Mayo SFC Final: Last-gasp Ballina break Westport hearts
Ballina Stephenites players celebrate with the Paddy Moclair Cup after their victory in the Mayo County Senior Club Football Championship final match replay between Ballina Stephenites and Westport at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar, Mayo. Photo by Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile
Mayo SFC Final
BALLINA 2-13 WESTPORT 1-15
By Colm Gannon in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park
Time looked against them, but you can never count out Ballina Stephenites who completed a three-in-a-row in Mayo in the most dramatic fashion.
Three minutes into injury time, they were trailing by two points and held on to the ball to try and shape a two-point effort, they finally managed to get the ball into the hands of their sharpshooter Evan Regan who held his nerve and he levelled the game up.
Extra time beckoned, but there was still time left for one last attack. Ballina won the ball back and worked it to the hands of Conor McStay, he spotted Regan breaking off the shoulder and fed him the ball, Regan collected and, on the run, swung over a winner that will live long in the memories on the banks of the Moy.
The game burst into life as early as the 16th second when Finbar McLaughlin palmed the ball to the back of the Ballina net after chasing to get to a looping pass from Eoghan McLaughlin and push it past David Clarke. Paddy O’Malley landed a long range free to put his side five clear with three minutes gone.
Regan landed a two pointer of his own and Mike Murray pointed in response for Ballina, before Joey Holmes got the first of his three first half points. Regan got his sides fourth of the day before Westport hit five points on the spin to go into a 1-8 to 0-4 lead on 25 minutes. Frank Irwin landed a fine score under pressure, before Padraig O’Hora collected a break in the middle of the park and stormed down the field and pointed. The last final say on the half was left to Rory Brickenden who hammered over a two pointer to send his side in leading 1-10 to 0-6 at the break.
Killian Kilkelly stretched that lead out even more kicking the first two points of the second half. A Regan free kept Ballina in touch but when Kilkelly and Finbar McLoughlin got the next two scores of the day to put Westport 1-14 to 0-7 into the lead with 48 minutes gone and there looked like there was only going to be one winner. Looks proved to be very deceiving.
By this stage both sides had lost totemic figures in their sides, with Padraig O’Hora who had gone off injured early the first day out being called ashore and Westport losing Eoghan McLaughlin who pulled up on the run.
From then on Ballina outscored Westport by 2-6 to 0-1 until the end, with the first goal coming from Regan who wasted no time in taking a quick close range free and hammering at goal, it clipped a Westport hand and ended up in the back of the net. Not long after Frank Irwin’s 45 dropped short and Dylan Thornton was the man to get his paw to the ball and force it home and it was game on with five minutes to go in normal time, with the score 2-7 to 1-14. Killian Kilkelly looked to have settled the Westport nerves with a close range pointed free, but Ballina could sense the momentum was shifting to them.
Frank Irwin pointed, then Conor McStay got in after a Sam Callinan effort for goal had been blocked out. Regan slotted a free a minute into injury time and there were still three left to go at least.
Ballina got the ball back and held on to it and were determined to get the chance they knew their sharpshooter could convert and the rest is history.
Scorers for Ballina: Evan Regan (1-8, 2tp, 3f), Dylan Thornton (1-0) Frank Irwin (0-2), Mike Murray (0-1), Conor McStay (0-1), Padraig O’Hora (0-1)
Scorers for Westport: Killian Kilkelly (0-6, 5f) Finbar McLaughlin (1-1), Joey Holmes (0-3), Paddy O’Malley (0-2, 1tpf), Rory Brickenden (0-2, 1tp), Mark Moran (0-1)
Ballina Stephenites: David Clarke; Liam Golden, Luke Jordan, Ciaran Boland; Sam Callinan, Padraig O’Hora, David Tighe; Mike Murray, Frank Irwin; Dylan Thornton, Conor McStay, Niall Feeney; Evan Regan, Jack Irwin, Luke Doherty. Subs: Ciaran Tracey for Niall Feeney, Sean Regan for Padraig O’Hora, Luke Feeney for Jack Irwin, Ben Thornton for Ciaran Boland
Westport: Paddy O’Malley; Ben Doyle, Niall McManamon, Brian McDermott; Conal Dawson, Eoghan McLaughlin, Finbar McLaughlin; Rory Brickenden, Ryan Askin; Luke Tunney, Joey Holmes, Brian O’Malley; Lorcan Silke, Killian Kilkelly, Mark Moran. Subs: Joe Grady for Ryan Askin, Tom Lambert for Eoghan McLaughlin, Kevin Keane for Luke Tunney, Colm Moran for Mark Moran
