Awesome Achill blow Moy away for league glory
Achill, Homeland U16 Division 4 League champions. Picture: Cathy McGlynn Photography
A doughty Achill produced a sparkling second half display which propelled the islanders to claim an elusive county title in Newport last Thursday evening.
The islanders made a blistering start to this clash and blitzed their opponents by scoring 1-2 during the embryonic stages of the tie. The opening score of the evening was a point by Cillian Doolan Lynch, and this was buttressed courtesy of a brilliantly taken goal from team-mate Paul Molloy. When Cathal Carolan then guided over a free for the Achill cause, one wondered how Moy Davitts would bounce back after such a wretched start.
But the East Mayo side steadily regrouped and points from Dean Butler and Cathal O’Neill (a marvelous long-range effort), helped steady their ship somewhat, with Achill’s Carolan striking over a free in between the Moy Davitts opening brace.
Achill produced some brilliant counterattacking moves and one such foray saw raiding wing-back Callum McDonnell pinch a peach of a point from out near the side-line and from an acute angle. Indeed, McDonnell was one of Achill’s standout performers and he would go on to notch an impressive 1-3 from play.
Moy Davitts played the better football during the final 15 minutes of the first half but during their period of dominance the best that they could muster were points from Cian Fahy and Butler (free), and they trailed 1-4 to 0-4 at the break.
Achill’s Doolan Lynch and Moy Davitts Dylan McHale traded points inside the first minute of the new half. However, gradually Achill were beginning to win their fair share of possession thus resulting in scores for Carolan and Doolan Lynch, with their team-mate McDonnell ruing a missed goal opportunity on 37 minutes.
Methodical in their build-up play, one such Achill move resulted in a skyscraper from McDonnell on 39 minutes, much to the delight of the raucous Green and White faithful.
Trailing 1-8 to 0-5, Moy Davitts were in danger of falling further behind but a magnificently taken 45’ from the effervescent Cian Fahy on 42 minutes seemed to rejuvenate their cause.
The heretofore Achill gameplan suffered a set-back when Liam Murphy picked up a second yellow card of the evening, and when Fahy guided over the subsequent free, to leave four between them.
Moy Davitts nearly fashioned what would have been a morale boosting major on 47 minutes but Jamie Loughney’s strike off the ground zipped over the crossbar.
Achill were at sixes and sevens, but they managed to survive the onslaught without conceding a goal, and crucial points from Carolan (two frees), McDonnell and Joseph Kenny helped steady their ship.
Moy Davitts desperately tried to forge a way back into the ties but their comeback hopes were extinguished on 52 minutes when McDonnell plucked a hop ball from the sky and darted towards goal before finishing with aplomb.
