Mitchels crowned U21 champs after battle with Claremorris

U21A Championship - Final

Castlebar Mitchels 4-5

Claremorris 0-14

Paul O’Malley at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park

In the end, the hole proved just a little bit too deep for Claremorris to claw their way out. After a nightmare start, shipping three goals inside the opening ten minutes, Claremorris fought valiantly to try and catch Castlebar Mitchels to no avail.

To their credit, they got stuck in and managed to come within a point of their opponents on two occasions in the second half, during which Castlebar began to look utterly jaded after their bombastic start. Darragh Beirne was the dangerman for Claremorris throughout and particularly in this period; he ended proceedings with 0-6 and a lot of pride in his performance to his name.

As hard as they tried, Claremorris could not find that extra inch needed to match Castlebar’s tally. Even a red card to Castlebar’s Cian Walsh, who was earlier the hero with two of those three goals in the opening flurry, with ten minutes left to play failed to give them any kind of edge.

While Castlebar’s attack faltered, their defence stood up and got to grips with Claremorris’s dangerous forwards. John McMonagle, Tomas Waldron and Joe Tuohy in particular stood out. In the end, it took some inspiration from the subs bench in the form of Gavin Forry helped Castlebar scrape over the line and claim the U21 county title.

It was their fourth and final goal, coming some 52 minutes after their third goal, which was the zenith of their electric start.

Paddy Heneghan pulled all the strings for Castlebar early doors and with six minutes played, he switched play to the onrushing Mark Cunningham on the terrace side of MacHale Park. Cunningham burst through and found Ciaran Mylett wide open to apply the finish for the game’s opening score and goal.

Claremorris’s Niall Hurley responded with a point but from Peter Basquille’s next kickout, Castlebar found their way forward again. Cian Walsh was the goal scorer on this occasion and just two minutes later, the same man was in again to raise another green flag. Claremorris centre back Rio Mortimer’s pass across field was ill-judged and Walsh intercepted it. He pounced and ran straight through, smashing the ball into the back of the net.

Possession came back to Mitchels again instantly and Bob Tuohy, who had missed the semi-final against Davitts, marked his comeback with a stylish point from play. Now nine points down with the game still a pup, Claremorris supporters looked as though they would rather have stayed stuck behind the Balla Christmas Tractor Run that caused them so much travel chaos on Saturday evening. Their team needed a response, and fast.

Niall Hurley scored his second of the day, throwing it over the bar from play before Cathal Joyce scored a peach from distance. Ciaran Mylett responded to make the gap eight points once more. Darragh Beirne scored a point and a free back to back, while Hurley added a mark to make it a five-point game.

Mitchels turned the screw once more, and Conor Mulroy and Mylett added a point apiece. Mylett’s effort was to be Mitchels last score for some 25 minutes. Cathal Joyce’s 45 was the last kick of the half and it sailed between the posts to make it 3-4 to 0-7 at the break.

It was all Claremorris for the majority of the second half. The introduction of Adam Beirne at half time gave them a massive boost in the forward line and they suddenly began to look dangerously potent every time they made a forward advance. By the end of the third quarter Castlebar’s lead, which looked as though it could not be summited, was cut to just one point.

Two minutes into the second half, Darragh Beirne fired over a free. Adam Beirne followed with one from play two minutes later. The next three points were all well taken by Darragh Beirne, two were points from play either side of a free kick.

Castlebar looked desperately short of ideas but to their credit, were holding the fort extremely well. A goal would have been massive for Claremorris but they rarely came within an inch of the Mitchels square. They brought in Fionnan O’Reilly and Gavin Forry as reinforcements and the latter was crucial as they seized victory in the closing stages.

Forry’s running proved menacing for a Claremorris defence that had by now shaken off their shaky start. He breezed by a blue jersey or two and popped the ball over the bar for Castlebar’s first point in almost a half hour of play. By now, Cian Walsh had been red carded for Castlebar but it made a scant difference. The urgency with which Claremorris had started the second half was gone.

Matthew McCormack cut the gap to a point again with Claremorris’s first score for 16 minutes and Mitchels responded superbly. It was Forry again, who carved an ocean of space on the stand side of the pitch and cut inside. He drew the attention of keeper Tom Kean and this left Mark Cunningham wide open at the far post. Forry’s pass found his teammate who put the ball in the net with the game now well in injury time, effectively drawing the curtains on Claremorris’s comeback.

Scorers. C’bar Mitchels: Cian Walsh 2-0, Ciaran Mylett 1-2, Mark Cunningham 1-0, Bob Tuohy, Conor Mulroy and Gavin Forry 0-1 each.

Claremorris: Darragh Beirne 0-6 (3f), Niall Hurley 0-4 (1f, 1m), Cathal Joyce 0-2 (1’45), Adam Beirne and Matthew McCormack 0-1 each.

C’bar Mitchels: Peter Basquille: Tomas Waldron, Joe Tuohy, Kylum Chambers: James Cunningham, John MacMonagle, Jack O’Reilly: Brendan Gaughan, Bob Tuohy: Conor Mulroy, Paddy Heneghan, Emmet Murphy: Cian Walsh, Ciaran Mylett, Mark Cunningham. Subs: Fionan O’Reilly and Gavin Forry (for Gaughan and Murphy 43), Ben McHale (for Mylett 53).

Claremorris: Tom Kean: Joseph Gilmore, Darragh Fitzpatrick, David Slattery: Craig Cassidy, Rio Mortimer, Adam Howard: Darragh Joyce, Paul Gilmore: Darragh Beirne, Conor Og Dennedy, Johnny Cummins: Cathal Joyce, Niall Hurley, Matthew McCormack. Subs: Sean Niland (for J Gilmore 20), Stephen Gill and Adam Beirne (for Howard and Dennedy H/T), Sean O’Connell (for Cummins 43)

Ref: Frank Flynn (Aghamore)