Shamrocks unable to stop Achill’s three-in-a-row
Achill's man-of-the-match Eddie Doran has his way blocked by Kilmovee's Liam Moffatt and Sean Higgins. Picture courtesy of SJ Walsh/Mayo GAA
Treanlaur Catering Mayo JFC ‘B’ Final
Achill 3-11
Kilmovee Shamrocks 2-8
Stuart Tynan at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park
The bonfires burned brightly once again in Achill as the islanders claimed a third consecutive Mayo junior ‘B’ football title.
The final, not played in MacHale Park last year to some controversy, was fittingly restored to Mayo’s county ground and Achill produced a solid, if not spectacular, performance to see off a Kilmovee side who, appearing in their third ever county final, simply ran out of steam.
It had all started so well for the Shamrocks as captain Ciaran Sweeney, after converting a mark seconds after the throw-in, made a darting 50-metre run through the Achill defence before thundering a shot into the net past the helpless Sean McNamara on five minutes.
Jonathan Faidan and Brian Lavelle responded for the Green and White with quick scores before a peach of a free from by Sean Horan and another mark by Ciaran Sweeney restored Kilmovee’s four point lead by the end of the first quarter.
That Sweeney mark would be the East Mayo side’s last score until the 26th minute however, as Achill hit 1-4 without reply to go ahead. Finbar Gallagher, John Joyce, Brian Lavelle (an excellent point off the left boot) and Jonathan Fadian, his second, all raised white flags to draw the islanders level before Peter Gallagher’s long diagonal ball found Eddie Doran for Achill’s first goal of the evening.
A second Sean Horan free stopped the rot for Kilmovee although that was met by the quick response of Fadian's third point. But Kilmovee got a lifeline on the stroke of half-time when Eoghan Duffy’s free dropped short and Darren Dunleavy flicked it past the Achill goalkeeper for their second goal, making it all level at 2-4 to 1-7.
Kilmovee went in front early in the second-half through main man Sean Horan, with their point from open play, and he would draw them level again on 37 minutes with another free after Eddie Doran and Brian Lavelle had put Achill back ahead again by the bare minimum.
The game’s turning point arrived on 41 minutes when Peter Gallagher scored Achill’s second goal to put them into a lead they would not relinquish. Sean Horan brought the gap back to two with his fifth point but Achill put this game beyond doubt as Eddie Doran and substitute Michael Sweeney started the move and Fadian finished it for Achill’s third goal on 52 minutes.
Frees from Brian Lavelle and Michael Sweeney capped off another county triumph for Brian Gallagher and Colm Cafferkey’s side, with Coilin Duffy’s late score for Kilmovee scant consolation in the end.
Speaking after the game, Achill joint-manager Colm Cafferkey said: “We're fairly happy. I mean, the Junior ‘B’ isn't the one we want to be in and no junior team sets out to end up in it, but that's where you end up and you’ve got to go and try and win it then. And look, junior football is really competitive at the moment. You see Kilmovee there, they're a damn good side. We met Shrule/Glencorrib in the semi-final and they were in the ‘A’ final last year. So there's good teams ending up in this competition, and it's just a testament to where junior football is at the moment.
“Every time we'd get a couple of points ahead of them, they'd pull themselves back into it. They showed a lot of spirit, they showed a lot of guts, they were really up for it, and we knew from the first couple of balls that they were going to be really competitive the whole way down the stretch,” continued Cafferkey.
“I suppose we got a bit of luck to get goals in the second-half to just get that comfort zone ahead of them.
“It was a perfect evening for football. Just a perfect bit of grease on the surface so it was set up for a great game.
“We all want to play in MacHale Park, every footballer wants to play their final in MacHale Park and that's a good decision to put it back on here. It adds to the occasion.” Scorers – Achill: Jonathan Faidan 1-3, Eddie Doran 1-1, Brian Lavelle 0-4 (1f), Peter Gallagher 1-0, John Joyce, Finbar Gallagher and Michael Sweeney (f) 0-1 each.
Kilmovee Shamrocks: Ciaran Sweeney 1-2 (0-2m), Sean Horan 0-5 (3f), Darren Dunleavy 1-0, Coilin Duffy 0-1.
Achill: Sean McNamara; Chris Dever, Eugene Doran, Cian McCarthy; Eddie Doran, Finbar Gallagher, Ethan McDonald; Jamie McCarthy; Conor English, Tiorlach Dever; Jamie McGinty, Peter Gallagher, Jonathan Fadian; John Joyce, Brian Lavelle, Tiernan Cooney. Subs: Michael Sweeney (for Joyce 49), Diarmuid Cooney (for McCarthy 53), Martin McNamara (for T Cooney 58), Calum Doolan Lynch (for F Gallagher 60), Michael English (for E Doran 60+1).
Kilmovee Shamrocks: Killian Golden; Liam Moffatt, Sean Higgins, Jonathan Regan; Ronan Dunleavy, Tom Horan, Tomas Rushe; Ciaran Sweeney, Eoghan Duffy; Darren Dunleavy, Cathal Horan, Liam Frain; Gary Horan, Sean Horan, Sean O’Dowd. Subs: Darragh Towey (for S Higgins ht), Coilin Duffy (for Regan 43), Niall Horkan and Gavin Duffy (for Dunleavy and G Horan 58), Conor Kelly (for O’Dowd 60+2).
REF: James Regan (Hollymount-Carramore)
