Cill Chomáin are Justin time for junior glory

Treanlaur Catering Mayo JFC Final (replay)

Cill Chomáin 2-10 

Bonniconlon 0-10 

(AET, 0-8 apiece at full-time) 

Stuart Tynan at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar 

The Pete McDonnell Cup returned to the Barony on Saturday night as a tour-de-force by Justin Healy saw Cill Chomáin crowned Mayo junior football champions in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park.

Nothing could separate the two teams after the 60-plus minutes in a replay that whatever it may have lacked in quality, was more than compensated for by drama.

The turning point arrived four minutes into the first period of extra-time as a hopeful shot by Cill Chomáin’s Darragh Murphy dropped into Justin Healy. The full-forward got away from two players and while his shot was not the cleanest of strikes across the ground, it had the precision to nestle into the bottom corner.

Bonniconlon could only muster a point in each period of extra-time and try as they might for a major of their own, any deliveries pumped in were swiftly dealt with by Cill Chomáin goalkeeper Kian Gallagher.

As the minutes ticked away, Bonniconlon were caught on the ball around the middle of the pitch and Joe Corduff passed it on to Eoghan McGrath, who in turn released Justin Healy. Rather than opt for an insurance point, Healy backed himself and rounded goalkeeper Aiden Doherty to finish into an empty net and seal the club’s third junior title, their first since 2013.

It is heartbreak for Bonniconlon, who will feel they should have been awarded a free to win the game in second half stoppage-time, but they never looked like getting a goal at any stage of this contest. They may feel their best chance to win the title came in the first game but there’s no doubt this game was for the taking also.

If only they had a player like Justin Healy at their disposal. After an early wide, the Cill Chomáin full-forward opened the scoring on five minutes and pointed again in the 10th minute after good work by his brother Jack to set up the chance. Jack himself made it 0-3 no score moments later but the tide was about to turn.

Bonniconlon, who had three quite wild wides in the opening 10 minutes, got up and running with a fabulous score by Niall Greavy from the 45 metre line. Ciaran Gaughan, a free, and James Harrington had levelled it up with efforts of similar quality by the end of the first quarter but there would not be another score for 12 minutes, with both sides guilty of poor shooting.

Two Cill Chomáin efforts dropped into the hands of Doherty while the Bonni’ radar went wayward again with a pair of wides. Justin Healy settled things down for Cill Chomáin but the final two scores of the half came from Bonniconlon with another Gaughan free and a great placed ball by Sean Neary on the stand side edging the Boys in Blue 0-5 to 0-4 ahead at the interval.

Two Jack Healy frees put the Black and White back ahead before James Harrington levelled it for a third time 10 minutes into the second-half. Joe Corduff and Brian O’Malley traded points before O’Malley hit a beauty of a score on 49 minutes to put Bonni’ back ahead.

A golden chance broke for Cill Chomáin a minute later when Bonniconlon were caught in a three-on-two situation. The ball was played to Justin Healy but a heroic block by Bonniconlon’s retreating substitute, Cathal Kelly, saved their skin.

Joe Mason made things all square on 53 minutes and that would be it in normal time, as neither side were able to find the winner. Niall Greavy and Richard McKenzie went close but could not find the target while Bonniconlon also had a strong claim for a free from 25 metres out on the left wing but referee Paul Lydon waved away their appeals.

Extra-time beckoned and the goal that was likely to be needed came from Nigel Reape’s men thanks to Justin Healy, which was followed by a superb point by Mayo U20 star Liam Maloney. All Bonni’ could muster was a point each from Harrington and David Walsh, a free, before the Healy brothers made sure of the victory thanks to a free from Jack and Justin’s second goal, giving the signal for the bonfires to rage across Erris.

Scorers – Cill Chomáin: Justin Healy 2-3, Jack Healy 0-4 (3f), Joe Corduff, Joe Mason and Liam Maloney 0-1 each.

Bonniconlon: James Harrington 0-3, Ciaran Gaughan (2f) and Brian O’Malley 0-2 each, Niall Greavy, Sean Neary (f) and David Walsh 0-1 each.

Cill Chomáin: Kian Gallagher; John Flannery, James Mason, Lorcan McGrath; Liam Maloney, Eoghan McGrath, Lorcan Mason; Joe Corduff, Sean Murphy; Darragh Murphy, Joe Mason, Derek Moran; Sean Irwin, Justin Healy, Jack Healy. Subs: Cathal Doherty and Martin Geraghty (for Flannery and D Moran 47), Brendan Moran and Adam Conroy (for Joe Mason and Irwin 58), Luke Tighe (for L McGrath 63), David Walker (for Jack Healy 78), Matthew Healy (for Geraghty 80).

Bonniconlon: Aiden Doherty; Eoin Fox, Eoghan Creevy, James McKenzie; Ronan Conlon, Conor Redmond, Conor Igoe; Niall Greavy, Jonathan Lavelle; Sean Neary, Ronan Neary, Dara Fox; James Harrington, Brian O’Malley, Ciaran Gaughan. Subs: David Walsh and Cathal Kelly (for Gaughan and J McKenzie 39), Cillian Upton (for R Neary 43), James Kelly (for Conlon 66), Richard McKenzie (for Fox 69), Rory Upton (for Harrington 76).

REF: Paul Lydon (Kiltimagh)