Ardnaree triumph in battle of the Sarsfields
Charlestown’s Dean O’Toole is closely tracked by Ardnaree’s Rian McLoughlin. Picture: David Farrell Photography
On a successful weekend that began with the club claiming county U14 ‘A’ football honours, Ardnaree Sarsfields added the county minor ‘C’ title to their cabinet on Sunday evening when they comprehensively defeated Charlestown Sarsfields in the final at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park.
Ardnaree made the stronger start to this game, racing into an early lead through points from James Fox and Ronan Lynch. Seán Breheny replied for Charlestown in the fifth minute before Dean O’Toole added another point for the East Mayo side when his effort bounced off the crossbar and over.
Breheny added his second point midway through the opening quarter to put Charlestown in front for the first time, 0-3 to 0-2, but Ardnaree responded through Cathair Tighe before Fox added his second score to restore the North Mayo side’s advantage.
Oisin Heffron then doubled that lead before adding another point to leave Ardnaree three points ahead with 12 minutes remaining in the opening half.
Charlestown had a chance to find the net when Shea Haran got through on goal, but Ardnaree goalkeeper Jamie Devers came to the rescue of his side.
Cathal Finan then raised the first orange flag of the game for Ardnaree before Fox added another point to extend their lead to six points, 0-9 to 0-3.
Cian Towey looked to reduce the deficit from a two-point free but his effort went wide. However, Breheny added his third point of the afternoon in the 23rd minute and Towey fired over two points in quick succession before Charlestown were given an opportunity to reduce the deficit when the ball was brought back for a free outside the 40-metre arc. Towey made no mistake with the resulting kick to leave just the minimum between the sides at the interval, Ardnaree leading 0-9 to 0-8.
The tightness of the first-half was not to be replicated in the second however, with Charlestown ultimately failing to raise a single white flag and not even their two goals could keep them in the hunt. In contrast, Ardnaree started the second-half brightly, with Oisin Heffron opening the scoring before captain James Fox added two points in quick succession, one from play and another from a free. Cathair Tighe followed with another point as Ardnaree began to establish a cushion.
Charlestown responded in spectacular fashion when Cian Towey struck a long-range free from around 50 metres into the back of the net, giving his side renewed hope. But Ardnaree replied through Cathal Finan’s point and continued to work their way back into control.
Both sides had opportunities during the final quarter, with several efforts falling short or going wide. But Ardnaree found the net for the first time in the 46th minute when a free dropped short, with their forwards regaining possession and James Fox rattled the ball past goalkeeper Darragh Egan.
Fox added two further points from play before Cathair Tighe found Oisin Heffron in on goal, with Heffron making no mistake as he raised Ardnaree’s second green flag of the half.
Fox then added a two-point free with three minutes remaining to complete another influential scoring performance.
Charlestown continued to battle until the final whistle and were rewarded with another goal when Danny Breheny played the ball into Dean O’Toole, who finished into the bottom corner. However, Ardnaree had done enough by that stage, and they saw out the remaining minutes to secure the title with 13 points to spare.
Scorers – Ardnaree: James Fox 1-1-7 (1tpf), Oisin Heffron 1-2-0, Cathal Finan 0-2-1, Cathair Tighe 0-0-2, Ronan Lynch 0-0-1.
Charlestown Sarsfields: Cian Towey 1-1-2 (1-0f, 1tpf), Seán Breheny 0-0-3, Dean O’Toole 1-0-1.
Ardnaree Sarsfields: Jamie Devers; Sean O’Boyle, Liam Sweeney, Conor Gallagher; Michael Mullaney, Rían McLoughlin, Rían Gray; Cathal Finan, Peter Quinn; Ronan Lynch, James Fox, Ethan Conway; Oisin Heffron, Cathair Tighe, Ross Newcombe. Subs: Dylan Devaney (for Lynch 49), Corey Cannon (for Conway 55), Jack Forde (for Newcome 58), Darragh Fleming (for Gray 58).
Charlestown Sarsfields: Darragh Egan; Dylan Pilcher, Rhys O’Connor, Liam McCaffrey; Mikey Giblin, Mason McCudden, Ryan McDonagh; Michael McCarthy, Seán Breheny; Matthew Murphy, Dean O’Toole, Shea Haran; Danny Breheny, Cian Towey, Matthew Horkan. Subs: James Cassidy (for Horkan 47).
REF: Declan Corcoran (Islandeady)
