Charlestown beat Crossmolina in Mayo relegation battle

Charlestown haul themselves off the floor


DIVISION 1A
Charlestown1-15
Crossmolina1-10

SeΡn Rice
Crossmolina

CHARLESTOWN hauled themselves off the floor of the league table with a five-point win at Crossmolina. Powered by muscle and no little skill, it was also a victory laudably achieved with only 14 men for half the game.
You wouldn’t have put your shirt on them at the interval when they led by four points and faced the wind in the second half without Tony Mulligan … sent off seconds before the break after an incident with Johnny O’Boyle.
Depleted though they were, Crossmolina had shown enough vitality to exploit their opponents’ disadvantage and claim their first win of the league. Not for the first time, however, was a team unable to make use of the extra man, and although they fought grimly to the end, Crossmolina were eventually ground down by the sheer strength of the men from the east.
Nowhere was that power more evident than at midfield where SeΡn Morris and Richie Haran reigned supreme and laid the foundation for victory. Without Gabriel Walsh and talisman Ciaran McDonald – sidelined with cracked ribs – Crossmolina were overwhelmed in the central area, and were it not for the excellence of Peadar Gardiner at centre half-back, the issue would have been beyond doubt at half time.
It was Gardiner’s deep raids that provided the hope for the home side after Charlestown had raced into a six-point lead six minutes before the break ... a lead fashioned largely from their goal nine minutes earlier, a score simply conceived.
A high ball from SeΡn Morris found Ollie Conway lurking behind the defence, and the corner forward spotted a gap from close range. In addition to four points – from Colm Maye, Mulligan and Haran – it left them comfortably poised it seemed for the second half.
But in the six minutes remaining before the break Crossmolina challenged that assumption. A splendid goal from a move begun back in defence by the excellent Declan Keating, and continued with a scorching run by Gardiner, opened the way for Brian Benson to prod the ball into the net.
A brace of points by Haran and a single response by Ian Rowland followed, and left four between them –1-7 to 1-3 – at the break. But Crossmolina hung their hopes for a second-half revival on help from the wind, and the dismissal of Tony Mulligan.
When, however, no dent was made in Charlestown’s dominance in the early minutes after the interval, the home side looked less likely to make the breakthrough. In fact Mulligan was scarcely missed.
They did add seven points to their half-time total, sub Joe Keane (spicing up their attack somewhat) scoring twice, with Ian Rowland, Paul Duffy and Michael Gallagher also on target. Goalkeeper David Sloyan was also forced into a brave save from Cathal Carolan.
But in the heavy conditions Charlestown continued to rule the principal positions. Haran’s midfield dominance was undiminished. Kevin Deignan, Enda Casey, Dara McMeel, Ronan Rochford and Damien Warde – filling in admirably for Dermot Higgins – tightened their grip in defence.
Points flowed from Haran, Maye, Mark Caffrey, and defenders Casey, Warde and Walsh. And eventually Crossmolina’s resistance wilted. Injury has robbed the Deel Rovers of fielding a decent team throughout the league, and relegation is now looking like a reality.

Charlestown
D Sloyan; E Casey (0-1), D McMeel, D Caffrey; K Deignan, P Walsh (0-1), D Warde (0-1); S Morris, R Haran (0-5, 2f); M Mulvaney, M Caffrey (0-1), C Maye (0-5, 2f); A Higgins, A Mulligan (0-1), O Conway (1-0).
Subs used: E McLoughlin for D Caffrey; J McBrien for Conway; J Owens for Maye.

Crossmolina
C Reilly; S Duffy, D Sloyan, J O’Boyle; D Keating, P Gardiner, R Rochford; J Cafferty, P Duffy (0-1); M Loftus, M Gallagher (0-1), D Hegarty; I Rowland (0-4), B Benson (1-2, 0-2f), C Carolan.
Sub used: J Keane (0-2) for S Duffy.

Referee: D Corcoran (Islandeady)