COLUMN: The County Champions haven't gone away you know!

We had high hopes for the weekend of football ahead. But as I dragged my tired, sneezy, snot-addled, grumbling body into the passenger seat of the car on Saturday afternoon to head for East Mayo in the rain, my enthusiasm was fairly muted. Wrapping my layers around myself and questioning my life choices while dispatching Kleenex at a rate of knots, truly, I was a real joy to be around. “We’re due a good hour this evening”, the driver’s sister said confidently on speakerphone.

The grey skies ahead suggested the good hour had postponed its appearance. Ballaghaderreen were hyped up, and it was with apprehension that we squeezed our way into the tiny stand. A raucous Stephenites crowd had occupied the corner, though judging by the loud conversation we had no choice but to overhear, they seemed to think that Ardnaree had already lost a game they had yet to start. Wishful thinking there, lads.

The breeze whipping across the pitch and into our faces made us glad for the intimacy of the tight space - even if it is a really challenging place from which to watch a game. Oddly, the Good Hour did appear, and the fresh air did wonders for the head cold. In front of us on the bank, a young fella from Ballina had braved the evening in shorts and lasted admirably until three minutes into the second half when he finally sought refuge from the biting wind.

Evan Regan scored a sublime two-pointer, but only the white flag went up, followed eventually by the orange flag, when the umpire spotted both of the referee’s arms in the air. “That’s three points now”, quipped a group of men beside us, clearly neutrals and delighted with themselves. Despite the assurances of the same group that, when seven points up, that we were “home and dry”, those of us that have spent decades watching Mayo football knew better.

The Mayo manager himself very nearly pulled off a goal to give Ballagh' a ghost of a chance at the death. But the county champions are not dead yet. Meanwhile, those following the scoreline of the Breaffy-Westport game were left shaking their heads at the news that the home side had managed to blow a nine-point lead to lose by three despite being a man up. Only Breaffy could manage it, was the cruel, but probably justified, verdict.

That was probably the highlight in terms of footballing competition. The less said about Knockmore v Ballintubber the following morning, the better. It was as dour and uninspiring a display of football as I have seen in many a year, the highlight being the loud enthusiasm of a gang of young lads who’d managed to secure a vantage spot on the wall high behind us, having accessed it through the next field. Unusually for us, we cut our losses, leaving with over ten minutes on the clock to beat the traffic to Crossmolina. Sometimes you realise that life is just too short to watch bad football.

There was no shortage of good football on offer beside the Deel. On a weekend that the club was probably not best pleased to find itself back in the national media again, Crossmolina delivered a display on the pitch that was unity embodied against a stunned, chastened Belmullet, effectively killing any contest from the outset. As a young footballing side, Crossmolina are a joy to watch; fearless, merciless, confident and adventurous in a championship crying out for these qualities. It’s an indication of their quality that having just been promoted, they are now considered favourites for the Moclair Cup by a sizeable majority.

REVEALED: The Mayo News Senior Championship Team of the Week

But, even considering the nuances that might exist, and the very tough days they have endured, it is still hard to take pleasure in their consistent excellence knowing the message the omertà around such incidents sends to many of us. Groupthink is a powerful phenomenon, but eventually, so is conscience. It is an admirably tight circle, but people outside it do not - and will not – forget, regardless of how much silverware will be won. And you can be sure these guys are going to keep winning, brilliantly.

So discouraged was The Passenger by the fare on offer up till that point that the prospect of a spin to Bangor was too much. He was unceremoniously deposited back home to the joys of his roast chicken dinner, and my aunt and I, keen to prolong the day, headed for beyond, hoping for a bit of bite in the real North Mayo derby of the day. Alas, although Cill Chomáin grafted to the end, they were no match for the home side, who dispatched them clinically despite losing Josh Carey to a red card mere minutes into the game. The stars of the show were not on the pitch, however.

That accolade belonged to the large rabble of Cill Chomáin youngsters who, when Kiltane were awarded a penalty, swung off the fencing behind the goal and raised hell as Mikie Sweeney lined up the kick. It worked; or at least that’s what they will tell themselves as Kian Gallagher made the save, but while it might have kept the visiting side in the game, it wasn’t enough. Despite the low sunshine, the onset of was making itself felt in the biting wind, and we were glad to get back to the warmth of the car.

Overall, it was a poor weekend for clubs beginning with ‘B’, unless you were Ballina Stephenites or Ballycroy, who made their own history in the Junior Championship. Ballaghaderreen, Ballinrobe, Ballintubber, Ballycastle, Ballyhaunis, Belmullet, Breaffy, and Burrishoole all suffered defeats.

A word, however, for the game of the season so far, and it didn’t take place on the weekend just gone. The previous Saturday evening in James Stephens Park, Swinford and Northern Gaels delivered a glorious classic boasting a helping of everything, with a dollop of drama on top. Sun, wind and torrential rain. End-to-end football. Goal misses.

An abundance of two-pointers. Penalty saves. Cards of all colours. A bizarre paperwork scramble at the end of full-time to ensure the game could continue. And, at the climax, 81 minutes in, a superb two-pointer sailing over the crossbar just as the referee’s whistle sounded, to shatter Swinford hearts and seal a historic quarter-final spot for the Kilfian-Lacken amalgamation. Bodies on the field may have been shattered but none of us were fit for much after such a thriller.

The semi-finals and the Junior quarter-finals have thrown up some very appetising fixtures. The worst thing about the Mayo club championship? It just goes by too damn quickly.

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