West Mayo shock Kiltane

County now awake to West Mayo


SFC Section 3
West Mayo 0-13
Kiltane 0-10

Edwin McGreal
Islandeady

THE West Mayo experiment was given its best thumbs up yet as a courageous and wholehearted performance from the Junior amalgamation proved too much for the Bangor men in Islandeady on Saturday night.
West Mayo may have been unsure of where they stood at senior level before this but now they can have genuine belief and, crucially, the momentum to make an impact in the group of five.
Although you could justifiably point out that West Mayo had plenty of belief on Saturday evening too. They had to have after losing wing-forward John Hegarty to a straight red card after 28 minutes when they led by 0-7 to 0-4.
But this win will give them even greater belief and confidence going forward into their next two games, against West Mayo clubs, Westport and Breaffy. They’ll be games that will whet the appetite of the Islandeady/Parke/Louisburgh/Balla amalgamation.
For Kiltane, it more than likely spells the end of their championship hopes after losing their first two games. But they can have few complaints, particularly with only three points from play.
West Mayo played most of the football in the first half and, crucially, didn’t let up in the third quarter despite being a man down.
Their full-forward line of Vinny Feeney, Paul Ruane and Simon Cloherty caused immense problems and kicked ten of their thirteen points.
The trio were given their platform by the superb display of midfield duo Brian McCormack and Peter Collins, and centre-half back Conor Walsh. Kiltane were forced into two changes in the full-back line before the game was out.
Stephen O’Grady, Vinny Feeney, Cloherty (3), Ruane and Collins had the winners 0-7 to 0-4 up with Ultan Corrigan, Shane Lindsay, Mikie Sweeney (who was quiet by his own standards) and Edmond Barrett keeping Kiltane in it.
The hosts had spurned a host of other chances and you thought they’d suffer the consequences when John Hegarty was sent off by referee Ronan Gurren after 28 minutes. Hegarty retaliated after Kiltane’s Kevin Ginty had pushed him towards the boundary wall and his elbow caught the Kiltane man in the face.
But it seemed to only inspire West Mayo and in the next 14 minutes they outscored Kiltane by 0-5 to 0-1; the crucial drive for home.
Ruane and Vinny Feeney had them 0-9 to 0-4 in front at the break and Cloherty, Brian McCormack and Feeney again, started off the second half well for West Mayo. Kiltane’s only interlude was an Edmond Barrett free and, trailing by 0-12 to 0-5 with 20 minutes to play, it was hard to see a route back.
But, credit the Bangor men, they nearly did it. A Lindsay free and a monster point from excellent centre-half back Jason Healy started their comeback and it could have been a complete revival had Shane Lindsay goaled on 77 minutes.
He did superbly to field a long delivery from Healy but West Mayo ‘keeper Noel Feeney pulled off a wonderful reaction save and somehow got something on Lindsay’s palmed rebound effort.
But two frees from Lindsay and Barrett inside two minutes of that goal chance left just three in it with time to work with. However, Lindsay and SeΡn Carey missed scoreable chances and West Mayo’s Ollie Feeney was firefighting all over the field, with an inspirational performance at full-back.
The winners got a crucial breather when Vinny Feeney escaped the shackles of Enda Brogan and popped over a point on 54 minutes – their first score in 14 minutes.
Barrett pointed a free on 59 minutes but Kiltane couldn’t manufacture the goal they needed.

West Mayo
Noel Feeney (Islandeady); N McCormack (I), O Feeney (I), J Cloherty (Parke); M Feeney (I), C Walsh (Balla), C Gordan (I); P Collins (I, 0-1), B McCormack (I, 0-1); S Costello (B), S O’Grady (Louisburgh, 0-1), J Hegarty (L); V Feeney (I, 0-4), P Ruane (I, 0-2), S Cloherty (P, 0-4, 2fs).
Subs used: B Horan (I) for Costello; D Gordan (I) for Ruane.

Kiltane
E Niland; K Halley, P Sweeney, S Sweeney; K Ginty, J Healy (0-1), PJ Gaughan; S Gaughan, E Barrett (0-4, fs); M Doherty, J Reilly, S Carey; M Sweeney (0-1), U Corrigan (0-1), S Lindsay (0-3, fs).
Subs used: E Brogan for S Sweeney; R Corrigan for Halley; O Munnelly for Doherty.

Referee: R Gurren (Aghamore)