Moran nicks victory for 'Port as Breaffy blow late lead
Tommy O'Reilly of Breaffy (right) scored the game's very first point and Colm Moran of Westport (left) scored the game's very last point, which proved a match winner in Saturday's Division 1 contest at St Patrick's Park.
Westport took a major step towards securing a place in this season’s Division 1 final when pipping West Mayo rivals Breaffy in a riveting clash on Saturday evening. The visitors must have thought they had snuck a draw when corner-back James Minogue was the unlikely scorer of an equaliser in the first of two minutes’ stoppage time, however, there was time for one more twist, as Westport substitute Niall McManamon setup Colm Moran to curl over his match-winning fifth point less than a minute later.
It was probably no more than Westport deserved; they had created by far the more scoring chances but kicked a dozen wides to Breaffy’s four, yet still managed to outscore the visitors 2-12 to 1-5 in open play.
Adding to Westport’s satisfaction at claiming the points was that they fielded without Lee Keegan and Mark Moran, both of whom had been to the fore in the previous week’s win against Ballintubber.
Matthew Ruane was a notable inclusion in the Breaffy lineup after his latest omission from Mayo’s matchday squad for the championship trip to Tyrone the following afternoon. He scored two points in a productive first-half display but will be disappointed not to have at least doubled that tally by full-time, although the several fouls drawn by the midfielder’s surging runs offered a regular source of Breaffy scores.
The benign conditions were welcome and presented no excuse to Westport for the four wides they had kicked inside eight minutes, while the four points they had scored by the 13th – by Colm Moran, two, Luke Tunney and Killian Kilkelly, a free – were matched from the boots of Breaffy’s Tommy O’Reilly, Daire Morrin, Matthew Ruane and Joe Mellet, shooting the first of his seven points from frees.
Kilkelly’s first from play preceded an excellent Joe Grady point, an opportunity created by fellow half-backs, the McLaughlin brothers, Finbar and Eoghan, and while Ruane’s second of the evening brought Breaffy back to within a point, a missed free by Conor O’Shea was punished moments later when Westport midfielder Jack O’Malley launched a ball towards the danger-zone where full-forward Ben Holmes did brilliantly to catch and hold off his marker Mark Dervan before drilling low past Breaffy goalkeeper Cillian Curley.
Westport’s 1-6 to 0-5 lead was short-lived however, as their opponents netted a 26th minute goal of their own courtesy of Paul McDermott, after Conor O’Shea’s burst from the right wing, before O’Shea levelled from a free awarded after McDermott was hauled to the ground by Eoghan McLaughlin.
Breaffy threatened a second goal when Niall Carter’s probing delivery towards McDermott drew a brave clearance from Westport ‘keeper Paddy O’Malley, and the home side capitalised by working the ball upfield where Pat Lambert drove over a two-pointer that left them 1-8 to 1-6 ahead at the break.
A slight breeze was favouring Breaffy after half-time and they made some early gains, outscoring Westport by seven points to two inside the first eleven minutes. Six of the points came via two-point frees by Joe Mellet and Conor O’Shea, two, while Mellet kicked a single free too. Westport were now trailing by three points, with only Colm Moran and Jack O’Malley on the scoreboard in the second-half – and it was going to get worse before it got better.
A pointed free by Killian Kilkelly for the Coveys was negated by the exquisite conversion of a sideline ball by Mellet who then curled over another two-point free, in what was turning into quite the exhibition of shooting by the corner-forward.
Breaffy now led by five entering the final 10 minutes, despite scoreless from play since their first-half goal, but there was another big kick left in Westport. An intricate passing movement between Brian McDermott and the McLaughlins ended with Finbar squaring to Ben Holmes who palmed in his – and his team’s – second goal, while points by Finbar McLaughlin and Colm Moran ensured the sides were all square for a seventh time, with 55 minutes on the clock.
It looked like the game’s first – and only – breach would prove costly for Breaffy when Killian Kilkelly knocked over the resultant free on 59 minutes but with Carter intercepting a pass by Brian McDermott and later on in the move also laying on the pass for James Minogue’s equaliser, the sides were level pegging again deep into added time.
One final Westport push was forthcoming, with Colm Moran the coolest character in St Patrick’s Park, guiding over the point that delivered a fifth win of the campaign which coupled with a first round draw in Crossmolina, has ‘Port sitting just one point behind Division 1 pacesetters Ballina Stephenites.
A trip to Belmullet awaits next while Breaffy, only two points off the bottom, prepare to host Knockmore.
Scorers – Westport: Ben Holmes 2-0-0, Colm Moran 0-0-5, Killian Kilkelly 0-0-4 (3f), Pat Lambert 0-1-0, Luke Tunney, Joe Grady, Finbar McLaughlin and Jack O’Malley 0-0-1 each.
Breaffy: Joe Mellet 0-2-3 (2tpf, 2f, 1s/l), Conor O’Shea 0-2-1 (2tpf, 1f), Paul McDermott 1-0-0, Matthew Ruane 0-0-2, Tommy O’Reilly, Daire Morrin and James Minogue 0-0-1 each.
Westport: Paddy O’Malley; Ben Doyle, Tom Lambert, Brian McDermott; Eoghan McLaughlin, Finbar McLaughlin, Joe Grady; Brian O’Malley, Jack O’Malley; Pat Lambert, Luke Tunney, Lorcan Silke; Colm Moran, Ben Holmes, Killian Kilkelly. Subs: Niall McManamon (for Silke 38), Danny Brennan (for Tunney 47).
Breaffy: Cillian Curley; Mark Ward, Mark Dervan, James Minogue; Ross Connolly, Robbie Fadden, Daire Morrin; Matthew Ruane, Niall Carter; Paul McDermott, Conor O’Shea, Davitt Neary; Joe Mellet, Tommy O’Reilly, Ben Murphy. Subs: Liam Irwin (for Murphy 51).
REF: James Regan (Hollymount-Carramore)
