Cootehill Celtic 1 - 5 Ballyhaise 0 - 8 Cootehill and Ballyhaise will need another day to decide who goes through to the semi final of this year's intermediate championship where Lavey wait after nothing separated the sides after 60 plus minutes of a high entertaining if sometimes disjointed encounter in Drumalee on Saturday last. Both sides will look back at missed chances in this game and wonder what could have, Ballyhaise could only manage four points in the first half despite playing with the benefit of a strong breeze, and Cootehill even though they didn't score in the first half will rue missing two clear goal chances including a penalty. In what was a scrappy low scoring game, referee John Emo had his hands full with plenty of off the ball incidents which kept the game from opening up into a free flowing match. Ballyhaise, playing into the swimming pool end of the pitch with that strong wind in their backs, started the brighter of the two sides and had an early opportunity to open the scoring but full forward Ali Pickett's free went wide. Both Pickett and centre forward Eamon Costello missed further chances from placed balls before Pickett found his range and opened the scoring after ten minutes of play. Pickett found the target again a minute later with an effort from 40 yards, Cootehill however soon found their feet and had more than enough chances to level the game with four efforts in a row going narrowly wide. While everything up front might not have been going to plan for the Celtics, defensively things were going better for the Hoops - they restricted Ballyhaise to just two more points in the opening half, both through wing forward Ciaran McGowan in the 20th and 25th minutes which meant that at half time Ballyhaise were leading four points to no score. Cootehill didn't wait long after the restart to finally open their account; Colm Smith raised a white flag after barely 30 seconds on the clock with a fine long range effort. Ballyhaise struck back with an effort from Eamon Costello within a minute. Two minutes later, the Hoops were handed a golden opportunity to level the tie, a long ball from Ciaran Fox found the recently introduced Paul McCarney inside the 13m line right in front of the goals but McCarney was fouled before he could get his shot away and a penalty was awarded. Keeper Glen Nulty made his way up the field to take the spot kick but unfortunately for the Town side his shot went wide of the left post. Cootehill didn't let that miss deter them, Cathal McCabe saw his shot go wide of the post as his side started to win the majority of the vital breaks around the middle third of the field - where Brian Sherlock and John McCutcheon were beginning to shade matters over their opposite numbers Ray Cullivan and Brendan McCrudden. Colm Smith converted two frees to leave two points between the sides as the game entered the final quarter. Cullivan pointed soon after to extend his side's lead before Smith played a 45 short to the impressive wing back Brendan McCrudden who fired over to leave two once again between the sides. Two minutes later, Cootehill struck a crucial blow; the Celtics forwards turned over the ball as Ballyhaise were coming out of defence and the ball found it's way to Colm Smith who ran down on goal before rounding the keeper and sliding the ball into the Ballyhaise net to put his side a point in front for the first time in the game. Unfortunately for the Celtics' they missed several chances to extend their lead including a golden opportunity from sub Liam Sherlock and despite some great defending, Ballyhaise pressure eventually came good when Colm Reilly pointed to level the tie at the stroke of full time. It looked like it was going to be Ballyhaise's day when Ali Pickett pointed a 20 m free four minutes into injury time to put his side ahead but Liam Sherlock, with virtually the last kick of the ball, made amends for his earlier miss with a superb point from all of 50 yards to level the tie and ensure that it will take another 60 minutes at least, this Friday under lights at 8 o'clock in Kingspan Breffni Park, to determine who meets Lavey in the semi final of this year's competition. Cootehill Celtic: Glen Nulty; Shane McCarney, Barry McGahan, Eoin Roche; Sean Fitzpatrick, David McCarney, Brendan McCrudden (0 - 1); John McCutcheon, Brian Sherlock; Damien Sherlock, Joshua Hayes, Shay Hawe; Mark Mullen, Colm Smith (1 - 3, 2 frees), Cathal McCabe. Subs: Paul McCarney for Shay Hawe; Ciaran Fox for Barry McGahan (injured); Gary McCrudden for Damien Sherlock; Liam Sherlock (0 - 1) for Gary McCrudden (injured). Ballyhaise: Brendan Maguire; Mark Brennan, Sean McCormack, Brendan Lyons; Barry Kelly, Michael Rooney, Colm Reilly (0 - 1); Barry McCrudden, Ray Cullivan (0 - 1); Ciaran McGowan (0 - 2), Eamon Costello (0 - 1), Stephen Smith; Kevin Tierney, Ali Pickett (0 - 3, 2 frees), Conor Lyons. Subs: Kevin Rooney for Michael Rooney (injured); Gerry McCrudden for Ciaran McGowan. Tweet

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