Collins the hero as 'Eady break Barony hearts
Islandeady, U14 C champions. Picture: John Moylette.
Finn Collins was the late hero for Islandeady as his injury-time penalty secured a rare county title for his side and sparked scenes of wild celebrations under the MacHale Park lights on Tuesday night last.
It was appropriate the midfielder would be the one to hit the winning score as his second half performance was one of the best seen in the county ground for many years, dragging his side from nine points down at half-time to victory.
For much of the game it looked like the cup would be heading to the Barony as Belmullet raced into an early eleven-point lead, thanks in no small part to three goals inside seven minutes.
Cuan Mac Oireachtaigh, Johnny O Chiarain and Liam O Maolabhail all raising a green flag in the opening minutes as Belmullet dominated the midfield area and launched wave after wave of attack on the Islandeady goal.
Nathan Gill, Aaron Gibbons and Nathan McNicolas pointed for Islandeady but Seamus MacDomhnaill, O Chiarain and Fergal O Maolalaidh notched five points between them to leave Belmullet 11 points to the good after 12 minutes.
Collins and Gill pointed for the boys in green before Oisin Ward narrowed the gap to six points with a well taken goal on 20 minutes. Mac Domhnaill would push the lead back out to seven before Gabriel Joyce burst through the Belmullet defence like a train before hitting a low shot to the net.
Belmullet would get the lead back out to ten points thanks to a goal from Seamus Mac Domhnaill and points by Antoine Mac Phaidin and O Chiarain. Aaron Gibbons would reduce the deficit to nine for Islandeady on the stroke of half-time.
Islandeady would wipe out that nine-point deficit, and take the lead, by the midway point of the second half following a blistering start after the break.
Gill, Brosnihan and Gabriel Joyce all notched early points before Michael Gallagher hit his first goal in the 35th minute to leave three between the teams.
Collins and Gallagher would add further points either side of a Johnny O Chiarain effort before Islandeady took a stunning lead in the 44th minute thanks to Gallagher’s second goal.
Islandeady seemed to run out of steam after taking the lead as Belmullet came roaring back into the game. First Adam O Liongsigh squeezed a goal past Conor McDonagh in the 50th minute and then Mac Domhnaill and O Chiarain added points to put four between the sides with time almost up.
Nobody told Islandeady to lie down though and despite a string of wides in the final ten minutes their players showed a great never give up attitude. Brosnihan and McNicolas chipped away at the Belmullet lead before the game winning moment came in injury time.
Centre back Eoghan Dillon drove at the Belmullet defence and was taken down inside the box. A penalty was awarded which Finn Collins dispatched with aplomb before Nathan Gill secured the famous win in the 63rd minute.
