Mayo SFC: Mitchels shoot down Aghamore to book semi-final spot
Castlebar Mitchels knew they would have to step up the mark if they had any hope of returning from Aghamore with a ticket to the semi-final of the Mayo Senior Football championship, writes John Melvin
They duly obliged with an impressive and dominant performance to end the home side’s championship journey on a final scoreline of 0-19 to 1-10.
The Mitchels, who last made the county final in 2017 when they completed the three-in-a-row, had come under fire lacking for the scoring power which saw them finish runners-up in the group when losing to Garrymore.
But it seems manager, Kevin Filan, must have paid them overtime to sharpen up in the scoring department as they delivered in spades both with and against a strong wind.
It was an area Aghamore struggled in, particularly in the last 15 minutes of the game when they went in search of two-pointers but managed to get just one on target out of at least six attempts, the tricky wind, in fairness, not that easiest to harness, and quite a few chances to close the gap drifting wide.
Leading by 0-13 to 0-5 at the break, the question was whether that lead would see Mitchels over the winning line.
And when Conal Hession scored the only goal of the game for Aghamore eight minutes into the second half, it was suddenly game on - 0-13 to 1-5.
But if the Mitchels forwards were stepping up to the plate, the midfield partnership of Bob Tuohy and Ultan O’Reilly were very much in control.
The Mitchels defence also really hung tough, Donnacha McHugh, John McMonagle and Sean Morahan putting in some great work.
But it was the Durcan duo, wing back Paddy and corner forward James, who turned this game in Castlebar’s favour, the latter scoring 0-4, including a two-pointer, and the former bagging three points from regular raids into enemy territory.
Fergal Boland, who was well-held by McHugh, did produce a stunning two-pointer four minutes from the end to narrow the gap to four.
But Mitchels regrouped with Rory Beirne (free), James Durcan and Ultan O’Reilly tagging on late points to book Mitchels' place in the semi-final with six points to spare.
* Read next Tuesday's printed edition for analysis.