Marathon men of Mountbellew still hanging in there

Mountbellew/Moylough 0-10Tuam Stars 2-4

Dara Bradley at Tuam Stadium

THERE’S just something about Mountbellew/Moylough, there’s no keeping them down! A bit like a bad smell, or a sweet smell, depending on your hue, Mountbellew/Moylough continues to lurk and linger around in this year’s Galway senior club football championship.  

They now face their fifth match in as many weeks this coming weekend after earning a draw courtesy of a late free from marksman Cathal Kenny against Tuam Stars at Tuam Stadium on Sunday in the quarter-final of the championship.

You’d have to wonder what Football Board Secretary, Seamus O’Grady, and the fixtures men did to Mountbellew/Moylough to deserve this fixture backlog! Added to the championship delays through appeals and the arbitration process surrounding the Micheál Breathnach debacle, the men led by captain Joe Meehan are facing their third replay of the season.

No matter what happens, and no matter who wins the Frank Fox Cup this year, Mountbellew/Moylough has left an indelible mark on the 2011 campaign. Having lost the PR battle and the support of many outside the club through off-field antics over Micheál Breathnach fielding an unregistered substitute, Mountbellew/Moylough in their three subsequent matches seem to have won over the hearts and minds of a large chunk of neutrals who cannot but admire their doggedness and downright bloody-mindedness, as the men in black and amber refuse to bow out of the championship.

Their stubbornness was evident again on Sunday. But, even though it was Mountbellew/Moylough that scraped the draw with a late leveller, Tuam Stars would feel more relieved to have gotten out of jail – Tuam played second-fiddle for long stretches of this disjointed but exciting clash, and by rights would be out of the championship had their opponents converted possession and territorial dominance into scores.

Alan Flynn’s charges were ring-rusty, and played in fits and starts, obviously feeling the effects of a lengthy layoff since their last championship outing. They’ll hardly be as poor in the replay – this match should bring them on immeasurably – but what was worrying was the manner in which they failed to take advantage of a Mountbellew/Moylough side that were out on their feet.

It was clear Joe Bergin and Co were tired – who could blame them having played so many championship games in such a tight schedule – but it was Mountbellew/Moylough who finished far stronger, and should have won had they not ballooned a few shots at the posts in the final quarter.

Although they were lucky in the end, Tuam were the authors of their own demise in the opening half. They raced into a 1-2 to 0-1 lead after just six minutes; with points from Gary O’Donnell and Darren Kelly, and a bizarre three-pointer from Shane Gaffney.

The Tuam corner-forward was fouled as he took a pop at the posts, and a free was signalled, to be taken from where the ball landed, as his Garryowen style effort was still high in the sky; it was punched back into play by full-forward Donal Marley and was caught close-in again by Gaffney, who in an act of ingenuity and quick thinking rattled the net from the free, as the Mountbellew/Moylough rearguard and goalkeeper were asleep.

That score should have settled them, but their lack of sharpness began to show as they conceded three scoreable frees in the remainder of the half that were in the ‘gimme’ or ‘silly’ categories.

Firstly corner-back Evan Kilroy was pulled-up for over-carrying and Cathal Kenny punished; then centre-back Tony Costello played the ball on the ground, and this time Joe Meehan ensured it was a costly mistake. Later on, Meehan again converted after a Tuam player was whistled for over-carrying.

Raiding half back, Gary Sweeney, cut in off the wing to narrow his angle and split the posts; and a long-range effort from Joe Bergin levelled matters 0-5 to 1-2 with ten minutes remaining to half-time as Mountbellew/Moylough dominated the midfield exchanges and kick-outs battles. They should have been further in front – a swerving shot by on goal by midfielder Colm Colleran bent the up-ight before bouncing away to safety.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.