Shootout between West rivals falls way of Coveys
Mark Moran (15) shoots one of his two goals in Friday night's Division 1 win at home to Ballintubber.
Westport bounced back from their defeat to Garrymore a fortnight earlier with a hard-fought victory over Ballintubber. The win keeps them in contention for a Division 1 league final place but despite clocking up an impressive tally, last year’s Mayo senior championship runners-up have plenty to work on.
The home side were missing county panellists Rory Brickenden and Conal Dawson but were boosted by the return of Lee Keegan from injury, with the former Footballer of the Year playing his first game since the drawn Mayo senior championship final last October.
Coupled with the impact of Eoghan McLaughlin off the bench and the performances of Brian McDermott and Mark Moran, Westport were a joy to watch going forward. But lapses in concentration at the back were not always punished by Ballintubber, while the visitors got the better of the kickouts for much of the game.
Although Cillian and Diarmuid O’Connor were unavailable to Ballintubber, their fellow Mayo panellist Michael Plunkett was, although an injured Jason Gibbons was another notable absentee. Plunkett moved to occupy that midfield position alongside Jack Diffily, and together with Bryan Walsh the visitors won much of the battle on the ground and in the air.
Ballintubber will feel they did not get the rub of the green from the match officials at times, but a failure to make the wind count in the first-half, as well a number of goal chances not being taken, proved costly.
The Coveys had the wind against them in the first-half but it did not stop them racing into a 1-3 to 0-0 lead inside six minutes. The goal was their first score of this contest as Mark Moran claimed a long-range pass ahead of Brian Murphy and he poked the ball past the goalkeeper.
Moran, Elcmar O’Toole and Killian Kilkelly, a free, kept the umpires busy but only one point by the home side over the next 17 minutes saw Ballintubber turn a six-point deficit into a five-point lead with 22 minutes played.
Stephen O’Malley, two points, including a free, and Bryan Walsh led the charge back before Josh Mahon picked out Noel Geraghty with a clever ball and the corner-forward made no mistake in finishing past Mayo under-20 goalkeeper Conor Meaney.
Monster two-pointers by Ciaran Gavin and Noel Geraghty saw the five-time Moclair Cup winners go in front by a point and it could have been more were it not for an excellent save by Meaney to deny Stephen O’Malley what looked a certain goal.
O’Malley would soon add his third point, followed by Josh Mahon’s first, to put them five clear, but Westport responded with a truly brilliant goal on 23 minutes. Lee Keegan’s stunning pass picked out O’Toole who laid the ball off to Finbar McLaughlin and he rifled his shot into the top of the net from 20 metres out.
At the other end, Ballintubber almost punished slack Westport play at the back when Michael Plunkett dispossessed Lorcan Silke inside the Westport ’45, but as he barrelled down on goal, he dragged his effort wide.
Ciaran Gavin kept Ballintubber noses in front with a two-point free after a Westport breach with two minutes of the first-half remaining, but Westport would lead at the break thanks to third goal on the stroke of half-time. Eoghan McLaughlin’s driving run through the Ballintubber backline created the opening and Elcmar O’Toole finished from close range to make it 3-6 to 1-11 in favour of the home side.
Ballintubber were back level with the opening score of the second-half through Noel Geraghty yet Westport struck the net for a fourth time as Mark Moran bagged a second goal.
The visitors hit back with 1-3 on the spin, the goal coming from Josh Mahon, and the points by Stephen O’Malley, including a free, and it appeared a much-needed win for Damien Coleman’s side was on the cards. However, Westport would strike nine of the next ten points, which included a pair of two-pointers by Finbar McLaughlin and one also from outside the arc by Kilkelly, to put them five clear with seven minutes remaining.
Ballintubber refused to go away and another Stephen O’Malley free, along with one point from play by Ciaran Gavin, made it a three-point game as stoppage-time approached. The goal chances Ballintubber had wasted had come back to haunt them though, and a sixth free by Kilkelly secured the win for Westport.
Westport host Breaffy next Saturday while Ballintubber welcome Belmullet to Ray Prendergast Park in what could be a pivotal match in the relegation battle.
Scorers – Westport: Mark Moran 2-0-3, Killian Kilkelly 0-1-4 (tpf, 4f), Elcmar O’Toole 1-0-1, Finbar McLaughlin 0-2-0, Joe Grady 1-0-0, Pat Lambert and Luke Tunney 0-0-1 each.
Ballintubber: Noel Geraghty 1-1-2 (0-1f), Stephen O’Malley 0-0-7 (3f), Ciaran Gavin 0-2-1 (1tpf), Josh Mahon 1-0-1, Bryan Walsh 0-0-1.
Westport: Conor Meaney; Ben Doyle, Tom Lambert, Brian McDermott; Lorcan Silke, Lee Keegan, Tim Campion; Joe Grady, Finbar McLaughlin; Pat Lambert, Killian Kilkelly, Luke Tunney; Colm Moran, Elcmar O’Toole, Mark Moran. Subs: Eoghan McLaughlin (for Campion 23), Danny Brennan (for Silke 40), Conor Calvey and Darragh Hoban (for O’Toole and Tunney 58).
Ballintubber: Brendan Walsh; Brian Murphy, John Kerrigan, Ethan Lyons; Joe Geraghty, Finian Bourke, Keelan McDonnell; Michael Plunkett, Jack Diffily; Josh Mahon, Bryan Walsh, David McHale; Ciaran Gavin, Stephen O’Malley, Noel Geraghty. Subs: Gavin Murphy and Jack Walsh (for J Geraghty and Kerrigan 46), Robbie Finnerty and Eoghan Breslin (for McDonnell and N Geraghty 54), Daniel Malone (for McHale 58).
REF: James Regan (Hollymount-Carramore)
