Ballina will have no regrets about unstylish win

After a coma-inducing hour of football, the game was crying out for a decisive strike. A moment of inspiration on an otherwise insipid afternoon. A few seconds of potency was all that was required.

Outside of Ballina, the county final won't be remembered fondly throughout the county. It was dreary and flat and devoid of creativity. But all finals are there to be won – on Sunday, somebody just needed to stand up and claim it for their club. And as the clock ticked towards the final whistle, it was looking increasingly like it may be a Breaffy man that ultimately seized the day.

For a side that had only produced a single point in the opening half of football, it beggared belief that Breaffy were chasing an equaliser as the clock entered the red. Ballina Stephenites should’ve been comfortably preparing for celebrations on Moyside at half-time but they gave Konrad Coghill's side an opportunity to reset and return out for the second-half revitalised.

But coming so close to glory made Breaffy overly cautious – they kept the ball in the middle third and recycled backwards more often than popping a pass forward. And when they eventually attempted to find holes in the Ballina defence, they invariably took the wrong option. A game that had seemed beyond them had been back within their grasp. It was now slipping away again.

Suddenly, Ballina broke at pace. Like Breaffy in the first-half, Niall Heffernan's side had only managed a single point throughout the second-half until that stage as Breaffy dominated much of the possession. Luke Feeney, who remained committed to his posting at full-forward throughout the game, could've been charged as a spectator given the ball spent so little time at his end of the pitch following the interval. But when a moment eventually arrived, he was ready to pounce.

Other players had opportunities to seize the day and failed to make their efforts count. The teenager would now have his chance to make a statement.

As Ballina moved the ball quickly through the lines, Feeney made a quick dart towards the stand side of the pitch, collecting a ball that was neatly placed in front of him. Once in possession, he took one look at the uprights over his shoulder, refused to diddle in possession and calmly dropped the ball over the black spot. Game, set and match.

But while the score secured Moclair Cup glory for the North Mayo club, it didn't save the final from being a dour affair. It certainly won't be going down in the annals as one for the ages.

The game began with a sense of urgency, Stephenites players hunting Breaffy back into their full-back line. There was a sense the game would be a tense and chaotic affair, with players desperately chasing every ball like it was the elixir of life. But the occasion quickly became a tedious affair. Ballina boasted most of the possession and managed to work the ball close enough into Breaffy territory to get shots away. But the vast majority of those shots either dropped short or shockingly wide of the uprights. Breaffy, on the other hand, were like lost tourists, stuck in their own half and struggling to find an avenue out.

After opening the scoring in the second minute through a Conor O'Shea free beneath the stand, opportunities were few and far between for the club before the half-time whistle. The most pleasing aspect of Ballina's game was the manner in which lines of defenders stayed committed to the walls they had built. Every time Breaffy attempted to break forward, they were forced into handling errors. They needed to find a way to bring Aidan O’Shea into the game, but every time he won a ball he was swarmed by at least three Ballina jerseys. And when he was stationed at the edge of the square, there was little he could do with the ball stuck down at the Bacon Factory End.

Thankfully for Breaffy, Ballina were hardly setting the world alight either. Their forwards ensured that Breaffy goalkeeper Jack Livingston had more possession than any other player on the pitch in the first-half.

They began the game by seemingly testing the young shot-stopper, sending missiles down on top of the square in the hope of forcing the young man into a mistake. However, as the game rolled on, it became clear that it may not have been a specific tactic but rather a lack of a clinical edge in front of the posts. With Breaffy hunkered down in their own half, Ballina should've been out of sight by half-time.

Evan Regan and Feeney were the most threatening figures within Ballina's vanguard, though a measly four points by the interval was a poor showing.

Breaffy began the second-half like a side that had just swapped jerseys with their opponents. Ballina were now the side struggling to get out of their half as the trailing side brought the deficit back to a single point. The extra yard seemed beyond them though. Just as Ballina had wasted opportunities in the opening half hour, Breaffy began to waste simple tap-over opportunities. The side also attacked in waves without anyone having the courage to take a shot on.

And when the ball made its way down the other end of the field, Ballina mimicked their efforts. All titles have the same value though, regardless of the entertainment produced on the day. So, Ballina will have no regrets about the manner in which they ended their sixteen-year drought. They've a very young side which means their place at the top of the Mayo club championship roll of honour will not be under threat for some time. The first title is always the most difficult to secure – they only need to ask their county final opponents about how difficult it can be.

And with that monkey off their back, a period of dominance in Mayo football could very well be on the cards.