Mountbellew-Moylough end years of heartbreak with scintillating final show

Mountbellew-Moylough 1-12

Corofin 0-9

Pádraic Ó Ciardha at Pearse Stadium

AFTER so much heartbreak, Mountbellew-Moylough enjoyed the sweetest of wins last Sunday as they ended their 35-year wait to reclaim the Frank Fox Cup in superb style. If anything, the six point gap between themselves and Corofin should have been wider such was the quality of their display, but Val Daly and his players won’t care a jot as they settle into their long-awaited and richly-deserved reign as county champions.

Mountbellew-Moylough were much the better side on the day and from the moment Eoin Finnerty rifled home his goal in the 37th minute to put his side nine (yes, nine!) points clear, their supporters could start to enjoy this crowning achievement.

It was a result that had so many special aspects to it for the victors. Val Daly was the last man to captain Mountbellew-Moylough to a Senior championship and he has now led his club once again to the promised land with his two sons, Michael and John, at the centre of everything the team did well.

The win will also have done plenty to exorcise the demons of the past. Last year’s semi-final win over Corofin was a massive step forward for this team but there were still some questions to be answered. As momentous an achievement as that win was, a lot of the gloss was lost after the defeat to Maigh Cuilinn in the final. Now Corofin were back on the scene again and in a final this time. Four previous attempts since 2009 to overcome their rivals in county finals had all ended in failure for Mountbellew-Moylough. Did they have what it took to finally get over the line? Did they ever.

Mountbellew-Moylough won the toss and opted to play with the elements for the first half and from the moment the ball was thrown in, the men in black and amber hit the front. If Daly’s side were going to get the result they wanted, they needed big displays from their key men and, to a man, they stepped up in the opening quarter.

Eoin Finnerty got them off the mark after three minutes, a marauding run from Billy Mannion setting up the opportunity and Finnerty’s shot just evaded the outstretched fingertips of Dylan McHugh. A big hit from Paul Donnellan on Dylan Wall on the next play reiterated the message that Mountbellew-Moylough would be the ones setting the agenda.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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