'Tubber strike late for Connacht glory
Ballintubber's Sean Prendergast wins posession ahead of Michéal Breathnach's Erioc Norman. Picture: Conor McKeown
It’s been an Autumn packed with underage silverware around Ballintubber, and it’s not hard to decipher the trend underneath it all.
U-21 ‘C’ and U-18 ‘B’ honours have already been secured by the club, but on Friday night they secured arguably the biggest prize of them all when they powered across the finish line to edge out an impressive Mícheál Breathnach side in a game that Ballintubber manager Michael Hoban described as “as good a game of football as I've stood on the sideline to watch, or been involved in.”
When reporting on underage games, it’s human nature to fall into the habit of dishing out healthy servings of praise to both sides – the main downside being that when it comes to a game like this, it’s not always easy to find the words to communicate to readers that this was a really top drawer contest, where the skill and athletic ability of both sides was beyond doubt, and it was only the sheer resilience and indefatigability of the Ballintubber players that pulled them across the finish line.
Conor Hoban’s mercurial ability on the ball, Adam Burton’s ability to source primary possession, the relentless energy and tenacity of Mattias Dolan, Rory McGreal and Noah Donnelly in the middle third, the focus and discipline of Ciarán Earley on the edge of the square, the classy finishing of Cillian Reilly; there were plenty of outstanding footballing performances and attributes that could be highlighted on the Ballintubber side, and yet it was their collective sense of purpose and identity that made all the difference.
“We have a ‘never give up’ attitude that everybody buys into and we would feel, as management, that we are never dead,” Hoban said.
“We have special players all over the pitch and they would fight for each other until the last second, regardless of where the result is going, they just do not stop.” They didn’t stop, and they couldn’t stop, because Mícheál Breathnach would have surged away into the distance if they did.
Instead the two sides were impossible to separate for most of the first half, with a Conor Hoban free – one of three awarded for breach offences by the Connemara club – making it 0-6 to 0-5 in Ballintubber’s favour after 26 minutes.
The Mayo side had the better of the battle for possession with Hoban and Burton both in fine form, while the Mícheál Breathnach midfield duo of Eoin Ó Gionnáin and Oliver Ó Suilleabháin were excellent footballers on the ball, but they lacked the same physical presence.
When in possession however, the Galway club had the potential to produce some wonderful moves and they did that before half-time to take a 1-8 to 0-7 interval lead, largely on the back of Oisín Ó Neachtain’s two-pointer and a ruthlessly efficient route-one goal that featured Cian De Búrca winning possession at midfield, Fionnán Ó Neachtain fielding the long ball and laying off to Learaí Ó Gradaigh, whose finish was inch perfect.
That lead was stretched to five after half-time but Ballintubber produced a superb spell of football in response, kicking off their surge with a fly-hacked goal from Cillian Donnelly, scored after Reilly’s initial effort was blocked.
Conor Hoban chipped in with some good points, Burton and Finnian Brady, grew even more into the game, and it was Rory McGreal who kicked Ballintubber into a one-point lead ten minutes into the half.
Again there was a strong reply from Mícheál Breathnach, with 1-3 scored without reply. Jamie Ó Diollúin set up Stiofán Ó Neachtain for a second goal for the Galway champions to put five points between the teams, testing Michael Hoban’s assertion that his team is never dead.
These young players were tested, but they passed with flying colours.
Conor Hoban broke the back of the deficit with a point after a tap-and-go free and then a dead ball strike from outside the arc, though the Mayo minor midfielder from this Summer was now operating as a full-forward, having earlier been heavily involved around the midfield battle.
That opened the door for Cillian Reilly to step into the breach with arguably the play of the game, a sensational strike from 45 metres out to level the game going into stoppage time.
Now with a world of momentum at their backs, Ballintubber hit the front for the first time in the second half through a classy Finnian Brady point on the run, scored in the first of four minutes of added time.
That left Mícheál Breathnach chasing the game and when they pushed up on a sideline kick to try and force a turnover, a long ball into McGreal allowed the half-forward to float a kick across the goalmouth, setting up Christopher Feeney to palm in a goal that crowned a remarkable evening for this up-and-coming Ballintubber group.
Scorers – Ballintubber: Conor Hoban 0-1-9 (1tpf, 5f), Cillian Reilly 0-1-2, Cillian Donnelly and Christopher Feeney 1-0-0 each, Finnian Brady, Rory McGreal and Noah Donnelly 0-0-1 each.
Mícheál Breathnach: Oisín Ó Neachtain 0-1-5 (3f), Stiofán Ó Neachtain 1-0-1, Learaí Ó Gradaigh 1-0-0, Eoin Ó Gionnáin 0-0-3, Jamie Ó Diollúin (f), Fionnán Ó Neachtain and Martán Ó Cualáin 0-0-1 each.
Ballintubber: Noah Murphy; Ross Malone, Ciarán Earley, Jack Loftus; Matthias Dolan, Finnian Brady, Cillian Donnelly; Conor Hoban, Adam Burton; Cillian Reilly, Rory McGreal, Noah Donnelly; Niall Spellman, Richie Finnerty, Seán Prendergast. Subs: Christopher Feeney (for Spellman 44), Teegan Heneghan (for Spellman 58).
Mícheál Breathnach: Rónán Beaglach; Eric Norman, Oisín Mahon, Cormac Ó Braonain; Rónán Ó Neachtain, Cian De Búrca, Learaí Ó Gradaigh; Eoin Ó Gionnáin, Oliver Ó Súilleabháin; Jamie Ó Diollúin, Oisín Ó Neachtain, Morgan Mac Aodha; Stiofán Ó Neachtain, Fionnán Ó Neachtain, Conor Ó Tuathaill. Subs: Kian Ó Súilleabháin (for Beaglach 41), Martán Ó Cualáin (for Mac Aodha 44).
REF: Dermot Lyons (Roscommon)
