Breaffy pull winner from Westport fire

Tuesday, 15 June 2010 10:25

Breaffy's Aiden O' Shea is put under pressure by Westport's Thady Gavin and Eamonn Walsh. Photo: Michael McLaughlinWestport went missing for the opening 10 minutes of the second half of this dour struggle on their home patch on Sunday evening and it may yet prove to be a costly sabbatical since being elevated to senior level after claiming the intermediate championship last year.
They had the boys from Breaffy on the wrack after Martin Connolly's side put in an enterprising first half to deservedly lead at the break by 1-5 to 0-4, Breaffy clearly struggling in a number of departments and Westport looking the most likely winners on the basis of their first half exertions and dominance, with their defence and midfield very much in charge.

But the kamikaze play by Westport on a number of occasions eventually came back to haunt them on a day when a few showers made underfoot conditions difficult to handle but, at the end of the day, it was Westport who lost this game rather than Breaffy winning it.
Amazingly, six minutes into the second half Breaffy had wiped the slate clean to draw on level terms and suddenly the seeds of doubt began to appear in a few areas of Westport's play.
Ultimately it was Breaffy's big men who stood forward when the pressure came on and both Aiden and Seamus O'Shea turned this game around with good support from Finin Canavan, while their defence, shaky at times in that first half, began to grow in confidence.
It was a game that seemed destined for a draw and I think Breaffy would have been happy enough to have walked away with a point from this encounter, but from once they sensed Westport were beginning to panic they went for the kill and possibly deserved it in the end, although Westport surely deserved something from this on the back of their opening round win down in Bangor and their first half performance alone.
Ryan Cafferkey and Damien Keane had restored a two-point advantage to Westport with nine minutes still remaining but a superbly struck '45 from Alan Durcan and a point from play from the same player threw the visitors a lifeline as the game was tied with three minutes remaining.
The second minute of injury time had passed when Westport, and not for the first time, gave away a needless free and with Aiden O'Shea growing in confidence having earlier steered a long range effort between the posts, his 55-yard strike from the hands was enough to garner a rather fortuitous victory for Breaffy to ensure they remain strong contenders for the qualifiers.
It had begun so well for Westport and for Stephen Broderick in particular who caused all sorts of problems for the Breaffy defence under the high ball.
It came as no great surprise that he found the net after just five minutes, calmness personified as he latched onto Kevin Keane's centre, turned his man, and cooly picked his spot.
Westport were that goal ahead as Damien Keane and Fergal Durcan traded early frees but points from Durcan from play, and from a free, left just the minimum between the sides on 12 minutes.
By the interval Westport had reasserted their control on the game. Damien Keane, Broderick, Keane again (free) and Ronan Gibbons were in turn on target, with Aiden O'Shea's 15-minute point from play proving to be Breaffy's last score of the half and his side in deep trouble, trailing 1-5 to 0-4 at the interval.
Westport were marked absent for the opening 10 minutes of the second half as Rory Martyn, Seamus O'Shea, Durcan and Aiden O'Shea with a free from the hands had Breaffy on level terms.
Westport did go two ahead again but back-to-back points from Durcan handed the initiative back to Breaffy before O'Shea stepped up to the plate with the winner in injury time to leave Westport surely feeling somebody had raided their locker at half time.

Breaffy 0-11
Westport 1-7

Scorers for Breaffy: A. Durcan 0-6 (1 '45, 0-3f), A. O' Shea 0-3 (0-1f), S. O'Shea and R. Martyn 0-1 each.
Scorers for Westport: D. Keane 0-4 (0-3f), S. Broderick 1-1, R. Cafferky and R. Gibbons 0-1 each.
Breaffy: R. Hennelly, K. Scahill, B. Jordan, D. Gavin, G. Jennings, M. Jennings, E. Conroy, S. Shea, F. Canavan, R. Martyn, A. O'Shea, P. Dravins, R. Conway, C. Lyons, A. Durcan.
Subs used: M. Conroy for Dravins, D. Jennings for Lyons.
Westport: T. Higgins, B. Higgins, T. Gavin, D. Keane, D. O'Connor, L. Keegan, N. O'Malley, K. Keane, B. McCarty, R. Cafferty, R. Gibbons, J. McHale, D. Keane, S. Broderick, P. Keegan.
Subs used: K. O'Malley for E. Walsh, E. O'Toole for McCarty.
Referee: M. Daly (Ballyhaunis).
Man of the match: Alan Durcan... provided the scores (0-6) to keep Breaffy on a life support at critical times and brought them level with a big score.