Burke delivers as Corofin footballers gain revenge

COROFIN 0-17

CASTLEBAR MITCHELS 0-14

(After extra-time)

A CLASH of the Titans at Castlebar on Sunday, and in a fierce battle of wills, it was Corofin whose nerve held the strongest when the pressure came on, in an absorbing Connacht club senior football semi-final. As with most showdowns between top teams, only a thin line separated them in the end, with Corofin just that little bit sharper in front of goal and a tad fresher in the legs too during the crucial extra-time period.

When Roscommon referee, Paddy Neilan, sounded the whistle at the end of normal time, the sides were level at 0-11 apiece with Castlebar super-sub, Paddy Stenson, landing the levelling point in the 63rd minute. Maybe, Castlebar’s sixth week of toil in a row took its toll during extra-time on a sticky McHale Park pitch, but yet the Mayo champions won’t need any reminding that they had the chances to win this match.

The home side were at their most wasteful during the first half when their wides total of seven, as compared to nil for Corofin, just proved to be too heavy of a cross to carry over the course of the match. Pressure scores tend to win tight games and when the string was at its most taut towards the end of normal time and during the extra period played, Corofin’s spring-loaded corner forward Ian Burke did some serious business.

Burke – surely the most natural corner forward in the county – curled over a magnificent levelling point in the closing minute to tie the sides at 10 each, before delivering two more crackers in the first period of extra-time, scores that effectively decided the course of the tie.

Corofin were super-efficient during the opening half, landing six clinical points from Kieran Molloy, Gary Sice, Ian Burke, Michael Farragher and Jason Leonard (2) – with just three minutes left in the half, they were 0-5 to 0-1 ahead and in a position of some comfort. The balance of the match though changed in the closing minutes of the half with Corofin not too happy about a couple of close range frees awarded by referee Neilan that were converted by Neil Douglas, while Paddy Durkan popped up with one from play.

A 0-6 to 0-4 lead was a tenuous enough one, especially as Corofin faced into the stiff second half breeze, but on balance – given the wastefulness of the Mitchel’s attack – Kevin O’Brien’s charges were fortunate enough to be two ahead. During that first half, Castlebar’s normally reliable freetaker, Neil Douglas, pulled three placed balls (2 frees and a 45) wide of the posts, with his ground striking not helped by the greasy underfoot conditions.

During that first half, Castlebar’s normally reliable freetaker, Neil Douglas, pulled three placed balls (2 frees and a 45) wide of the posts, with his ground striking not helped by the greasy underfoot conditions. When an early second half free from Gary Sice split the posts, there were grounds for believing that Corofin might pull away, but that score heralded one of Castlebar’s strongest periods of the match.

Full coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune