Fine margins could determine clash of eastern rivals
Kuba Callaghan will return to the Ballaghaderreen team for their crunch clash with Charlestown Sarsfields.
Charlestown and Ballaghaderreen will meet this weekend with one overriding objective: survival. Neither side would have envisaged finding themselves in a relegation semi-final at the outset of the championship campaign, but after difficult group stages, both now find themselves just two games away from either securing their senior status or suffering the ultimate disappointment.
Ballaghaderreen won the most recent championship encounter between the pair in last year’s group stages but Charlestown were top dogs just two years before that, and you could make the argument the latter look slightly better positioned heading into this clash of East Mayo rivals.
They picked up a group win whereas Ballagh’ lost all three of their games, none of which they really looked like winning.
While Charlestown opened with a chastening defeat to last year’s beaten county finalists Westport, they responded impressively with a dramatic victory over Kilmeena before pushing Claremorris all the way in a contest that remained alive until the dying moments.
The common thread throughout Charlestown’s campaign has been the influence of Paul Towey. The Mayo forward has been one of the standout performers of the championship to date, tormenting defences with his movement, scoring threat and ability from placed balls. He amassed 1-11 across the three group matches and looked capable of causing damage every time he got possession. His duel with the Ballaghaderreen full-back line promises to be one of the defining battles of the afternoon.
There’s always that sense though that Towey might be carrying too much of the scoring burden. Gareth O’Donnell continues to provide quality deliveries and leadership, while Matthew Lenehan’s goal against Claremorris and Ben Crean’s influential contribution off the bench against Kilmeena demonstrated there are other attacking outlets capable of making decisive contributions – but more may be required if they are to pull through next Saturday afternoon.
Ballaghaderreen have had a considerably more difficult campaign thus far. Three defeats from three left them bottom of their group, with heavy losses to Breaffy and Knockmore exposing vulnerabilities throughout the team.
Yet there were signs against Belmullet last time out that Ballaghaderreen still possess the attacking quality required to compete at this level. They rattled in 2-13 against a side that eventually qualified for the quarter-finals, reducing the deficit to three points entering the closing stages before Belmullet pulled away late on.
Much of that resurgence came through Arainn McDermott, who delivered seven points against the Erris men in the absence of the suspended Kuba Callaghan, while David McBrien and Conor Moriarty both found the net. Those performances suggest Ballaghaderreen may be finding some attacking support outside of Callaghan, whose importance to the side remains enormous.
The difficulty for Ballagh’ has been consistency. Across the three rounds they conceded 4-17, 1-24 and 0-22, figures that underline the defensive issues they have struggled to address.
Championship relegation games often develop a very different dynamic to ordinary group fixtures. Risk-taking tends to be replaced by caution, and local rivalry only adds another layer of intrigue.
Charlestown’s performances against Kilmeena and Claremorris demonstrated resilience and attacking quality, while Towey's form gives them a proven match-winner. The best of others not yet mentioned like Ruairi Cullen, Jack Corley, Niall Murphy, Ben Conway and Alan Woods would certainly give the Fr O’Hara Park outfit every chance of avoiding another day out.
But Ballaghaderreen are equally well served. Indeed they do not and would never feel themselves inferior to their near neighbours, and wise old heads like David Drake, Darragh Kelly and Ryan Lynch won’t shirk the challenge in front of them.
It’s a game that might not produce much free-flowing football yet has the hallmarks of a cliffhanger where any mistake could carry enormous significance.
