Keegan and Westport are up next for Monivea men in semi-final
ANOTHER milestone in the 2016 journey of the Monivea-Abbeyknockmoy intermediate footballers will be reached on Sunday at McHale Park, Castlebar (2pm), when they contest a first ever Connacht intermediate semi-final against Mayo champions Westport.
It has been a real bonanza Autumn for Monivea-Abbey as they rescued a season from oblivion with a series of committed performances to win a first ever intermediate county title.
They will need though to step it up another gear on Sunday against a Westport side built around two defensive giants in Mayo football – full back Kevin Keane and No. 6 Lee Keegan.
Monivea-Abbey’s resolve though was well and truly tested against Kilkerrin-Clonberne in the county final when, in a desperately tight and fiercely contested decider at Pearse Stadium, they held their nerve to come through on a 0-9 to 0-8 scoreline.
That really will be the barometer to measure their pressure points as they shape up to a Westport side that fairly crushed the challenge of a fancied Kiltimagh side in the final last Saturday night in Castlebar (0-10 to 0-4).
Just three nights previously, Westport also showed their mettle when defeating Shrule/Glencorrib by 1-9 to 0-9 in the semi-final replay with the help of a classic goal strike from powerful midfielder Shane Scott.
Westport like to play the ball short out of defence and they don’t tend to leak possession easily – last week, their backs completely nullified the threat of what had, up until then, looked a decent Kiltimagh forward line.
Fionn McDonagh and Lewis Cawley did most of the scoring damage against Kiltimagh but most observers of that match pointed to the tight defensive net imposed on the losers’ forwards by the seaside club.
Monivea-Abbey though are a tight and well organised defensive unit with coach Paddy Gardiner putting in a lot of work to eradicate any cheap possession giveaways and to cut down on free space to the opposition.
Their facile semi-final win over Roscommon champions Kilmore will have to be taken with a pinch of salt, given that their opponents had nothing left in the tank after their extra-time county final success over Oran, less than 24 hours previously.
Confidence though will be high in the Monivea-Abbey camp after the Kilmore win and the four previous successes in Galway over Williamstown, Oughterard, Headford and a strong Kilkerrin-Clonberne outfit in the final.
For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.