Ballina refuse to be beaten and make it to third final in succession

MAYO SFC SEMI-FINAL

Ballina Stephenites 1-18

Ballaghaderreen 2-12

(After extra-time)

CASTLEBAR

THE champions are back in the final after an extra-time thriller in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park. Ballina showed tremendous fighting qualities to overcome the men from the border-lands who gave as good as they got for long periods.

The East Mayo men were by far the happier going to the dressingroom at half-time having an equal share of the ten points scored. They were the better team, playing the better football and had the most prominent players on the pitch. David Drake was running the show. The Ballaghaderreen full-back was constantly on the ball, moving it, minding it and getting his colleagues to use it positively.

Ballina were busy and hard-working but they had the wind on their backs and failed to make full use of that advantage.

The county champions, lined out without injured duo, Padraig O'Hora and Mikey Murray and they certainly missed their influence in the opening half. Evan Regan did kick one point from play but the rest of their first half scores came from placed balls, two apiece from Regan and Frank Irwin.

It was a similar story at the other end, with Kuba Callaghan landing three frees and a mark to add to their opening point from Adam Philips. However, Ballagh' had been playing into the wind and they certainly were in the box-seat as the teams came out for the second half.

That assumption changed dramatically in the opening seconds of the new half when Sean Regan's ball into the Ballagh' goalmouth ended up in the net. Luke Doherty may have got a touch, but it mattered little.

Less than two minutes later the ball was in the net at the other end. Cian Hanley dispossessed a Ballina defender on the edge of the square and Darragh Kelly drilled the loose ball to the net to level the scores.

The men in white followed up with another goal after 38 minutes when Callaghan blasted home following great work by Shairoze Akram and David McBrien. However, Ballina were livid at that stage as Luke Tighe seemed to have been fouled in the run-up to the goal.

That frustration was put to good use and points from Regan, Sam Callinan and Luke Jordan closed the gap to a single point midway through the second half.

Scoring chances came and went at each end in the following minutes until Callinan balanced the scores at 1-10 to 2-7 with four minutes of normal time to play.

That state of affairs remained until Regan seemed to win it for Stephenites three minutes into injury time, only for Callaghan to level it again 90 seconds later.

Ballina played into the wind in the first period of extra time and dominated as Ballagh' seemed to temporarily run out of legs. The champions found themselves two points up as the teams turned for home and seemed destined for their third county final in succession.

However, there was still drama to be had. Frank Irwin, Conor McStay and Regan all found the target for the leaders but Ballagh' refused to go away. Callaghan and Arainn McDermott pointed and then the men in white had a glorious goal chance.

The chasers turned over Ballina as they were coming out with the ball and suddenly had a four-on-one overlap. The ball was worked to Shairoze Akram and he seemed destined to find the net but somehow Ballina men got back and scrambled the ball to safety.

Ballagh' argued that the ball had crossed the line, but no green flag was raised and Ballina were headed for yet another final at the end of a long and exciting battle in Castlebar.

Match report and after-match reaction will be carried in Tuesday's Mayo News