Rovers return to final as ‘Robe run out of road

Egan Jewellers Mayo IFC Quarter-Final 

Crossmolina 0-15 

Ballinrobe 1-11 

(AET, 0-11 to 1-8 at full-time) 

Anthony Hennigan in Canon Gibbons Park, Claremorris 

They did it the hard way but then again, nobody expects qualifying for a county final to come easy.

Crossmolina Deel Rovers moved to within one win of a return to senior championship football when overcoming a Ballinrobe side that was, quite literally, left to rue a score of wasted opportunities. By half-time in normal time, the South Mayo side had already kicked 11 wides and their inaccuracy stuck right up until the fumes of extra-time, where Evan O’Brien watched an equalising attempt from 40 metres veer to the left. The wind was against him but even when the elements – and the infamous Claremorris hill – were in favour of Ballinrobe during the opening 30 minutes of Saturday’s pulsating semi-final, they somehow ended that in arrears too. So that Peter Ford’s team had even managed to bring this clash to the wire was an achievement in itself.

In fact, they’ll be bitterly disappointed not to have booked their instant return to the intermediate final, leading as they did by one point with three minutes of the regulation hour left to play. But mildly the better of the two teams prevailed on the day, with Crossmolina setting up a mouthwatering county final showdown with a Moy Davitts side that has beaten them in both this and last year’s championships. They’ll not expect the Moysiders’ attack to be so wasteful as Ballinrobe were in front of the posts.

It was a game of countless turning and talking points but effectively, Crossmolina’s match-winning move came when Fionan Duffy and James Maheady, two, landed them three points without reply into the wind during the first period of extra-time. They just about survived playing most of the second period with 14 players after the black carding of corner-back Matthew Gordetsky, as Ballinrobe, with corner-forward Joe Burke in inspirational form, clawed their way back to parity only for Maheady to fist the winning point in the 78th minute.

It has secured Crossmolina a first intermediate final appearance since 1980.

Given the testing conditions, Ballinrobe could have badly done with the muscle and experience of injured midfielder James Murphy whose absence was sorely felt.

Crossmolina had struggled to break past the halfway line for most of the opening quarter yet by the 17th minute found themselves with a 0-2 to 0-1 lead, as points by Fionan Duffy, a free, and Patrick Leddy arrived in response to Ballinrobe’s opener from Ewan Duffy’s free. Joe Burke had a sixth minute goal effort deflected past the post by the covering Diarmuid Coggins while two minutes later, midfielder Diarmuid Duffy also had chance to raise green for Ballinrobe when receiving Ryan Corcoran’s pass but connected poorly and dragged the ball for what already was Ballinrobe’s fifth of 21 wides.

They did hit the net however, in the 18th minute, when Joe Burke was in the right place to boot home after Kevin Quinn’s attempt for a point had struck a post, but instead of kicking on between there and the interval, it was the Deel Rovers who scored four of the next five points to lead 0-6 to 1-2.

Niall Coggins used his electric pace to fist over and while that point was replied to by Kevin Quinn’s 40-metre curler, Leddy’s second of the half, Fionan Duffy’s first from play, and one by Diarmuid Coggins put Crossmolina firmly in the driving seat, with wind advantage to come.

But how Cross’ had ended the first-half, Ballinrobe began the second, scoring four of the next five points. They might even have had a goal, as wing-forward Liam Burke brought the best out of keeper JP Mulhern inside 45 seconds of the restart, but after James Maheady first nudged the North Mayo side’s lead out to two points, Ballinrobe roared back with two points apiece by Ewan Duffy, both frees, and Joe Burke, one after Peter Butler’s fine run from defence, the other when fetching Kevin Quinn’s long ball in.

That left them 1-6 to 0-7 in front but the Duffy brothers were both short with efforts to extend Ballinrobe’s lead which in turn restored some life into Crossmolina. Diarmuid Walsh ended a 15-minute scoreless spell, trading a free with Ewan Duffy, before JP Mulhern kicked a ’45 and Daragh Syron steamed onto Niall Coggins’ pass and belted over, to level the game in the 55th minute.

A pointed mark by Kevin Quinn edged ‘Robe in front again but in the first minute of stoppage time, Walsh replied with another free, with his teammates Maheady, Duffy and Mulhern, from a last gasp ’45, missing subsequent chances to settle the contest once and for all.

A foul on Conor Loftus presented a free for Fionan Duffy to open the extra-time scoring while an intercept by Leddy allowed Maheady to double Crossmolina’s lead. The scorer stretched that further when marking a delivery by Jordan Flynn and by half-time, Brian Benson’s team were 0-14 to 1-8 ahead.

Another wide, this one from a 13-metre free by Ewan Duffy, had seemed to sum up Ballinrobe’s day, and playing against the wind from hereon you feared their race was run. Yet they applied themselves to the next 10 minutes with gusto and aided by the dismissal of Gordetsky, reeled in their opponents courtesy of two excellent points by Joe Burke and another Ewan Duffy free.

But no sooner had Ballinrobe levelled when they were trailing again, as Niall Coggins raided up the right wing to supply Maheady whose third point in-a-row for Crossmolina would prove the match-winner, as Eoin Gilrane and Evan O’Brien failed with efforts to bring the game to penalties.

Scorers – Crossmolina: James Maheady 0-4 (1m), Fionan Duffy 0-3 (2f), Patrick Leddy and Diarmaid Walsh (2f) 0-2 each, Niall Coggins, Diarmuid Coggins and Daragh Syron 0-1 each.

Ballinrobe: Joe Burke 1-4, Ewan Duffy 0-5f, Kevin Quinn 0-2 (1m).

Crossmolina: JP Mulhern; Fearghal Duffy, Kevin Mulhern, Matthew Gordetsky; Aaron Coggins, Conor Loftus, Lorcan Loftus; Daragh Syron, Jordan Flynn; Diarmuid Coggins, Fionan Duffy, Niall Coggins; Diarmaid Walsh, Patrick Leddy, James Maheady. Subs: Stephen Duffy (for Fearghal Duffy 44), Cathal Carolan (for L Loftus 50), Mikie Loftus (for Walsh 73).

Ballinrobe: Luke Jennings; Oran O’Malley, Aaron McDonnell, Eugene O’Malley; Sean Flannery, Eoin Gilrane, Peter Butler; Evan O’Brien, Diarmuid Duffy; Ryan Corcoran, Ewan Duffy, Liam Burke; Cian O’Connell, Kevin Quinn, Joe Burke. Subs: Conor O’Brien and Gillan Jennings (for E O’Brien and O’Connell ft), Evan O’Brien and James Marrey (for Quinn and Butler ht et), Conor Jennings (for Corcoran 76).

REF: Paul Lydon (Kiltimagh)