Seventh heaven as Mitchels make it two from two
Ethan Gibbons kicked 1-7 for Castlebar Mitchels on Saturday.
Castlebar Mitchels are a team to watch this summer if Saturday’s goal-fest against Charlestown is anything to go by. They played direct football and kicked long at every opportunity but also had players running off the shoulder at each moment.
Ethan Gibbons kicked an impressive 1-7, with two points inside the first three minutes – and Mitchels did not look back.
The home side's defence was set up to perfection and was the catalyst for some excellent plays by Mitchels, including the first goal which came in only the third minute. A turnover by the Castlebar defence led to a quick counterattack in which James Durcan and Anthony O’Boyle combined brilliantly. O’Boyle rattled the back of the net, scoring his first of two goals on the evening.
Charlestown did not get on the scoreboard until the seventh minute when after some patient play, Matthew Lenehan kicked over the blackspot. Cornr-forward Lenehan worked tirelessly throughout the 60 minutes, despite his team struggling to get the ball to him.
Castlebar, who were Round One winners against Parke, scored three more points through Neil Douglas, James Durcan and Ethan Gibbons to extend their lead to seven points, however, they were still only getting started.
Paddy Goldrick kicked a superb point for Charlestown right before disaster struck. With 17 minutes on the clock, Mitchels’ Ciaran Mylett was through on goal, however, his shot was blocked on the line and declared by referee Christopher Burke as a foot block, signaling a penalty. Gibbons slotted the ball into the bottom right corner, extending his team's lead. The hosts tagged on two more points, now possessing an impressive eleven-points lead, leaving the supporters who had travelled from East Mayo feeling discouraged.
They were given something to cheer about when scoring two consecutive points towards the end of the first period but this joy did not last long, as with 30 minutes on the clock Ultan O’Reilly scored a superb three-pointer after an excellent run by centre-back James Cunningham.
The teams went in at the interval with the home side leading 3-8 to 0-5.
The second period followed the same trend as the first. With only one minute played, Neil Douglas got his name on the scoresheet with a goal. After an excellent run down the wing, the lively Jack O’Reilly gave an inch perfect pass to Douglas who made no mistake in palming into the back of the Charlestown net.
The visitors tried to reduce the deficit. With 38 minutes played, Jack Mahon scored an excellent goal, however, Castlebar cancelled it out one minute later when Steve Keane scored one of his own.
Both teams began to run their benches and the game began to slow, that was until Kiefer Craig got on the end of an excellent Matthew Lenehan pass in the 46th minute and managed to slip the ball past Rory Byrne.
The teams exchanged points before Castlebar scored two goals in one minute, through Keane and O’Boyle to seal a well-earned victory for Castlebar Mitchels who look to have an exciting summer ahead of them.
Scorers – Castlebar Mitchels: Ethan Gibbons 1-7 (1-0 pen, 2f), Anthony O’Boyle 2-1, Steve Keane 2-0, Neil Douglas 1-1, Ultan O’Reilly 1-0, Conor Stenson 0-2, James Durcan 0-1 Charlestown Sarsfields; Jack Mahon 1-5 (0-4f), Kiefer Craig 1-0, Matthew Lenehan 0-2, Paddy Goldrick 0-1.
Castlebar Mitchels: Rory Byrne; Mark Dolan, Joe Tuohy, Rory Burke; Donal Newcombe, James Cunningham, Jack O’Reilly; Conor Stenson, Anthony O’Boyle; Neil Douglas, James Durcan, Ultan O’Reilly; Steve Keane, Ciaran Mylett, Ethan Gibbons. Subs: Ben McHale (for Durcan 40), Emmet Murphy (for Mylett 40), Kylum Chambers (for Burke 43), Michael Fahy (for U O’Reilly 45), Mark Moore (for Byrne 56).
Charlestown Sarsfields; Patrick Walsh; Ben Conway, Gerry McLoughlin, Fergal Quinn; Alan Woods, Niall Drudy, Jack Corley; Gareth O’Donnell, Paddy Goldrick; Michael Marren, Ruairi Cullen, Jack Mahon; Kiefer Craig, Patrick Lenehan, Matthew Lenehan. Subs: Owen Flannery (for Corley, 43), Niall Fleming (for M Lenehan 50), Niall Towey (for Marren 50).
REF: Christopher Burke (Hollymount-Carramore)
