September 3rd 2018 West Mayo U16B Semi-final
Ballintubber 2-11 Kilmeena 1-15
Our 16s saw their interest in the West Mayo championship ended by Kilmeena this evening in a contest which came to a thrilling conclusion but from which the better came out victorious. Best for Ballintubber was free-scoring wing-forward Bobbie Reilly while Diarmuid Heneghan gave a gutsy display at centre-back and also got a goal before going off injured.
It was Kilmeena who hit the ground running and played the better football in the first half. The West Mayo men were composed and confident in possession and found the net in the tenth minute to cancel out earlier points from Damien Jennings and Bobby Reilly. Centre-forward Stephen Burke then pointed a fine score before Kilmeena rattled off three unanswered points.
Our lads found the net before half time when corner-forward Robbie Finnerty gathered a breaking ball in the square before rifling home a low shot to bring us back within two points of the visitors.
We missed a chance to take the lead early in the second half when Bobby Reilly hit the bottom of the upright with a penalty kick that Damien Jennings had won. In a show of character, Reilly pointed two unanswered scores to bring us back within a point. At the other end, Kilmeena had a goal cancelled out for a square ball while their No.15 came very close to hitting the net minutes later. Man-of-the-match Ronan O’Donnell pointed three unanswered scores before the heroic Diarmuid Heneghan shook the Kilmeena net in the fiftieth minute after gathering a long ball from Robbie Finnerty.
The final ten minutes tested the nerves of the both sets of supporters, as blood pressures spiked and roars of encouragement grew louder. Bobbie Reilly’s equalizer set up a grandstand finish as both teams put the foot to the floor in pursuit of victory. Ballintubber ‘stopper Matthew Coyne was forced into the most dramatic pair of double saves during a frantic period of play which lasted about twenty second but felt like five minutes.
Both teams pointed a free each, but with injury time looming Kilmeena were awarded a free on the left-hand side which Ronan O’Donnell sent straight between the posts. With nearly forty minutes played due to two lengthy injury stoppages time ran simply ran out for our lads, but Kilmeena were arguably that bit better over the course of the match.
Ballintubber team: (1)Matthew Coyne (2)Cillian Joyce (3)Darragh Joyce (4)Ciaran Heneghan (5)Jamsie Lally (6)Diarmuid Heneghan (1-0) (7)Darragh Fahey (8)Magnus Malone-Skolemestre (0-1) (9)James King (10)Josh Mahon (11)Stephen Burke (0-2) (12)Bobby Reilly (0-6, 2f) (13)Robbie Finnerty (1-0) (14)Kaobhlinn Flatley (0-1) (15)Damien Jennings (0-1)
Substitutions used: Colm Larkin for Diarmuid Heneghan
