town but on this day there were too many players suffering the effects of the heat and performing below par. The season could easily be miscontrued as a disaster with four losses in five games. But on further inspection two of those losses came at all-conquering Ballina Town and another was a hard luck story at Lacken. So with 14 games remaining and only Ballina distinguishing themselves it is still all to play for for Crossmolina. Ballina Town, on the other hand, look like early favourites to scoop the Premier Division crown this year.