Goals deliver victory for Knockmore over Belmullet
Knockmore captain Evan Hannick receives the North Mayo U14 'B' trophy from Bord na nÓg official Michael McKenzie.
Belmullet battled hard and true but were not able to overcome the goals that Knockmore put past them and so were convincingly beaten in last Monday’s replayed North U14 ‘B’ final. Conditions weren’t favourable but the teams produced a fine game of football on a miserable Monday evening.
Belmullet opened the scoring in the fifth minute through a free by their pivotal performer Thomas McWilliams, after a foul on Dáibhí Lally by Evan Hannick in Knockmore’s full-back line. Two of Knockmore’s best performers on the day linked up for their side’s first point, as Robert Ruane kick-passed into James McLoughlin who laid the ball back to Ruane as he ran through and curled over a beautiful score. Ruane then followed that up with a free for the Saffron and Blue, but Belmullet full-forward Cormac O’Donoghue levelled the sides again after Patrick Coyle intercepted a kick-pass in the middle of the park and launched the ball into Keelan Barrs who moved it quickly to O’Donoghue and blasted over from close range.
McWilliams got Belmullet another point from a free but Knockmore struck their first of five goals when James McLoughlin shook off a tackle before going through and rifling his shot into the top corner. He was narrowly denied a second goal by the toes of Belmullet goalkeeper Cormac Reilly moments later.
Dáibhí Lally countered with a close range point from slightly to the right of the posts when O’Donoghue broke two tackles to set him up but another devastatingly quick attack by Knockmore – beginning from their own kickout – again punished Belmullet, with Conor Blewitt running around Reilly and rolling the ball home.
Belmullet did respond through O’Donoghue and McWilliams but Knockmore landed a killer blow in the latter parts of the first-half. Matthew Monaghan looked like he was going for a point from a tight angle on the left but he ended up looping the ball over Reilly for a third goal on the brink of half-time.
Belmullet claimed the throw-in at the start of the second-half and Thomas McWilliams, with some more powerful running from midfield, set up his own point. Robert Ruane converted a free for Knockmore in reply and midfield man Patrick James made it two in-a-row with a fabulous long-range before Knockmore edged even closer to victory with James McLoughlin sending the ball crashing into the Belmullet net for a fourth time, after he latched on to a nice ball inside from Patrick James.
McWilliams was a long way from goal when his shot from the left wing snuck inside the posts in reply for Belmullet but Knockmore’s wing-back Luke McTigue cancelled that point out after his marauding run down the left. Rory Kenny also picked off a point as Knockmore seemed to be cruising to the northern title.
Cormac O’Donoghue fired over another powerful point for Belmullet when a free was worked short to him close to Knockmore’s goal, but all fight was knocked out of Belmullet when late on Knockmore plundered a fifth and final goal where Conor Blewitt was set up by another great display of passing by Robert Ruane, with Blewitt outrageously dinking his shot over the goalkeeper 10 metres out from goal. It was followed by another exceptional display of skill, this time by full-forward James McLoughlin who ran at pace from just in front of the ’45 and sent a shot sailing over the bar, sneaking inside the right post.
The final whistle then rang around in Crossmolina and Knockmore had claimed the title at the second time of asking.
