New Castlebar Mitchels summon old spirit

New Mitchels summon old spirit


YOU can have all the skills in the world, all the desire all the aspirations, but without the will to win you have nothing. Transcending even that of their semi-final performance, Castlebar Mitchels won Connacht for the first time in 20 years.
In the best traditions of old Mitchels’ self-belief they won it, against the odds, against some harsh refereeing decisions, against even the widely accepted sense of fatalism that they were powerless to alter the destiny of the reigning champions.
For a long time St Brigid’s were on track to successfully defend that title. Castlebar’s was a flimsy resistance in the opening half, a stark reminder of that notoriously sluggish Connacht semi-final start ... and more prolonged.
They were not engulfed, but against a whirlwind start by the champions, and especially an early chilling goal by Senan Kilbride, they battled to hold their balance. They were winning good ball but making poor use of it, their attacks hopeful rather than thoughtful.
They had only one point for the entire half ... from a free by the brilliant Tom King. A half-time shortfall of five points was worrying. But their goal in the 21st minute was an omen of the glory to come, a glimpse of their capabilities.
It began with a charge up the right wing by Neil Douglas. Tough-tackling half-back Ray O’Malley joined in the move before offloading the ball to Danny Kirby. A little jink from the big man and suddenly the ball was hugging the back of the net. A late reprieve from suspension had opened the way for Kirby’s inclusion, and he welcomed that opportunity with that goal and a workaholic contribution to the Mitchels victory.
But it was the Castlebar upsurge after the break that lit up the game. They had begun to challenge St Brigid’s in every aspect, to probe their mental security, driving them back, undermining their physical fitness.
They didn’t know then their own mental capacity was about to be tested with the dismissal of Barry Moran who had been an essential part of the Mitchels’ resurgence. He was harshly sent to the line by referee Martin Duffy for a frontal charge that warranted nothing more serious that a yellow.
A more baffling decision was the award of a free against the outstanding Alan Feeney for what could only be interpreted as a diving offence, an infringement that is foreign to every bone in a Feeney’s body, an insult to their football integrity.
The corner back provided the answer with a performance of unflinching attacking play that together with Eoghan O’Reilly, Tom Cunniffe, Patrick Durcan and Donal Newcombe lifted the whole team. Feeney’s incursions down the right wing revealed vulnerabilities in the Brigid’s defence that brought the likes of Tom King into play and turned the game into a seesaw of thrilling combat.
King was at the hub of most attacks. It was a foul on the corner forward in the box that led to the penalty which Neil Douglas executed with skill, and gave Castlebar the lead for the first time. It was also King who provided the final cross for the Mitchels’ third goal that the equally impressive Richie Feeney finished with aplomb.
Suddenly the outsiders were five ahead, and Brigid’s had begun to realize the worst. In a blaze of excitement they reacted, and it was left to Douglas to force a draw from a free at the end of normal time.
But their exertions in those final minutes sucked from the champions an enormous amount of energy. The fight had left them. Castlebar dominated extra time. A timely and judicious use of his subs by Pat Holmes and a growing sense of Mitchels’ heritage sustained the effort of the challengers.
Just when they had crept back to the top Holmes injected new life into their game with the introduction of James Durcan and Ian Costello who between them fired over the three winning points. That was the essence of their win ... teamwork and conviction.

Horan’s trumpet call a seasonal stimulant

SO he is human after all, the rumourmongers will be pleased to know. For the first time since Mayo’s All-Ireland defeat, James Horan has broken his silence. And you don’t have to read between the lines to learn that truth has been as big a casualty in the aftermath of Mayo’s All-Ireland defeat as the defeat itself.
In an in-depth interview with sports editor Mike Finnerty, the Mayo boss speaks candidly about his disappointment in losing to Dublin, the criticism and ensuing gossip that went viral, and about his hopes for the coming season.
It is a rare invitation into the football mind of the manager. It is timely, persuasive, sanguine, a trumpet call to the faithful to rally round, a seasonal stimulant, an assurance that the players are not mired in melancholy, that there is still a bounce in their step,
While everyone, he says, was hurting after the final, “there was not one mention, not one quote, no resentment or bitterness from players and management towards anyone in the panel or the group”.
Their silence and dignity in the face of outlandish hearsay and idle gossip reflected the strong bonds among the group. That for him was a positive sign.
He could not believe the nonsense that was being talked.
“Some people were swearing black and blue to complete and utter rubbish and some players were devastated by some of the rumours.
Asked what he had learned from the All-Ireland, the manager says he is looking at everything.
And in a veiled criticism of those who claim he does not communicate with his selectors, Horan said: “Yeah, I was talking to them after the game and, believe it or not, during the game.”
Referring to Mayo’s league form, Horan said that over the last two years it hasn’t been consistent enough.
“We haven’t won enough games in the league, we haven’t ground out some of the hard games that we could have ground out.
“The best preparation for the All-Ireland championship would be a national title victory. I don’t think there’s anything better you could do in training that would help the team like that would.
“It’s a very big year in the lifecycle of this team … we took two All-Ireland Final defeats on the chin, didn’t whinge or moan about any of them, we’ve just come back to try and improve again. 2014 will be exactly the same.
“And instead of two All-Ireland Final defeats being a weight, I think if used the right way, they can give us an added edge.”

Just a thought …
UPLIFTED by James Horan’s frank interview and the Connacht wins of Castlebar and Kiltane, we bring down the curtain down on the column for another season, and wish readers a happy Christmas and New Year.