Mitchels march on

Castlebar catch champions

SFC Section d
Castlebar    1-10
Ballina        0-10

Seán Rice
Castlebar

THIS renewal of old-firm rivalry was a gripping reminder of a time when the balance of power swung between them. It throbbed with excitement at MacHale Park as the Mitchels, in a new spirit of rediscovery, carved out a worthy win.
All of the traditional pride of the two was on show, as the county champions traded experience with the fresh enthusiasm of a team that has been too long in the doldrums. Blink and you would have missed a key move.
In the end it was settled by a goal, scored in the 11th minute by Castlebar’s captain Barry Moran, a setback from which the champions never recovered despite a stirring revival in the final quarter.
Midfield is the last place you would have expected Castlebar to spring their challenge – against the noted talent of Ronan McGarrity. But the foundation was laid there by the excellent Alan Nolan, especially in the first half.
Ballina moved Pat Harte to the centre to the second half, and while the move did not fully counterbalance Nolan’s contribution, Harte was at the centre of every Ballina attack and accounted for half of their total score.
Looking fitter than in recent games, the champions endeavoured to cash in on the inexperience of their rivals with fast, early raids. Ian O’Dowd provided them with the lead from a free in the third minute. But Niall Lydon – in a vital role for the Mitchels – struck a confident equaliser.
Although Pat Harte restored their lead in the seventh minute, Ballina did not have their first point from play for a further seven minutes. In the intervening period Mitchels had soared into the lead through Barry Moran’s goal, and never looked back.
It was fisted to the net after Dwayne Flynn’s free rebounded off the crossbar, and it more than made up for a glaring miss by Moran a minute earlier. He had fielded the ball behind the defence, but failed to beat the splendid David Clarke.
His goal was the fillip on which Moran’s colleagues thrived. Strong and composed and admirably led by Tom Cunniffe, Ronan Burke and Ronan O’Grady, their well-focused defence left few opportunities for the visiting forwards.
Paul McGarry did reduce the lead to a single point in the 16th minute. It was their last of the half, the rest of which belonged to Castlebar – Cunniffe, Neil Douglas and Flynn adding a further three points to leave them four ahead at the interval, 1-5 to 0-4.
The immediate effect of Harte’s switch to midfield was reflected in his point from a free within 30 seconds after Stephen Hughes was fouled. Yet their response revealed the full extent of the Mitchels’ new-found conviction. Ronan Burke pushed into Ballina territory and delivered decisively. Richie Feeney and Neil Douglas made further progress, and Lydon finished delightfully. The centre forward put five between them three minutes later, having availed of a clever knockdown by Eamon Tiernan.
Nobody exuded Ballina’s urgency more than Harte, and nobody did more to retrieve the situation. Two of his points from the right wing were brilliant, and when McGarrity finally found his form, the final quarter ignited. But the crucial moment came when Richie Byrne impressively denied Stephen Hughes the goal they needed.
Thanks mainly to Harte, and some good defending by Martin Wynne, Ger Cafferkey and Mickey Murphy, Ballina managed to reduce the lead to three. But the Mitchels did not waver and Richie Feeney clinched it with a fine strike from the left wing.

Castlebar Mitchels
R Byrne; A Roache, R O’Grady, P Healy; R Burke, T Cunniffe (0-1), E Kennedy; S Fitzmaurice, A Nolan; N Douglas (0-2), N Lydon (0-4), R Feeney (0-1); D Flynn (0-2, 2f), B Moran (1-0), E Tiernan.
Subs used: D Newcombe for E Kennedy; K Filan for N Douglas.
Ballina Stephenites
D Clarke; M Wynne, G Cafferkey, M Murphy; B Ruane, G Brady, E Casey; R McGarrity (0-1), K Sweeney; P McHale (0-1), P Harte (0-5, 3f), P McGarry (0-1); S Hughes, C Leonard, I O’Dowd (0-2, 1f).
Subs used: L Healy for K Sweeney; S Melia for E Casey; Sweeney for P McGarry; B O’Hora for S Hughes; Casey for P McHale.

Ref: J Hughes (Kilmaine)