O'Connor shines as Ballintubber retain title

MAYO SFC FINAL Ballintubber 1-10 Castlebar Mitchels 1-9:A POINT three minutes from time from substitute Damien McGing sealed victory for champions Ballintubber, who retained their Mayo senior title at McHale Park yesterday, repeating last year's win over Castlebar Mitchels.

McGing may have kicked the winner, but it was young footballer of the year Cillian O’Connor who kicked a pair of terrific points to put Ballintubber two ahead with seven minutes remaining.

Castlebar, who had two great goal chances saved by the Ballintubber goalkeeper Brendan Walsh in the second half, came back with points from Danny Kirby and Kevin Filan to level the match but it was the greater guile and experience of the champions which saw them prevail by the narrowest of margins.

Anthony McGarry, who took over from James Horan at Ballintubber, said his side were lucky to be ahead by half-time having conceded a goal inside a minute of the start.

“It was the right time to concede a goal as we had time to come back and we dug in when we needed to,” he said.

That goal was sweetly truck by Danny Kirby as Castlebar, who dominated midfield through Barry Moran, shot four points clear after 15 minutes – 1-3 to 0-2 – but there was a stroke of good luck to the Ballintubber goal which arrived on 18 minutes.

Alan Dillon picked out Cillian O’Connor and his low, weakly- struck shot deflected off defender Alan Feeney before hitting the back of the net.

Ballintubber went on to notch 1-3 without reply, Cillian O’Connor, Alan Dillon and Jason Gibbons nailing terrific points to go two ahead, but Neil Lydon pulled back a vital point to leave Ballintubber 1-5 to 1-4 ahead at the break.

It was level four times in the second half but ultimately it was Ballintubber who dug it out when they had to.

BALLINTUBBER: B Walsh; G Loftus, C Hallinan, P Earley; T Earley, D Geraghty, G Dillon (0-1); M Hoban, J Gibbons (0-1); A Dillon (0-1), A Plunkett (0-2), R O'Connor; P O'Connor, K McGuinness, C O'Connor (1-4, (two frees). Subs: D McGing (0-1) for K McGuinness (40 mins), M Nestor for G Dillon (57 mins).

CASTLEBAR MITCHELS: C Naughton; D Newcombe, A Feeney, E O'Reilly; R Feeney, T Cunniffe, S Ryder (0-1); B Moran, S Fitzmaurice; S Hopkins, N Lydon (0-2), A Walsh; D Kirby (1-1), K Filan (0-5, four frees), N Douglas. Subs: A Roche for Hopkins (43 mins).

Referee: R Gurren(Aghamore).