S&F find that bit extra to win league title
Straide & Foxford United, 2026 Mayo U18 Division 2 league champions. Picture: Mayo Football League
Straide & Foxford United emerged victorious in a thrilling Helen Johnson Division 2 League Final against a strong Fahy Rovers side. The game, which was played in a dry but blustery Umbro Park, Milebush, finished level after ninety minutes. However, S&F scored three goals in extra-time to finish off an entertaining contest.
After a slow start, the game jolted into life after 25 minutes thanks to a lovely piece of play from Fahy Rovers. Jason Feehan received the ball in a central position, played a slick one-two with Mark McCallum, and curled an effort into the top right corner from distance. It was an incredible goal from Feehan, which snatched Fahy the lead.
This goal really brought the game to life. Foxford immediately went up the pitch in search of an equaliser, but Jamie Loughney’s chipped shot deflected over the bar. From the resulting corner, Brendan O’Boyle crossed the ball into the box. Sean Walsh laid it off to James Duffy, who, with the outside of his right boot tucked the ball into the bottom right corner on the half hour mark.
Fahy kept their heads up and continued to energetically press the S&F backline. Their hard yards began to result in chances - Fahy striker Ruairi Ginnelly missed a major opportunity directly in front of the S&F goal.
S&F surged up the other end of the pitch with a blazing run from midfielder Duffy. His delivery into the box culminated into a close range shot for Loughney, which was expertly blocked by the Fahy defence, and landed into the arms of goalkeeper Finn Mulchrone.
Mulchrone sent the ball soaring across the pitch, and into the path of Ginnelly. He linked up with McCallum in clinical fashion, and the former found the back of the net to restore Fahy’s lead five minutes before half-time.
S&F had a couple of chances to equalise before half-time, however, the east Mayo side went into the break trailing by one goal.
The first goal of the second half came 15 minutes in, and it went the way of S&F. Duffy’s free kick was palmed away by Finn Mulchrone, but the rebound fell to Matthew Ruane, who bundled the ball in to level the game again.
After conceding this goal, Fahy began to grow into the game once more. Substitute Dylan Sheridan added more energy to the Fahy attack. He had a shot go wide shortly after coming on. Moments later, Ginnelly had a great shot on goal, prompting an incredible save from S&F goalkeeper Rian Jordan.
With 20 minutes remaining, Fahy Rovers took the lead once again. Sheridan drove his side up the pitch on a counterattack and placed the ball perfectly in behind the S&F defence, and into the path of Ginnelly, who stayed composed and slotted the ball in to double his tally.
With a quarter of an hour remaining, Fahy sat back to protect their lead while S&F piled on the pressure. Fahy defended well, but the chasers got their opportunity with five minutes to go. Walsh went on a mazy run and ended up in the Fahy penalty area. He was pushed in the back, and a penalty was awarded. Duffy stepped up to take, and he confidently tucked it into the bottom left corner to score S&F’s third equaliser of the game.
This goal from Duffy ultimately sent the game to extra time. In this 20-minute period, S&F scored three unanswered goals to seal the game. The first of these was another penalty kick after Loughney was fouled in the box. Duffy placed his penalty in the exact same spot, and with the exact same sense of aplomb, to secure his hat-trick.
S&F’s fifth goal came from left winger Donnacha Timlin. After receiving the ball on the wing, Timlin launched an incredible strike beyond the reach of the Fahy goalkeeper, and into the back of the net. The cherry on top came in the final minutes of the second period of extra-time, when Loughney converted from close range to top off an excellent Straide & Foxford performance.
Straide & Foxford United: Rian Jordan, Killian Mulderrig, Conal Reilly, Matthew Ruane, Leo Lavarde, Brendan O’Boyle, Senan Tolan, James Duffy, Jamie Loughney, Sean Walsh, Donnacha Timlin. Subs used: Frank Berkowska, Luke McTigue, Dylan McHale.
Fahy Rovers: Finn Mulchrone, Donnacha McGauley, Liam Quinn, Alex Heanue, Ben Ryan, Robbie Murphy, Darragh Mulchrone, Cian Moran, Ruairi Ginnelly, Mark McCallum, Jason Feehan. Subs used: Joey McNally, Dylan Sheridan.
REF: Alex Poplonski.
