‘We’re back where we belong’ - Crossmolina players react to winning Connacht Intermediate title

THE Boom is back, and so are Crossmolina.

The last time they won a Connacht title was back in 2002, when half the country was blowing money on buy-to-lets in Bulgaria and the other half was building mansions in the middle of nowhere with 100 percent mortgages.

On Sunday, all of Crossmolina came together for scenes of rejoicing not seen since…a few weeks ago actually.

“To win a county title, to come up here to the Hyde and win a Connacht title, it’s surreal to be honest. We’re delighted,” Brian Benson told The Mayo News after handshaking and back-slapping with half the parish.

“The first half we controlled a lot of it, second half, after getting the goal we lost our way a little bit. It became very frantic, turning the ball over, we just couldn’t seem to get our of our own half. We’re delighted, the last minute was tough though.”

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Benson’s midfield general Jordan Flynn was ‘very disappointed’ with their second half performance. But hey, a win’s a win.

“To have won a county title is amazing but to be going into an All-Ireland semi-final, it’s something that you only dream of when you’re a child. To be able to say now that we’re in one, it’s amazing,” an ‘absolutely thrilled’ Flynn told The Mayo News.

Flynn was literally a child when Ciaran McDonald and the boys danced with the best the business back in the early noughties.

James Maheady wasn’t even born, but the boy certainly knows and appreciates his history.

“I think we’re back where we belong at senior level competing for All-Irelands, Connacht titles. We’re absolutely delighted and we’re back where we belong,” said Maheady.

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Conor Loftus, one of the only Crossmolina men with a Connacht medal already on his mantle, was no less taken aback by the win than young Maheady.

“At the final whistle there it took a couple of minutes to be happy. I was nearly relieved with the way the game was going and we were under serious pressure, so it was nearly relief,” Loftus told The Mayo News.

“It’s going to be extra special now. You can see everybody around here, you can see what it means to the town, so it’s probably that bit more special for everybody on the pitch.”

One phrase that never entered their vocabulary these last few weeks was ‘bonus territory’.

“Winning the county title, your whole championship is geared towards it and then you are on such a high to come down. And it probably took us that reality check last week against St Michael’s at half-time to be like: ‘We’re in a competition now, we need to get our act together’,” Crossmolina full-back Kevin Mulhern told The Mayo News.

“That really focused the minds this week to go for it and we did and I think we showed in the first half how much we really wanted it and to be able to dig in at the end and just keep tipping away, that we really did want to finish the year as Connacht champions.”

The winning captain, Mikie Loftus, paid tribute to many groups and individuals in his acceptance speech, including the club executive and crutch-wielding club legend and current team-selector John Maughan.

“There’s a huge amount of people in the club, making food for us, sandwiches, different people selling the lotto, all sorts of stuff,” explained Loftus. “You wouldn’t have the funds to do the things we want to do. I think it’s important to recognise them as well. It’s not just about the players on the pitch.”

Since the day he took over as boss, Brian Benson sought to unite the Crossmolina community with their football.

The two were rarely more as one than they were on Sunday afternoon.