Westport make history with first ever Mayo senior football title
Westport made history at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar, this afternoon as they captured the Connacht Gold SFC title for the first time ever with a 1-9 to 1-6 victory over Ballina Stephenites, writes Brian Gillespie.
The better balanced team throughout, they took the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half after trailing by a point at the interval, 0-4 to 0-5.
A black card for Ballina talisman Evan Regan right on the stroke of half-time gave Westport an extra player for the first 10 minutes of the second half, although by the time Regan re-entered the fray his team had conceded just one point.
However, they had by then lost Dylan Thornton. The Stephenites joint captain picked up the injury in making a telling intervention as Westport threatened a goal, just as Sam Callinan had minutes earlier, and the west Mayo team's direct running was causing the Ballina rearguard some trouble.
Even so, it was from the penalty spot that Westport scored their goal. A shot by Niall McManamon was blocked heroically by James Doherty but then the Ballina corner back handled the ball on the ground in effecting a second block to deny Fionn McDonagh.
Killian Kilkelly took the spot kick and found the bottom right-hand corner of David Clarke's net.
Ballina were soon level, however, after Doherty made a telling impact at the other end of the field, firing a low ball into the danger area in front of the Westport goal where, after a little ping-pong, Padraig O'Hora found the net, making it 1-5 each.
The winning of the game was in the 10 minutes plus injury time remaining. Paddy O'Malley struck a long-range free to put Westport back in front, McManamon followed up with a close-range effort after the ball had come back off the upright, and substitute Alan Kennedy scored two (one free) to put daylight between the teams.
By then Ballina were still searching for their first point of the second half. They scored it in the sixth minute of injury time, Evan Regan popping a close-range free over the bar, but it proved to be the final piece of action as the whistle sounded from the resultant kick-out.
The Stephenites had tried pumping some high balls into the danger area in the closing stages but Westport stood firm, with the likes of Rory Brickenden and Brian McDermott outstanding in that defensive unit.
Further ahead, Lee Keegan was a steady influence while Oisin McLaughlin put in a ton of effort and Kilkelly executed some fine scores.
PREMIUM
The first half was a low-scoring affair, with clear chances at a premium. That said, there were some excellent long-range scores, notably from Mikey Murray and Evan Regan for the Stephenites.
Kilkelly scored three for Westport in that first period, two of them frees and one a lovely effort from play following a flowing move from deep.
Kevin Keane was Westport's other point-scorer in that period, while Sam Callinan and Conor McStay fired over two fine efforts for Ballina.
Having lost Regan to a black card just before the half-time whistle, Ballina might have feared for their chances in the second period.
They were right to be worried, but it wasn't the loss of a player that put paid to their chances, rather the fact that they came up against a driven, well-prepared Westport outfit that weren't going to let this chance at history pass them by.
Ballina Stephenites: D. Clarke; R. Tighe, D. Tighe, J. Doherty; C. Boland, P. O'Hora (1-0), K. Tighe; S. Callinan (0-1), F. Irwin; D. Thornton, C. McStay (0-1), J. Irwin; M. Murray (0-1), E. Regan (0-3, 1f), M. Birrane.
Subs used: L. Doherty, N. Feeney, B. Collins, C. Treacy, R. Morrin.
Westport: P. O'Malley (0-1f); L. Tunney, R. Brickenden, N. McManamon (0-1); L. Shevlin, B. McDermott, Paul Lambert; L. Keegan, B. O'Malley; C. Dawson, F. McDonagh, O. McLaughin; K. Keane (0-1), M. Moran, K. Kilkelly (1-4, 1-0p, 3f).
Subs used: Pat Lambert, A. Kennedy (0-2, 1f), S. Scott, R. Geraghty.
Referee: P. Lydon (Kiltimagh).