Rovers rejoice as Erris boys are pipped on penalties
Crossmolina's Tom Burke and Conor Howley apply pressure on Belmullet's Darragh Tighe during last Thursday's North Mayo U16 'A' football final in Bangor Erris. Picture: Sarah Jane Walsh
It’s doubtful there’ll be a more thrilling game played for the rest of this year than that in Bangor Erris last Thursday evening.
Crossmolina and Belmullet had faced each other three times already this year and three times Crossmolina had won. They made it four in the cruellest fashion imaginable on Belmullet – by scoring an equalising point with the last kick of extra-time before winning a penalty shoot-out.
A replay had been offered to the teams as an alternative but they chose the lottery route. It was Crossmolina who hit the jackpot, with team captain Tom Burke converting the deciding penalty after a game that had delivered more plot twists than a Netflix crime series.
Belmullet had played into the teeth of typical Bangor breeze in the first-half and raised half as many flags as Crossmolina yet led by two points at half-time. Crossmolina scored more against the breeze in the second-half than they had with it in the first, but even taking the lead through a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time wasn’t enough to secure victory. Belmullet played all of extra-time with only fourteen players yet took the lead in the first of two added minutes. But still we weren’t done.
Just when it seemed as though the Erris side were about to be crowned U16 ‘A’ champions of North Mayo, Gavin Lavelle, Crossmolina’s vice-captain, arrived all the way up from his full-back position and while right-footed, as evidenced by his penalty in the subsequent shoot-out, he stroked over the most stylish of equalising points off his left boot despite the tricky breeze coming against him from the clubhouse end.
Indeed this epic contest had been played in the most un-July like conditions imaginable, but the gloom was illuminated by some excellent football and some exceptional scores. It was just a pity someone had to lose.
Crossmolina had hit the opening two points through Dylan Lavelle, a free, and Tom Burke, but from once Blake Doocey sent a looping shot crashing to the Deel Rovers net off the underside of the crossbar in the ninth minute, Belmullet were able to mind their lead until the fourth quarter of the contest.
Keelan Barrett raised their first white flag before Belmullet struck their second goal in the twelfth minute, with an interception of a Crossmolina pass resulting in Ryan Shevlin supplying Ciaran Lavelle who buried to the net, giving his side a 2-1 to 0-2 lead.
Crossmolina regained a foothold with three points from Dylan Keane, two, and the hugely influential Dylan Lavelle, but a black card for the latter stunted their progress and Belmullet bagged themselves a third goal in his absence, this one fired home by Keelan Barrett who took off on a wonderful solo run before placing the ball beyond the reach of goalkeeper Alex Kenny.
Dylan Lavelle returned to kick a brace of points either side of one by midfielder Eanna O’Boyle and so by half-time Crossmolina had narrowed their arrears, but to trail by two points having played with the elements in their favour is not something they’d have planned for.
And the Deel Rovers position became even more precarious when after Dylan Lavelle registered a free one minute into the second-half, they received the sucker punch of a fourth Belmullet goal. A fine move involving Doocey, sub Scott Henderson and Shevlin, saw possession passed towards Jack Gaughan at the edge of the square, with the ball taking several ricochets before crossing into the net. Allied with a free converted by Ciaran Lavelle, the Erris boys now led by five points, 4-02 to 0-9, after 36 minutes.
Crossmolina had been unfortunate not to raise a green flag in the first-half when Peadar Fergus slipped in Evan Molloy who possibly had grounds for a penalty when Belmullet managed to scramble his effort off the line, but Molloy had better luck in the 39th minute when out of almost nothing he drilled an unstoppable shot into the bottom right corner. His teammate Aaron Donnellan traded a point with Patrick Coyle before Tom Burke sliced over a glorious point off the outside of his boot, to leave it a one point game entering the final quarter.
It seemed when Dylan Lavelle palmed home Crossmolina’s second goal of the half to send them in front for the first time in 40 minutes, that all the momentum lay with the Maroons. But Belmullet’s spirit was unquenchable and a superb point by Keelan Barrett was followed by Shevlin supplying the excellent Tomás McWilliams who rocketed the ball high into the net from a tight angle, leaving the Red and White 5-04 to 2-11 ahead on the scoreboard.
The dismissal on the hour mark of Cathal O’Malley for a second booking was a set-back to Belmullet but whatever Crossmolina could throw at them in six minutes of stoppage, like 1-1 from placed balls by Dylan Lavelle, they responded to, with converted frees by Lavelle and McWilliams forcing another twenty minutes.
Aided by the wind, Crossmolina outscored Belmullet 0-3 to 0-1 in the first-half of extra-time, but it took a superb block to prevent Dylan Lavelle from scoring his second goal. However, the tables turned again after the restart. Ryan Shevlin swapped a point with Dylan Lavelle before Belmullet levelled through McWilliams, a free, and Shevlin, with only a combination of ‘keeper Kenny and corner-back Joe Howley denying Keelan Barrett from scoring what surely would have been a match-winning Belmullet goal. But the drama still wasn’t done.
Just when Cormac O’Donoghue, in the 81st minute, thought he had kicked the winning point for Belmullet, time for one more play was allowed – and Gavin Lavelle rescued Rovers on the whistle.
The same player was unfortunate to hit the post with Crossmolina’s first penalty in the shoot-out but with Keelan Barrett the only Belmullet boy to hit the target, Aaron Donnellan, Dylan Lavelle and Tom Burke each scored theirs to land the northern crown for the Deelsiders.
Scorers – Crossmolina: Dylan Lavelle 2-0-9 (1-0pen, 0-7f), Evan Molloy 1-0-0, Dylan Keane (2f), Tom Burke and Eanna O’Boyle 0-0-2 each, Aaron Donnellan and Gavin Lavelle 0-0-1 each.
Belmullet: Keelan Barrett 1-0-3, Ciaran Lavelle and Tomás McWilliam 1-0-2 (0-2f) each, Jack Gaughan 1-0-0, Blake Doocey 1-0-0, Ryan Shevlin 0-0-2, Padraig Coyle and Cormac O’Donoghue 0-0-1 each.
Crossmolina: Alex Kenny; Conor Howley, Gavin Lavelle, Joe Howley; Peadar Fergus, Jack Heffernan, Aaron Rodriguez; Eanna O’Boyle, Luke Loftus; Tom Burke, Dylan Lavelle, Aaron Donnellan; Evan Molloy, Dylan Keane, James Gardiner. Subs: Patrick Leonard (for Gardiner ht), Ruairí McGuinness (for Howley 54), Shane Conway (for Loftus 58), Howley (for Keane 77, inj).
Belmullet: Cormac Reilly; Cathal Walsh, Charlie Moran, Joe Lynch; Blake Doocey, Cathal O’Malley, Darragh Tighe; Patrick Coyle, Cormac O’Donoghue; Ryan Shevlin, Tomás McWilliam, Ciaran Lavelle; Jack Gaughan, Conall Ruane, Keelan Barrett. Subs: Scott Henderson (for Lynch ht), Shane McWilliam (for Henderson 59).
REF: Richie Cosgrove (Kiltane)
