'Thank God they got over the line' - Westport promoted after J1B League win

Westport secured the Bank of Ireland J1B League title with a 26-20 win over Corinthians Seconds in a hard-fought win at Dexcom Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The win ensures that Westport will be back playing in the J1A League next year which is a goal that they set out for themselves at the beginning of the season.

Speaking after the game Westport head coach Damien Loftus was delighted with the win but more importantly securing their J1A status for next season.

“Fantastic. We set out at the start of the year. We only had one thing in mind, which was to get back up to J1A. And we had a little bit of a cup run, but that really wasn't us for the year. The league was all we talked about and thank God they got over the line.”

The game was played in very windy and at times very wet conditions at the Dexcom Stadium, but Damien was delighted with how Westport dealt with the conditions and the Corinthians in the second half when they found their way into the game.

“The conditions were tough for both teams, but the wind never wins you games and we knew coming into the second half, Corinthians were going to come back at us, they didn't perform on the first half and in fairness they really put it up to us in the second half, but the lads ground it out and we are delighted.”

There were some vital turnovers especially in the final quarter which was a credit to the great defensive shift that Westport put in, and Damien was delighted with the character they showed.

“The one thing that this group has shown all year has been a bit of character, particularly when the chips are down, when things are against us.

“And you can see those turnovers at the end are absolutely crucial.”

A full match report will be carried in Tuesday's Mayo News.