Westport 1-9
Ballina Stephenites 1-6

Colm Gannon reports from MacHale Park

FOR THE FIRST time ever the Moclair Cup is heading for Westport after they saw off Ballina by three points in a tense, low-scoring affair.

Westport hit the first score of the day with less than a minute gone on the clock. It came thanks to a Killian Kilkelly point from a free, after Kevin Keane had been fouled from the throw-in.

The lead didn’t last long with Mikey Murray hammering the ball over the bar on the run from distance, and with seven minutes gone on the clock his side went into the lead for the first time, thanks to an Evan Regan point from 45 metres out.

Westport had the game all square before the 10-minute mark, when Keane was able to create a bit of space from himself to arc the ball over the bar from 35 meters out.

The former Mayo full back was involved again for the next score, which brought to an end a period of 10 minutes without one, when he collected a ball from Fionn McDonagh before firing it off to Kilkelly for his second point of the day.

The lead lasted only a minute before Regan got his second point of the contest, this one an outstanding effort from under the stand side of the pitch under pressure from two defenders.

Kilkelly got his third of the day from a free to put Westport back in front on 25 minutes, but two minutes later Sam Callinan strode down the left flank and applied a fantastic finish to make it four points each.

Conor McStay then got in on the act, dropping over a shot as he fell under pressure to edge Ballina into a narrow lead as the half time whistle approached – but they were dealt a blow just before the interval when Evan Regan was black carded for a hand trip in the middle of the park.

Despite having a man advantage for the opening 10 minutes of the half, Westport were only able to add on a single point to their first-half total through a Kilkelly pointed free.

But on 42 minutes they got a chance to get the first goal of the day, Rory Brickenden set up Luke Tunney who shot for goal. James Doherty blocked it on the line as he fell, and to stop the rebound falling to Fionn McDonagh he punched the ball away on the deck.

Westport were awarded a penalty and Kilkelly stepped up. His effort went just under the arm of David Clarke and to the back of the net to give Westport a three-point advantage with three quarters of the game gone.

But Ballina weren’t done, and Doherty got in along the Westport endline to fire the ball across the face of goal, and after some pinball in the six-yard box the ball bounced in off Padraig O’Hora to level it up again.

That was as good as it got for Ballina as Westport drove for home. Paddy O’Malley pointed a long-range free, then Niall McManamon was the quickest to react to an Alan Kennedy effort that came back off the post.

Kennedy put three between the teams with a free and then wrapped up the scoring for his side with a good point on the break.

Ballina kept plugging away but couldn’t find the goal chance they needed to get back into the game. Evan Regan’s pointed free deep in injury time cut the gap to three points but the game was done on the resumption.

Scorers for Westport: Killian Kilkelly 1-4 (1-0p, 0-3f), Alan Kennedy 0-2 (1f), Kevin Keane, Niall McManamon, Paddy O’Malley (1f) 0-1 each.

Scorers for Ballina Stephenites: Padraig O’Hora 1-0), Evan Regan 0-3 (1f), Mikey Murray, Sam Callinan, Conor McStay 0-1 each.

Westport

1. Paddy O’Malley

2. Luke Tunney
3. Rory Brickenden
4. Niall McManamon

5. Liam Shevlin
6. Brian McDermott
7. Paul Lambert

8. Lee Keegan
9. Brian O’Malley

10. Conal Dawson
11. Fionn McDonagh
12. Oisin McLaughlin

13. Kevin Keane
14. Mark Moran
21. Killian Kilkelly

Subs:
15. Pat Lambert for Dawson
24. Alan Kennedy for Keane
20. Shane Scott for Shevlin
19. Ronan Geraghty for Kilkelly.

Ballina Stephenites:

1. David Clarke

2. Rory Tighe
3. David Tighe
4. James Doherty

5. Ciaran Boland
6. Padraig O’Hora
7. Keith Tighe

8. Sam Callinan
9. Frank Irwin

10. Dylan Thornton
11. Conor McStaty
12. Jack Irwin

21. Mikey Murray
14. Evan Regan
15. Mark Birrane

Subs:
20. Luke Doherty for Thronton
13. Niall Feeney for Mark Birrane
24. Brendan Collins for Boland
28. Ciaran Tracey for Murray
19. Rory Morrin for J Irwin

Ref: Paul Lydon