Ballintubber 1-12
Castlebar Mitchels 1-12

(After extra time)

Colm Gannon reports from Elverys MacHale Park

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS CASTLEBAR Mitchels and fierce local rivals Ballintubber will have to do it all over again after they could not be separated even after extra time in Elverys MacHale Park.

Two Cillian O’Connor injury time frees sent this Mayo Senior Football Championship semi-final into extra time.

O’Connor’s final and seventh point of normal time came four minutes into injury time after Alan Dillon had been fouled.

Castlebar really should have wrapped the game up before O’Connor’s two late points when Donal Vaughan and Eoghan O’Reilly both had a chance to put their side three up in the same move.

In extra time Ballintubber struck first with points from Jamsie Finnerty and Myles Kelly pointing either side of the half time break in extra time.

Castlebar then hit three in a row through Neil Douglas, Barry Moran and Anthony O’Boyle to edge back in front with four minutes to go, but Cillian O’Connor was on hand with his eighth point of the day to level it up before the end.

Mitchels trailed by a point at the break but that was wiped out five minutes into the second half when Ray O’Malley hit the back of the net after a great move.

Mitchels took control of the game from them on in and looked to be holding on for a hard fought encounter, with Neil Douglas scoring two vital points to keep his side in front midway through the half, but they couldn’t shake off the Ballintubber challenge and they ground out the draw at the end to sent it to the extra 20 minutes.

Ballintubber went in leading by a single point at the break, thanks to a goal from Michael Plunkett on a score of 1-3 to 0-5.

Cillian O’Connor got things going inside the first minute with a well taken point from a tight angle, that was followed three minutes later by a pointed free from Ciaran Gavin.

Castlebar got their first score of the game six minutes in when Neil Douglas hammered over a 45 after Donie Newcmobe’s effort clipped a hand on it’s way to the goal.

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The contest was levelled up a minute later when David Stenson scored the first of four first half points for the Mitchels corner forward.

Ballintubber had a number of chances to push themselves back into the lead but hit three wides on the bounce, before Stenson landed his second of the day from a free after Ray O’Malley was fouled close in.

Cillian O’Connor tied it up at three each 16 minutes in and two minutes later Ballintubber rattled the back of the net through Plunkett who was picked out by Cillian O’Connor on the run and he finished it with aplomb to the net.

Stenson respond from placed ball three minutes from the break and the Mitchels challenge was made even harder when Aidan Walsh was shown to the line after picking up his second yellow card of the half.

But his side did get the last score of the half though another Stenson score to leave just one between the teams at the short whistle.

Scores for Ballintubber: Cillian O’Connor 0-8 (0-7f), Michael Plunkett 1-0, Ciaran Gavin 0-2 (0-1f), Myles Kelly 0-1, Jamsie Finnerty 0-1.

Scores for Castlebar Mitchels: David Stenson 0-5 (0-3f), Neil Douglas 0-4 (0-1 45), Ray O’Malley 1-0, Barry Moran 0-2, Anthony O’Boyle 0-1.

Castlebar Mitchels

1. Rory Byrne

2. Sean Conlon
3. Ger McDonagh
4. Donie Newcombe

5. Ray O’Malley
6. Patrick Durcan
7. Shane Hopkins

8. Aidan Walsh
9. Donal Vaughan

18. Johnny Maughan
11. Danny Kirby
12. James Durcan

13. Barry Moran
14. Neil Douglas
15. David Stenson

Subs:

17. Eoghan O’Reilly for Maughan
10. Neil Lydon for Hopkins
19. Antony O’Boyle for James Durcan (black card)
25. Callum Kyne (ET – Back to 15)
18. Johnny Maughan for Conlon
24. Rory O’Grady for Newcombe.

Ballintubber

1. Brendan Walsh

2. Gary Loftus
3. Cathal Hallinan
4. Brian Murphy

5. Damien Coleman
6. Michael Plunkett
7. Ruaidhri O’Connor

8. Jason Gibbons
9. Diarmuid O’Connor

10. Ciaran Galvin
11. Alan Dillon
12. Alan Plunkett

20. Brian Walsh
14. Cillian O’Connor
15. Steven O’Malley.

Subs:

13. Padraic O’Connor for Alan Plunkett (black card)
21. Jamise Finnerty for O’Malley
18. Myles Kelly for Ruaidhri O’Connor
15. Steven O’Malley for Padraic O’Connor
17. Declan Larkin for Gary Loftus. 

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