Westport turn dreams into reality

TEENAGE KICKS Westport’s Oisín McLaughlin celebrates after scoring his first goal against St Colmcille’s in last Sunday’s All-Ireland Intermediate club football final. Pic: Sportsfile

Final
Westport           2-12
St Colmcille’s    3-8
Daniel Carey
Dublin

SOMETIMES, dreams do come true.
There was a fair bit of what Alex Ferguson would call ‘squeaky-bum time’, but for once, a Mayo team ended up on the right side of a final humdinger in Croke Park.
At times, Westport were magnificent. They responded to the loss of Kevin Keane with a purple patch to match any in Croke Park. After conceding a goal against the run of play, they hit back with a goal of their one – one fit to grace any occasion.
They diced with squanderlust in the second half, racking up ten wides after half-time, and survived a late penalty when the Holy Grail was in sight. Ultimately, however, they came out on the right side of a thriller.
Injury time in the preceding junior final meant Westport were 16 minutes behind schedule getting onto the field, but they tore into the game like men possessed. Having gone behind to an early Graham Reilly point, they kept their Meath opponents scoreless for 28 minutes as they turned on the style.
They even survived the early removal of their county full-back. Kevin Keane was the first man onto the bench for the team photograph. Unfortunately he was also the first man off the field, laid low by a knee injury.  David Horan came on, and 19-year-old Brian O’Malley went into Keane’s position.
It was a time for leaders. Westport, pushing up on the opposition kick-out, stood up and were counted. Shane Scott, a huge presence all through, kicked two long-range beauties. Wing forward Fionn McDonagh, the star of their county final win, added three points, including two frees. And Colm Moran filled his boots with three from play, including a beauty from the left in which he beat two defenders and pulled off a sidestep for the ages.
Neutrals felt the game needed a St Colmcille’s goal. It arrived after 28 minutes, as Graham Reilly burst through the middle and teed up minor star James Conlon for a well-taken finish. Within a minute, the Covies had struck back ... and in some style. Oisín McLaughlin, 50 metres from goal, showed lightning pace to streak away from two defenders before producing as cool a finish as you’ll see, low and into the bottom left corner.
Colm Moran brought his tally to four following good work by James Walsh and the indefatigable Paul Lambert, though injury-time points from Cathal Hilliard and Graham Reilly (free) left six between them at the break, 1-9 to 1-3.
Westport found scores considerably harder to come by in the second half, shooting wide after wide as the Leinster champions ate into their lead. Another Shane Scott special was all they had to celebrate in the early stages, and Ben Brennan netted Colmcille’s second goal, reacting quickest when Graham Reilly’s free came off the post. Reilly and Brennan (whose radar had been off in the first half) chalked up points, and we wondered if Lee Keegan might see black for a foul on Reilly.  He didn’t.
 As in the first half, conceding a goal prompted an immediate response – this time, a splendid Phil Keegan point. Goalkeeper Patrick O’Malley fired over a 45-metre monster. Ciaran Kelly countered with a Colmcille’s free, but then came Westport’s second goal. James Walsh’s free picked out Colm Moran, who made the hard yards on the left before teeing up Oisín McLaughlin, who palmed in number two. It was the 51st minute and the boys in blue would not score again.
There was still time for a hell of a scare. First, Patrick O’Malley was belatedly black-carded for what was eventually deemed a foul on Robbie McCloskey, and Colmcille’s sub Jack Reynolds converted the resultant penalty past stand-in goalkeeper Aaron Dunne.
Six additional minutes were announced, and points by Eoin Woods and Ben Brennan left one between the sides ... and had us wondering if we were about to witness another Meath smash-and-grab. But when the whistle blew, the West was awake ... and in fine voice.

WESTPORT
P O’Malley (0-1, 45’); N McManamon, K Keane, K Dever; B McDermott, L Keegan, J Walsh; B O’Malley, S Scott (0-3); F McDonagh (0-3, 2f), P Keegan (0-1), L Staunton; C Moran (0-4), P Lambert, O McLaughlin (2-0).
Subs used: D Horan for K Keane (11 mins, inj); R Geraghty for R Geraghty for L Staunton (h-t); A Dunne for P O’Malley (66 mins, black card).

ST COLMCILLE’S
J Brown; A Lynch, S McDonnell, C Ward; E Woods (0-1), I Mullen, J Sweeney; D Sheeran, R McCloskey; C Hilliard (0-1), B Brennan (1-2), D O’Byrne; G Reilly (0-3, 1f), N Ronan, J Conlon.
Subs used: J Reynolds (1-0, pen) for D O’Byrne (41 mins); C O’Byrne for J Sweeney (41 mins); C Kelly (0-1, f) for N Ronan (45 mins, inj); J Kavanagh for J McDonnell (53 mins, inj); N Ronan for C Hilliard (63 mins).

Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh)