Deel Rovers do just enough
QUARTER-FINAL
Crossmolina 2-10
Breaffy 1-10 Mike Finnerty Castlebar AT this stage of the championship season it’s really all about getting over the finishing line and few teams do it better than Crossmolina.
Last Saturday evening at a McHale Park that is more building site than county ground these days, the Deel Rovers did it again, teaching Breaffy a couple of valuable lessons in the process.
Crossmolina booked their place in the semi-finals of the Mayo senior football championship after playing within themselves for the most part. However, their astute young manager Liam Moffatt will take solace from the fact that there is plenty of room for improvement in the weeks ahead.
Breaffy manager Jim O’Shea will also have plenty of positives to reflect on this week despite his team’s exit from the competition. His young team were forced to line without his son (and Mayo minor) Aidan O’Shea because of injury and will have learnt plenty from this skirmish with the battle-hardened championship specialists.
The game was effectively won and lost during the third quarter as Crossmolina pounced for two goals that tilted the match in their favour. The first came from the penalty spot from Brian Benson while the second, started and finished by Peadar Gardiner, was a glorious reminder of just how good Crossmolina can be in full flight.
In between, Alan Durcan smacked a wonderfully taken goal past Crossmolina sub’ goalkeeper, Barry Heffernan, but this was cancelled out inside three minutes by Gardiner and the damage was done.
Despite their best efforts down the home straight, Breaffy just couldn’t reel the winners back in. The West Mayo side actually outscored Crossmolina by 0-5 to 0-2 during the final quarter as Marty McNicholas (two frees), Paul Curry, Colm Lyons and Alan Durcan (free) all hit the target.
But they never looked likely to engineer the second goal they needed as the likes of Ronan Rochford, Tom Nallen, Peadar Gardiner and Jonathan O’Boyle defended vigilantly.
Crossmolina also finished in style as they stitched together a flowing hand-passing move that involved Ciaran McDonald, Peadar Gardiner, Jonathan O’Boyle and ended with O’Boyle drilling a superb score from inside the scoring zone. As an exercise in retaining possession and opening up a backline, it was textbook stuff.
The point also doubled up as the insurance score and finally broke Breaffy’s spirited resistance. It was easy to see just why Jim O’Shea’s young team have only lost twice this season (both times to Crossmolina) but only scoring 1-2 from play was never likely to be enough on this stage.
The second half may have been competitive, entertaining and dramatic but the opening half was the exact opposite. Both sides showed distinct signs of ring-rustiness and a lacklustre affair ended with Crossmolina leading by 0-6 to 0-4 at the short whistle.
Playing with the aid of the strong breeze, the Deel Rovers led by 0-3 to 0-1 after 14 minutes with Paul McGuinness opening the scoring and Ciaran McDonald landing two perfectly-struck long-range frees.
Frees from Marty McNicholas and Alan Durcan initially kept Breaffy in touch and they then hit the front for the first and only time in the game when Durcan drilled a superb free into the wind.
Crossmolina were struggling to find their normal rhythm but Liam Moffatt kept tweaking things, springing Gabriel Walsh and Michael Moyles off the bench, and moving the crafty Joe Keane to the edge of the square.
Gradually they started to motor, Ciaran McDonald landing a spectacular score from 60 metres to put them back in front before the impressive Gabriel Walsh stroked over a fine point on the stroke of half-time.
It was these intermittent purple patches that ultimately separated the teams, as Crossmolina struck for the vital scores at crucial stages.
Brian Benson’s 38th minute penalty was dispatched brilliantly after Paul McGuinness was hauled down while the lead-up to Peadar Gardiner’s goal was vintage Crossmolina, all pace, movement and efficiency. They remain the team to beat.
CROSSMOLINA AP O’Donnell; R Rochford, C Reilly, T Nallen; P Gardiner (1-0), P McAndrew, J O’Boyle (0-1); E Lavelle, J Nallen (0-1); M Leonard, C McDonald (0-4, 3fs), C Carolan; P McGuinness (0-1), J Keane, B Benson (1-2, 1-0pen, 1f). Subs used: M Moyles for Lavelle; B Heffernan for O’Donnell (inj); G Walsh (0-1) for Leonard (inj); G O’Malley for McAndrew; S Kelly for Carolan.
BREAFFY R Hennelly; K Scahill, B Jordan, D Cusack; G Jennings, C Jordan, E Conroy; S O’Shea, G Hughes; M Conroy, T Canavan, R Martyn; M McNicholas (0-4, 3fs), C Lyons (0-1), A Durcan (1-4, 4fs). Subs used: P Curry (0-1) for Hughes; C Monaghan for Cusack; D Jennings for M Conroy.
Referee: J Hughes (Kilmaine)
