Victory in vain as Davitts exit race for Sweeney honours
Josh Carey, who scored eleven points for Kiltane, looks for a way past Cathal Corless of Davitts during the Group 3 intermediate championship match in Breaffy. Picture: Conor McKeown
It was a case of ghosts from earlier rounds coming back to haunt Davitts despite earning a hard-fought win over Kiltane in Breaffy on Sunday afternoon.
Their loss to Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin in round two proved to be the fatal blow to their championship ambitions as they exited the competition on the head-to-head rule following the West Mayo side’s dramatic draw against Islandeady in Clogher.
This was the quintessential game of two halves, with Davitts dominating the first to lead by eight points at the break (0-14 to 0-6) and looking like they would cruise to victory – but Kiltane had very different ideas.
Whatever was said in the North Mayo outfit’s dressing-room at half time, they reemerged a completely different side. They reeled off five points on the bounce in the first seven minutes following resumption of hostilities.
Liam Donoghue landed two in-a-row, then Josh Carey, who was outstanding throughout, kicked three on the spin and suddenly there were just three points between the teams and Kiltane’s tails were up.
Davitts had a great chance to quell the comeback when on 38 minutes they were awarded a penalty after Ciaran Treacy was fouled almost on the line. Up stepped Jack Melvin who saw his effort brilliantly pushed to safety by Darragh Carey.
Dylan Gallagher did manage to score a free that was awarded in the resulting scramble to get his side’s first score of the half, but with the very next score Josh Carey kept his side in touch with another point.
Kiltane were reduced to fourteen men for ten minutes when Nathan Ginnelly was shown a black card and when Melvin slotted over the resulting free, it looked like that could have been the moment Kiltane wilted. Instead, they steamrolled back into contention, with Mikie Sweeney hammering over a two pointer and Carey kicking another point from a free, leaving it all square with ten minutes to go.
Davitts knew they needed to win to have any chance of staying in the competition and buoyed on by the rampaging Fenton Kelly, they upped the gears and reeled off four points on the spin, all of them placed balls by Dylan Gallagher.
There were just three minutes of normal time left on the clock, and it looked like a matter of just seeing it out for Davitts and hoping results elsewhere went their way. Despite secure in the knowledge they were not just already in the last eight but with home advantage to come as well, Kiltane didn’t want to give up their 100 percent record in the competition and came flying back at the South Mayo men.
Martin Gallagher tried for a point that dropped dangerously short and while Dylan O’Brien came to claim it in the Davitts goal, getting there just before him was Mikie Sweeney whose fingertips flicked the ball into the net. Game on once more.
Kiltane kept prodding and poking and looking to work the equaliser, trying to get the ball into the hands of the deadly Carey, which they did, and he punched over the bar to level it up once more.
It was now or never for Davitts. They needed to dig out the win and they did just that with one last rally. Fenton Kelly drove hard at the Kiltane defence and despite holding up his run, the ball was worked to Shane Treacy who hit the winner. There was still time for another Kiltane leveller but efforts from Darragh Carey and Liam Donoghue drifted wide.
Davitts held on yet still left Breaffy empty handed, as Parke-Keelogues-Crimlin did just enough to earn the draw in the group’s other game, which sent them through to the last eight instead and left Davitts watching the rest of the season from the sidelines.
Scorers – Davitts: Dylan Gallagher 0-2-7 (6f), Jack Melvin 0-2-2 (1tpf, 1f, 1 ’45), Tommy Waldron 0-2-2, Shane Treacy, Ciaran Treacy, Fenton Kelly and Darragh McGale 0-0-1 each.
Kiltane: Josh Carey 0-0-11 (8f), Mikie Sweeney 1-2-0, Ultan Corrigan (1f) and Liam Donoghue 0-0-2 each.
Davitts: Dylan O’Brien; Jordan Flanagan, Kieran Fahy, Patrick Keadin; Tommy Waldron, Colm Boyle, Tomas Ronayne; Fenton Kelly, Jack Melvin; Tom Corless, Shane Treacy, Cathal Corless; Dylan Gallagher, Darragh McGale, Ciaran Treacy. Subs used: Liam Kearns, Sean Clarke, Dylan Burke.
Kiltane: Darragh Carey; Owen Doherty, Nathan Ginnelly, James Conroy; Martin Gallagher, Cathal Carey, Sean Gaughan; Jonathan Duffy, Liam Donoghue; Nickey Carolan, Tommy Conroy, Ultan Corrigan; Charlie Ginnelly, Josh Carey, Ben Donoghue. Subs used: Mikie Sweeney, Adam Carabine, Michael Needham.
REF: Shane Corcoran (Islandeady)
