Cillian kicks Cross’ to share of spoils
Sean Og McGuinness, left, scored a first-half goal for Crossmolina while Killian Kilkelly, right, ended the game with six points for Westport, in Saturday's draw at St Tiernan's Park.
It took substitute Cillian Fergus to kick a two-pointer from the final score of the game to earn Crossmolina Deel Rovers a share of the spoils against Westport in an entertaining, high scoring Division 1 contest on Saturday evening.
It was the least Crossmolina deserved, as they had made most of the running and only fell behind for the first time in the game in the 48th minute, even leading by eight points early in the second-half at St Tiernan’s Park.
In what was a repeat of last season’s epic senior championship semi-final, which Westport won after extra-time, it was Crossmolina who ran up a string of early points to lead 0-5 to 0-1 after eight minutes, with James Maheady, Diarmuid Walsh, Fionán Duffy and Cathal Carolan, twice, all on target from play.
Luke Tunney’s Westport opener was soon added to by a point apiece from Pat Lambert and Colm Moran, however, after Fionán Duffy had doubled his account for Crossmolina, Edward Gough blasted home the game’s first goal to send the hosts into a 1-6 to 0-3 lead after 13 minutes.
A pair of Killian Kilkelly points for Westport were separated by the conversion of a ’45 by Maheady at the other end, while Mark Moran’s point was more than negated by Sean Og McGuinness rattling home a second Crossmolina goal in the 23rd minute. McGuinness, operating at corner-back, made a telling run the length of the field to bag the major that put them 2-7 to 0-6 ahead.
Diarmuid Walsh’s point pushed the home side’s advantage out of eight points before Westport’s Colm Moran picked off the final point of the first-half.
There was a further exchange of points between Crossmolina centre-back Diarmuid Coggins and Westport’s Joe O’Grady before the visitors began to exert some control.
Points by Killian Kilkelly and Colm Moran elicited one in reply by Fionán Duffy, however, Westport were to strike a further goal and three points on the spin, the major by Mayo U20 player Ben Holmes, who was on as a substitute, and the points coming via a two-point free by goalkeeper Paddy O’Malley and Kilkelly.
With 44 minutes on the clock, the sides were now level and while a point by Niall Coggins restored Crossmolina’s lead, things took a turn for the worse for the hosts when Westport reeled off a string of points through Colm Moran, Killian Kelly, two, a free included, and Holmes, to lead by three points, 1-17 to 2-11, entering the final 10 minutes.
Duffy, a free, and Carolan each had points cancelled out but just when it looked as though the spoils may go the way of the Clew Bay outfit, Rovers sub Cillian Fergus drove the ball high between the uprights to secure a draw in the dying minutes.
Scorers – Crossmolina: Fionán Duffy 0-0-5 (2f), Edward Gough and Sean Og McGuinness 1-0-0 each, Cathal Carolan 0-0-3, Cillian Fergus 0-1-0, Diarmuid Walsh and James Maheady (1 ’45) 0-0-2 each, Diarmuid Coggins and Niall Coggins 0-0-1 each.
Westport: Colm Moran and Killian Kilkelly (2f) 0-0-6 each, Ben Holmes 1-0-1, Paddy O’Malley 0-1-0 (tpf), Pat Lambert, Mark Moran, Luke Tunney and Joe Grady 0-0-1 each.
Crossmolina: Patrick Loftus; Sean Og McGuinness, Kevin Mulhern, Matthew Gordetskyy; Mickie Loftus, Diarmuid Coggins, Diarmuid Fox; Paddy Leddy, James Maheady; Jonathan Murtagh, Fionán Duffy, Niall Coggins; Edward Gough, Cathal Carolan, Diarmuid Walsh. Subs used: Cillian Fergus, Darragh Duffy, Ronan Walsh.
Westport: Paddy O’Malley; Ben Doyle, Danny Brennan, Lorcan Silke; Leon Askin, Joe Grady, Finbar McLaughlin; Jack O’Malley, Raymond Walsh; Pat Lambert, Mark Moran, Luke Tunney; Colm Moran, Conor McGraynor, Killian Kilkelly. Subs used: Ben Holmes, Malcom MacEvilly, Tim Campion, Conor Clavey.
REF: James Regan (Hollymount-Carramore)
