Breaffy feel the Deane effect on and off the pitch
Former Mayo minor manager Sean Deane is off to a winning start as manager of his native Breaffy. Picture: INPHO/Tom Maher
Breaffy began the Sean Deane era with a convincing victory over Knockmore in Swinford on Saturday evening last.
Despite a torrential downpour at half-time and through the second-half, the West Mayo men were able to move the ball quickly through the Knockmore defence and pick off their scores when presented with the opportunity.
The return of Aidan O’Shea to the starting team was the big talking point before throw-in and the big full forward played an important role in the victory, starting off the scoring with a free after just 45 seconds, and generally getting about the pitch with his physicality.
Darren McHale equalised for Knockmore on four minutes and a minute later O’Shea set up Pierce Deane one on one with Brian McDonnell in the Knockmore goal but the keeper got down brilliantly to save.
McHale and Deane swapped frees to leave the sides level by the 10th minute. From there the Knockmore side, nominally the home team in the neutral surrounds of Swinford, turned on the style and grabbed three points in 90 seconds through Connell Dempsey, Charlie Bourke and Declan Melvin.
In a tight first-half, that gap looked like it could be huge but Breaffy had the game tied again by the 16th minute as Rory Martyn grabbed his first before a double from the highly impressive Ben Murphy.
A Caolan Hopkins free and Fergal Keane point had Knockmore ahead again before the game sprung into life with two goals inside a minute.
The first came from a quick free at halfway which found Pierce Deane on the 20-metre line. The corner forward gathered the ball and drove at goal before hitting a low shot under McDonnell.
On the very next attack Knockmore regained the lead when Darren McHale’s long range shot dropped just short but was dropped by John Vahey and Charlie Bourke ran in to fire the loose ball to the net.
Deane pointed twice in the 24th and 26th minutes to level the game again but Breaffy had the half-time lead when James Minogue hit a major in the 27th minute after Aidan Cunningham hit the crossbar and the wing-back came in to knock the rebound to the net.
The second-half was as impressive as Breaffy have been all season for the first 25 minutes as they built up an unassailable lead.
O’Shea, Murphy, Martyn and Minogue all pointed by the 37th minute to push their lead out to seven before Knockmore could trouble the scoreboard.
Pierce Ruttledge eventually got the North Mayo side up and running but mistakes in attack were causing their attacks to break down time after time.
David McHale grabbed a point to close the gap to six after 43 minutes but Conor O’Shea and Murphy pushed the lead out to eight.
A point from Ruttledge looked no more than a consolation with ten minutes to go but as Breaffy fell back into defence, Knockmore pushed on to try and get themselves back into the game.
A mistake by Aidan O’Shea in the 55th minute, trying to take on two Knockmore forwards instead of passing the ball to a free man, saw Keith Ruttledge dispossess him and run at goal before passing across the goal for Hopkins to fist to the net.
Points from Darragh Staunton Peter Naughton set up a grandstand finish but a David Livingstone point in the 61st minute left Knockmore chasing a goal which never came.
