Understrength Belmullet are brushed aside by Mitchels
Bob Touhy gets forward for Castlebar Mitchels against Belmullet during Saturday's league match at Josie Munnelly Park. Pictures: Conor McKeown
Practically nothing could be read into the result of this game played at a wind-swept Castlebar on Saturday evening. Everything came far too easy for a Castlebar Mitchels side that was confronted not by the Belmullet team that had won its opening two Division 1 games of the season.
Belmullet manager Kieran Lavelle was without a large number of first-team regulars for a variety of reasons and it showed on the scoreboard, with Mitchels roaring into an already insurmountable 3-5 to 0-2 lead by the end of the opening quarter. It was impossible to see a way back for Belmullet who had travelled with only four substitutes, leaving them with few options throughout the game.
“We put up a very good score here this evening but we must remember that Belmullet came here this evening low in numbers,” a philosophical winning manager Kevin Filan told the afterwards. “That was the reality, they didn’t have a full team, whereas we had a few of our county lads with us.”
Mayo players Ryan O’Donoghue and Seamus Howard were among the half a team at least that Belmullet were shorn.
“I suppose it was a bit disappointing what developed here this evening in that regard,” said Filan. “There wasn’t much of a match in it apart from the first ten to fifteen minutes. That’s just the way it was. We have to move on.”
The game was played in bitterly cold conditions with a strong wind making it difficult for the players on both sides to produce their best. Despite this, Castlebar Mitchels, with Bob Tuohy starting at midfield, delivered a fine display.
The hosts had opened up a commanding thirteen points lead by the interval, with so much of the damage done in that opening quarter. They led right from the off once Neil Douglas belted home the first of his three goals on the evening. Belmullet were also dealt an early blow when Shane Nallen, playing outfield instead of between the posts, pulled up with a hamstring issue and had to leave the field of play, making an already difficult challenge even more testing.
The Mitchels forwards were having stormers, none more so than Eoghan Hughes, wearing 14, who began hitting over points for fun. Two goals in sixty seconds then arrived from Hughes and Calum Filan, while Conor Stenson, Ethan Gibbons, Hughes, with his third from play, and Stenson again all raised white flags. By the interval, the home side had 4-8 on the scoreboard with their fourth goal coming from Calum Filan, in the right place at the right time to finish home after the initial shot had been blocked.
To the relief of the fine contingent of travelling supporters, they did have a few brief moments in the opening half to cheer on their side as they hit three two-pointers, all from play, to give the scoreboard a better look. James Ivers, Eamon McAndrew and Jack Lynch all raised orange flags at various stages to leave the half-time scoreboard looking a little better, 4-8 to 0-7. But any hope of a comeback ended early after the resumption when Neil Douglas hit home his third goal two minutes in.
Points by Calum Filan again, Douglas and James Durcan, with his first since being introduced off the bench, stretched the margin between the teams even further.
A brief moment of joy came for the visitors when midfielder James O’Donnell struck home a goal for Belmullet eleven minutes after the restart, but that was as good as it got. Further points by Eoghan Hughes and a two-pointer by Bob Tuohy came before substitute Joe Forry hit home a further 1-1 late in the game to cap off a memorable evening for the home side and not one that will be talked about for long in the Erris region.
Scorers – Castlebar Mitchels: Neil Douglas 3-0-1, Calum Filan 1-0-2 (1f), Eoghan Hughes 0-0-4, Joe Forry 1-0-1 (1f), Conchobar Mulroy 1-0-0, Bob Tuohy 0-1-1, Conor Stenson 0-0-2, Ethan Gibbons and James Durcan 0-0-1 each.
Belmullet: Jack Lynch 0-1-2 (2f), James O’Donnell 1-0-0, Eamon McAndrew 0-1-1, James Ivers 0-1-0.
Castlebar Mitchels: Rory Byrne; Brian McDonnell; Johnny Maughan, James Cunningham; Shane Cunningham, Seán Morahan, Fintan Borotto; Bob Tuohy, Conor Stenson; Anthony O’Boyle, Ethan Gibbons, Conchobar Mulroy; Neil Douglas, Eoghan Hughes, Calum Filan. Subs: James Durcan (for Stenson 38), Ultan O’Reilly (for Borotto 38), Brendan Gaughan (for Gibbons 38), Philip Ruddy (for Filan 46), Joe Forry (for Douglas 46), Aiden Walsh (for Byrne 48, blood).
Belmullet: Leo Reuland; Hugh Ruane, Daniel Barrett, Riain Concannon; James Ivers, Oisin O’Donnell, James Lavelle; James O’Donnell, Darren McDonnell; Shane Nallen, Colin Barrett, James Reilly; Padraic Cowman, Eamon McAndrew, Jack Lynch. Subs: James Kelly (for Reilly 43), Tadhg Quinn (for Cowman 43).
REF: James Regan (Hollymount-Carramore)
