Sport

Ballyboden defeat Mitchel's to capture Andy Merrigan Cup

Ballyboden captain Darragh Nelson lifts the Andy Merrigan Cup after Thursday's victory over Castlebar Mitchel's in the All-Ireland club football final at Croke Park <br />Picture by Seamus Loughran
Ballyboden captain Darragh Nelson lifts the Andy Merrigan Cup after Thursday's victory over Castlebar Mitchel's in the All-Ireland club football final at Croke Park
Picture by Seamus Loughran
Ballyboden captain Darragh Nelson lifts the Andy Merrigan Cup after Thursday's victory over Castlebar Mitchel's in the All-Ireland club football final at Croke Park
Picture by Seamus Loughran

AIB All-Ireland Club Senior Football Championship final: 


Ballyboden St Enda’s (Dublin) 2-14 Castlebar Mitchel’s (Mayo) 0-7

FEARLESS Ballyboden St Enda’s started as underdogs but finished as top dogs thanks to a stunning performance packed with pace, power and scoring panache on Thursday.

The Dubliners went into the final determined to seize the day and leave everything on Croke Park’s lush green grass and that’s exactly what they did against a Castlebar side that failed to show up. From the start, the Connacht champions looked nervous, passing instead of shooting and taking extra touches instead of passing. In the first half they had 14 scoring efforts and converted just three, in the second they had 11 and posted four points.

In marked contrast, Ballyboden were clinical and full of running. Their gameplan came off to a tee and they settled instantly – Colm Basquel had the ball in the Mayo net inside two minutes and the game looked done and dusted by the end of the first quarter after Andrew Kerin stroked home a penalty. 

Corner-back Bob Dwan scored three points from play and afterwards reflected on a superb display from his club: “It doesn’t come overnight,” he said.

“We’ve put in serious hard work under Andy [manager Andrew McEntee] over the past three years and it paid off today. We had the mentality that we weren’t going to be beaten and it feels amazing.”

While Ballyboden fully deserved their win, Castlebar were a pale imitation of the side that beat Corofin and Crossmaglen. The Basquel brothers combined for the opening goal in the second minute. Ryan passed to Colm who lashed the ball past goalkeeper Rory Byrne with an emphatic finish. Then, Dwan took Darren O’Reilly’s pass and fired over the bar with calm assurance. 

At the other end, the score that Castlebar needed to settle them just wouldn’t come and with sweeper Aran Waters marshalling the defence, Ballyboden were well on top. Michael Darragh Macauley burst through with a typical swashbuckling run and fisted the ball over the bar to extend their lead, Ryan Basquel added another point and the Dublin and Leinster champions used the space of Croke Park, moving the ball accurately and pulling the Castlebar defenders out of position.

O’Reilly slipped in Waters who bore down on the Castlebar goal and Tom Cunniffe crudely took him down as he shaped to shoot. Cunniffe somehow escaped a black card for the foul but Kerin expertly tucked the penalty past Byrne and Castlebar were in serious trouble after 14 minutes with the score 2-3 to 0-0. 

Eoghan O’Reilly and Stephen Keane both shot wide before Neil Lydon at last got a shot on target. He smashed a drive goalward but Paul Durcan illustrated why the Dublin club rates him so highly as he dived full length to his right and finger-tipped the ball onto the post and out for a 45.

Neil Douglas converted it to finally get his side off the mark after 18 minutes, but Castlebar couldn’t build on the score. Their shooting was poor and Ballyboden’s defending was excellent – there were four blocks in the first-half.

At the other end, Dwan and Stephen O’Connor chipped over points for Ballyboden and, though Douglas managed his side’s first from play and Neil Lydon added another, Castlebar trailed 2-5 to 0-3 at the interval and had a mountain to climb in the second-half.

To have any chance they needed to start like their opponents had in the first half, but they couldn’t. Once again no-one seemed prepared to take responsibility for shooting and defenders in blue and white were able to get a hand in to steal the ball away at vital moments.

Darragh Macauley hobbled off with an injury five minutes into the half, but his absence had no affect on the game. Dwan and Shane Durkin scored again ad Castlebar’s yips continued as James Durkan and Douglas shot wide. Douglas was withdrawn shortly afterwards and by then victory chants of ‘Boden, Boden, Boden’ were ringing around Croke Park    

Stephen O’Connor left Ray O’Malley in his wake as he zipped down the right and fired in a diagonal ball that Conal Keaney scooped over the bar and Hawkeye confirmed that Ryan Basquel had added another seconds later to make it 2-9 to 0-3.

Fifteen second-half minutes had gone by before Aidan Walsh converted a free. It was Castlebar’s first of the half and he added another and Paddy and James Durkan also got on the scoresheet as the westerners rallied briefly. But Ballyboden went up another gear. Darren O’Reilly, Kerin (two), Durkin and Colm Basquel all landed points to wrap up a comprehensive victory. 

The Andy Merrigan Cup went home with them to Knocklyon on Thursday night - if you want it, you have to grab it and that’s exactly what Ballyboden did. 

MATCH STATS


Ballyboden St Enda’s: P Durcan; B Dwan (0-3), S Hiney, S Clayton; R McDaid, D Nelson, S Durkin (0-2); M Darragh Macauley (0-1), A Water; D O’Reilly (0-1), C Basquel (1-1), S O’Connor (0-1); R Basquel (0-2), C Keaney (0-1), A Kerin (1-2, 1-0 penalty); Subs: S Lambert for Darragh-Macauley (34), D Davey for O’Reilly (59), S Molony for R Basquel (59), D McCabe for Waters (60), S Gibbons for McDaid (60); Blood sub: C Flaherty for Nelson (25 to h-t) 


Castlebar Mitchel’s: R Byrne; T Cunniffe, A Feeney, D Newcombe; P Durkan (0-1), E O’Reilly, R O’Malley; G McDonagh, B Moran; S Hopkins, N Lydon (0-1), N Douglas (0-2, 0-1 ‘45’); S Keane, R Feeney, D Kirby; Subs: F Durkan for Hopkins (24), C Costello for Keane (36), J Durkan (0-1) for R Feeney (14), A Walsh (0-2 frees) for Douglas (40), S Conlon for O’Malley (45), R Burke for Newcombe (50); Yellow cards: Cunniffe (20), O’Malley (34)


Referee: C Lane (Cork)