Castlebar Celtic replay ruling looks set to follow FAI playbook by dragging on and on
by CAOIMHÍN ROWLAND
The despicable saga involving the replaying of Castlebar Celtic's Connacht semi-final looks set to drag on further.
An appeal has been lodged, and mandarins in FAI HQ will devote fair time to assess the appeal before the hearing on June 7.
Many are sick to their stomach about the replay ruling, as it appears the Connacht FA has broken its own rules and punished Castlebar Celtic for it.
But let’s examine that fixture with Salthill Devon more closely.
Celtic were the better team overall, and if it had gone to extra-time, I have zero doubt Celtic would have blown them out of the water. "Unjust" doesn’t even come close to describing it.
In the final 20 minutes of the game, with Salthill a goal down and their cup dream fading, you would expect an onslaught of attacking action to send shivers down the spine of Celtic supporters, leaving them biting their nails and praying to hold on.
Yet, Celtic’s deserved semi-final didn’t play out like that. Barring a speculative shot at goal, the Galwegians never put Celtic's stoic back line under pressure.
In fact, the introduction of Eoghan Hughes at the other end created headaches for Salthill.
In the final five minutes, a long ball up to the towering striker resulted in a stone wall penalty claim.
Salthill Devon's substitute and former Manulla player, Jackson Da Silva, fouled Hughes blatantly inside the area. Bloody murder was sung from the Celtic faithful, but the Mayo officials waved play on.
Ultimately, in the grand scheme of things, it wouldn’t have mattered, but it put into perspective for the aggrieved Galwegians that they were second best against Celtic on the day.
That semi-final was played at cup final intensity, a blockbuster of a game played on the edge but has unfortunately been marred since.
Celtic beat last year’s winners, Athenry, in the quarter-final with a last-minute winner, and preparations for a final against Maree/Oranmore have been placed on hold.
Nobody likes a sore loser, but worse still is the manner in which this sorry mess looks set to drag on. Fingers crossed a speedy resolution will be found.
In completely unrelated news, Castlebar native David Courell has made his first media appearance, garnering headlines in the back pages over his comments on the ridiculously-long search for a new men's international manager.
Speaking to Morning Ireland on RTE Radio One, Courell admitted the association has been “rightly criticised” for its handling of the search.