Penalty pain for Rovers as Belmullet hold nerve

North Mayo Sweeney Cup semi-final 

Belmullet 3-15 

Crossmolina 2-18 

(AET, 3-12 to 2-15 at full-time, Belmullet win 4-3 on pens) 

Anthony Hennigan in Tallagh 

Stepping onto grass for the first time since their crowning as All-Ireland intermediate club champions, Crossmolina Deel Rovers were afforded a guard of honour by their Belmullet hosts on Saturday afternoon. That, however, was where the hospitality ended, although it was only by the very finest of margins that Belmullet booked their place in the final of the North Mayo Sweeney Cup.

Where Crossmolina had won their national title in Croke Park courtesy of a last gasp penalty, it was last gasp penalties that did for them here. The two teams had been inseparable after normal and extra-time in glorious spring conditions on the Mullet Peninsula so it ended up that a shootout was required to determine who would advance to face Knockmore. Shane Nallen saved the first two attempts by Crossmolina, Patrick Loftus the second of Belmullet’s, leaving the Erris side as 4-3 winners, after Eoin McHale, Evan Ivers, Fionn O’Donoghue and Padraic Cowman had each hit the target.

As for the game itself, the new rules at times presented some mild confusion for players, match officials and spectators alike, but all in all this was an entertaining encounter played in the very best spirits between two teams who will believe they can spring a surprise or two in this season’s county senior championship.

Belmullet narrowly avoided relegation from the top tier in 2024 but are under new management now, and Kieran Lavelle will have liked several aspects of Saturday’s display, not least the 3-9 contributed by Fionn O’Donoghue and Anthony Barrett in the full-forward line.

O’Donoghue, a younger brother of Mayo defender Eoin, was playing his first game of senior football and with two goals to his name inside the opening 17 minutes, only the crossbar denied him a first-half hattrick.

At the other end, James Maheady was in exceptional form for Crossmolina and despite being marked by Mayo senior panellist Evan Ivers, he ended the contest with 1-10 to his name, with 1-4 of that from play and a two-pointer free thrown in as well.

Maheady was one of seven Crossmolina players who had started in Croke Park in January, with three of the used substitutes that day also named in Saturday’s XV. And Brian Benson’s side made a bright start, with Patrick Leddy’s two-pointer sending them 0-5 to 0-2 ahead after nine minutes. Their goalkeeper, Patrick Loftus, had also produced an excellent save to deny James O’Donnell an early goal, although it was a defensive mix-up beneath a high ball that saw Fionn O’Donoghue flick home Belmullet’s opening major in the 13th minute.

A Padraic Cowman point was supplemented by O’Donoghue’s second goal, just four minutes after his first, as he slammed the ball past Loftus to see Belmullet lead 2-4 to 0-6, and while James Maheady, by way of reply, kicked his third point of the half to punish a 3v3 infraction, Crossmolina were fortunate not to find themselves six points in arrears when Fionn O’Donoghue won another route one delivery, turned and crashed a shot against the Deel Rovers crossbar.

Anthony Barrett, having already scored a pointed free, kicked two more points before the interval, but those were met with a firm response. Belmullet found themselves overturned on their own 45-metre line and through one smart pass by Edward Gough, James Maheady was able to boot into an empty net, as ‘keeper Shane Nallen was stranded outfield. The centre-forward curled over a free too, meaning that at half-time it was Belmullet who held the slenderest of leads, 2-6 to 1-8.

Fionn O’Donoghue, however, wasn’t to be the only goal-scoring senior debutante on the pitch, as Crossmolina introduced Oisin Deane at half-time and within seven minutes he had the ball in Belmullet’s net, with full-forward Patrick Leddy doing brilliantly to hold off Daniel Barrett and offload to Deane who fired hard past Nallen. Crossmolina now held a two points advantage and by the 55th minute they had doubled that courtesy of points by Diarmaid Walsh, two, including a free earned by Deane, Deane himself off the fist, and James Maheady, a free. Amazingly, it was Crossmolina who would still end up having to find an equalising point just to bring the game to extra-time.

An excellent diagonal delivery by Eoin McHale, returning after last year’s absence from the panel, gave Anthony Barrett a clear path to bury a third Belmullet goal, in the 57th minute, after which a quickfire brace of points by Padraic Cowman pushed Belmullet 3-12 to 2-14 ahead with only stoppage time left to play.

It took until the very last kick for Crossmolina to draw level, as a quickly taken Cillian Fergus free landed in the lap of James Maheady who split the posts to force extra-time.

A superb save down to his left by Shane Nallen to deny Adam Mills from scoring a Crossmolina goal was the outstanding moment of the first period of extra-time. That ended with the teams having traded a point apiece and while a free by Fionn O’Donoghue nudged the home side in front shortly after the restart, the second period was in its final minute and Crossmolina were now one point in front, when Shane Nallen, of all players, ghosted up the right hand side to finish a patient Belmullet attack with a fisted point that sent the game to spot kicks.

Oisin Deane and Kevin Mulhern were thwarted by Nallen who saved both Crossmolina’s opening penalties, leaving subsequent conversions by Patrick Leddy, Diarmaid Walsh and Cillian Fergus just not enough.

The North Mayo Sweeney Cup Final between Belmullet and Knockmore will be played on Saturday, March 22 at 5pm in St Tiernan’s Park, Crossmolina. Declan O’Boyle has been appointed as referee with Padraic Doherty and Colm Reilly his linesmen.

Scorers – Belmullet: Fionn O’Donoghue 2-0-4 (0-1f), Anthony Barrett 1-0-5 (0-2f), Padraic Cowman 0-0-3, Eoin McHale, James O’Donnell and Shane Nallen 0-0-1 each.

Crossmolina: James Maheady 1-1-8 (1tpf, 0-4f), Oisin Deane 1-0-2, Diarmaid Walsh 0-0-4 (1f), Patrick Leddy 0-1-0.

Belmullet: Shane Nallen; Padraig Meenaghan, Daniel Barrett, Shane O’Donoghue; James Ivers, Evan Ivers, Darragh Diskin; Fionnan Ryan, James O’Donnell; Padraic Cowman, Eoin McHale, Tadhg Quinn; Luke O’Reilly, Fionn O’Donoghue, Anthony Barrett. Subs: Thomas Tighe, Patrick Conroy, Coilín O’Donnell.

Crossmolina: Patrick Loftus; Diarmuid Fox, Brian Hourihane, Eoin O’Boyle; Diarmuid Coggins, Cathal Carolan, Mikie Loftus; Kevin Keane, Cillian Fergus; Kevin Mulhern, James Maheady, Adam Mills; Diarmaid Walsh, Patrick Leddy, Edward Gough. Subs: Oisin Deane, Ronan Walsh, Liam Clancy.

REF: John Walker (Cill Chomáin)