Sometimes if you keep knocking the door will eventually open for you. That proved to be the case for Westport last Sunday, when at the seventh time of asking they claimed the Moclair Cup for the very first time.
This title win has been building for quite some time. Structures and plans were put in place many years ago and the club has seen a huge increase in participation right down through the age grades and success has followed.
But the ultimate success had escaped them until now, with exits from the championship in recent years coming against expectations, but this year it all fell right for them in the end.
When Killian Kilkelly stroked home a penalty kick midway through the second half, it looked like they were poised to break for home. But it’s never that easy.
Ballina Stephenties battled their way back, with Padraig O’Hora getting a leg out to divert the ball home from close range to level the game up for the sixth time. Westport could have feared that the winning DNA that flows through the Stephenites would see them kick-on for a 37th senior title, down the home stretch.
But Westport were not for turning and a long range Paddy O’Malley point from a free was followed by a close range effort by Niall McManamon to edge Westport back in front by two. The coupe de grace was added by sub Alan Kennedy who kicked a point from a free and one from play to put Westport four clear and counting down the seconds until the end.
Ballina did try and lay siege to the Westport goal, but all they could muster at the end was a single point to close the gap to three points before the final whistle went.
The game was on a knife edge throughout until the final flurry from Westport in the final few minutes - with both sides going almost score for score in the opening half, with Kilkelly and Evan Regan leading the way for their respective sides and after 23 minutes the game was deadlocked at three points each.
Westport wrangled their way in front once more thanks to another Kilkelly score not long after, but points from Sam Callinan and Conor McStay had Ballina in front by the slimmest of margins at the interval. However, they were left short-handed for the opening exchanges of the second half when Regan was shown a black card for a hand trip just before the interval.
They however were able to ride out that rough passage after the resumption only conceding a single point, but were handed a more serious blow when joint captain Dylan Thornton had to leave the action after picking up a shoulder injury.
Kilkelly's goal from the penalty spot after James Doherty had palmed the ball off the line on the ground in a desperate attempt to stop a Luke Tunney shot from going over the line, looked like it was going to be the launch pad for Westport to drive on, but Ballina made them fight for it the whole way.
After being earmarked out as team with more than enough potential to win this title over the past few years, this will be a sweet victory for the Covies.
Their management team headed up by Martin Connolly and Shane Conway who have been involved with most of these players through club and schools for the past number of years, will savour the win and enjoy seeing the fruits of a long labour come to blossom.
While for players like Lee Keegan and Kevin Keane who have been the lynchpins of the rise of Westport it will be a day to fondly remember in years to come. Younger players like the excellent duo of Oisín McLaughlin and Rory Brickenden showed they have the capability to become the new corner stones of a long period of success for their side and will hope to see many more days like this in the future.
For Ballina, it will ultimately be disappointing. But for the club having been away from the big show in Mayo for what must seem like an age to them, they'll know they aren't far away and that they will have plenty to learn from this defeat and use it to drive them on next year, when they go in search for title number 37.
