Castlebar lose nothing in defeat
Sean Rice CHARLESTOWN’S promise has been unwavering all year, and the opportunity to wring last year’s final defeat from their system has finally arrived.
But their dream of another county title will be nothing more than that unless they lug their performance to a higher pitch than they reached against Castlebar Mitchels on Sunday.
They’ve got to the final by virtue of a penalty goal, tucked efficiently into the corner of the Castlebar net by Colm Maye four minutes from the end of normal time.
Their sense of relief was palpable afterwards. Throughout the match they looked the better side, had the better of most of their duels . . . but in the end were forced to crawl over the line. They could not put Castlebar away. And Knockmore will have been watching.
In truth it was no model performance. Nor could the general standard have brought any comforting assurance to John O’Mahony as he searches for new county talent. In fact the whole thing was a bit of a drag.
Lack of experience denied Castlebar in the end. They had their moments and their chances to cause an upset, but not the confidence or finesse to see them through. When they did get on top in the second quarter they made Charlestown look very ordinary, but failed to make them pay because of poor shot selection.
Mayo midfielder Tom Parsons gave Charleston a boost early on with a return to some of his old form. But once again his performance turned patchy, mainly because there was more thumping and breaking of the ball around midfield than clean catching.
Veteran David Tiernan paces himself well these days, and his midfield instinct has not diminished. The manner in which he positioned himself to take a glorious cross from Brian O’Connell and follow with an important point in the second half was straight from his book of vast experience.
Overall, Castlebar lost the midfield battle, and were not as quick to the breaks, putting a lot of pressure on their defence. But a fine performance by Pat Kelly at centre-half back obscured their midfield deficiency, and it was from Kelly that most of Castlebar’s attacks stemmed in the first half.
Notable duels emerged throughout the hour. Richie Feeney and Brian O’Connell, and Alan Feeney and Tony Mulligan were two in point. Aware of Alan’s ability in the air, Charlestown tested him with low ball to Mulligan with certain success. But generally the Castlebar brothers and Donal Newcombe held their line well.
No defender could rein in Richard Haran, however. His deep strong running cut lanes in the defence, and while sub’ Ronan Burke did impose a certain check on the free-running half-forward, Haran was ever the danger man.
The Mitchels showed a lot of character in getting back on level terms — Sean Ryder and Neil Douglas the driving force of this resurgence. And there was every sign of an upset until O’Connell was fouled in the rectangle . . . and Maye did not let the penalty chance slip.
Under Peter Ford, the Mitchels have shaped up well this season. In reaching the semi-final they have come a long way since being hammered in the first round of the league by Claremorris at the beginning of the year. Further progress could depend on whether Ford remains at the helm.
Charlestown’s performance will not have sent Knockmore trembling in their shoes. For now that, perhaps, is the message Charlestown will want to have spread.
U-21 management bow out on a high AS a partnership they go back farther than their four successful years as co-managers of the Mayo U-21 squad. It was back in 2001 their aptitude for leadership first surfaced. Pat Holmes was then interim manager — between John Maughan’s two stints — and Noel Connelly was team captain. And in beating Galway in the final of the National League at Croke Park they skimmed the county’s first national senior title (male) from thirty-one barren years.
For four seasons, together with Micheál Collins, they took charge of the county’s U-21 interest, winning Connacht titles each year and the All-Ireland three years ago.
That’s the enviable record they leave behind following their decision to step down. Whoever takes hold of the reins will be judged by the standard the trio have set these past four years. It’s a formidable mountain climb for their successor . . . a scary standard to be asked to emulate.
The manner in which Mayo outfoxed Cork in the All-Ireland of 2006 had as much to do with the leadership on the sideline as on the field, and was the highlight of a prosperous tenure. Lumbered by self-doubt in the first half, Mayo morphed into a different character after the break. And you watched with pride in Ennis their refusal to accept defeat, their flint and courage in pursuing every opportunity.
Proof of that good management was even more evident in their last Connacht final victory over Roscommon . . . a county setting firm roots for the future. They had turned around a Mayo lead and watched dumfounded as the holders whisked victory from them with a scrambled goal in virtually the last kick of the game to earn a draw.
Roscommon were understandably shattered, and Mayo went on to retain the crown in extra-time.
It was symbolic of the spirit that embodied Mayo’s U-21 performances during the reign of Connelly, Collins and Holmes. It is a brave man or number of men who now pick up the reins.
As for the retiring trio? Greater things in store, conceivably.
Belmullet book their ticket for semi-final BELMULLET finally secured their place in the intermediate semi-final with a five-point win over Cill Chomain at Crossmolina. They had drawn in Bangor the previous week. And before that Belmullet had two replays with Davitts.
How all these replays will affect their performance from here on remains to be seen, but there was no doubt about their greater sharpness in the latest battle.
In the belief that the pitch would provide greater scope for imaginative football, they sought Crossmolina rather that Bangor for the replay. Justification for that decision by joint-managers Seamus Cafferkey and Owen Sweeney was borne out in a well-deserved win.
Belmullet used the extra space to good effect. Having overcome a couple of scares, their all-round balance and conviction was more than a determined, but less polished Cill Chomain could match.
But the beaten team were not short of good individuals. Alan Noone and James McAndrew and Brendan Moran spring to mind as big-hearted performers. But in general they were somewhat overshadowed by the collective insight and astuteness of Billy Joe Padden, Stephen Carolan, the Barretts, Michael Carey and Shane Noone.
Whether in the wake of so much football these qualities will be sufficient to overcome an equally physical Tourmakeady in the semi-final is another matter.
