Ballintubber’s man in the middle

Man in the middle


Jason Gibbons hopes to make up for Croke Park disappointment

Interview
Michael Duffy

BALLINTUBBER and Ballaghaderreen haven’t met too often in championship football down through the years. But Ballintubber and Mayo midfielder Jason Gibbons remembers quite clearly the last meeting of the sides in the championship quarter-final back in 2008.
The Boys from the ’Tubber, fresh out of the intermediate grade after beating Kiltimagh by a single point in the 2007 final, met with a highly fancied Ballaghaderreen side in the senior quarter-final in a McHale Park that resembled the Gaza Strip, due to the knocking of the old stand in preparation for the building of the new structure.
That day was the first occasion that Ballintubber showed they could mix it with the best at senior level, but Gibbons feels the hurt of the loss in a replay drove him and his team-mates on to greater things.
“I still remember it well,” he told The Mayo News. “We had them beaten the first day only for Andy [Moran] slipped in behind the defence, like only he can, and slid the ball under Noel [Gibbons, a first cousin of Jason] for a goal. We were gutted not to have won and we just couldn’t get our heads right for the replay and we got hammered.”
Gibbons was just a raw 19-year-old that year when he faced up to the likes of Barry Kelly, Pearce Hanley and James Kilcullen, and he said playing against that calibre of player showed him what he had to do to reach the top of his game.
“They’re all great players, and I suppose it was a baptism of fire for me to be playing against lads like that in McHale Park. But I loved the challenge and that’s what keeps you going at the start of the year when you come back training. You want to be playing against the best players on the big occasions. And thankfully, since that Ballagh’ game in 2008, things have gone well for me and I already have plenty of memories to cherish.”
Gibbons is now 23 since last March and his progression is impressive. He kicked one of the points of the season in the All-Ireland final against Donegal, but that memory alone is not enough to quench the disappointment of that loss just three weeks ago.
“It hurt for definite, but personally I was delighted that as a footballer I had no time to dwell on the defeat,” he said. “We had a few pints at the banquet and on the day after. After that myself, ‘Dillo’ [Alan Dillon], Cillian [O’Connor] and Danny [Geraghty], along with the lads from the other three clubs [Crossmolina, Ballaghaderreen and Knockmore] had to refocus and get ready for the club semi-finals.”
Gibbons didn’t get much game time as a minor or U-21 with Mayo and it has taken him some time to get used to the hectic schedule involved with being a county footballer.
“It’s definitely go, go, go all the time, but it helped me to be so familiar with James [Horan], Tom Prender and some of the other players. The older lads in the Mayo panel are great with advice about how to keep everything going and now I am just looking forward to next year and getting even more game time. It’s a privilege to be involved with such a good Mayo team and we will be doing our level best to go one better next year.”

GIBBONS obviously would love to be a part of history by winning Sam Maguire with Mayo. But he knows history is beckoning a lot sooner for him and his Ballintubber club-mates. A win next Sunday will see the west Mayo side become the first club since Garrymore in 1976 to win the Moclair Cup three times in a row. Surely, there is nerves ahead of such an auspicious occasion?
“To be honest, the players have not even mentioned the three-in-a-row thing,” he said. “For me anyway, history and records will take care of themselves. Sunday is just another game for me and I know the other lads feel the same way. The feeling we got when winning the county finals in 2010 and 2011 was something special. We just want to experience that again against Ballaghaderreen.”
Ballintubber would also become the first club in Mayo football history to win three-in-a-row with three different managers at the helm and for Gibbons, winning it under current manager Peter Ford would mean a lot.
“I get on well with Pete, all the lads do. We have a great management set-up this year. I have worked with Jim Twohig (trainer) all the way up from U-21s and we have Tony Duffy with us again too. We as players have to remember that Peter Ford didn’t get a chance to win a senior county title as a player, so in a way, it’s up to us to do it for him.
“We also have to try and do it for Cillian [O’Connor] too. It can’t be easy for him watching from the sidelines but we proved in the semi-final that there are other lads well fit to take the chance if it comes their way. We’re all in it together. The 30-plus lads who have been slogging hard all year have got us where we are and hopefully those who get game time can get the job done on Sunday.”