There is no room for sentimentality when it comes to winning finals. Cill Chomáin headed into last Sunday's final as warm favourites, they had lost narrowly last year and looked to be set up to get redemption this time around.
But nobody in Islandeady read that script and they men from West Mayo ripped it up from the very first minute to the last on the field.
They played without fear from the get go and were richly rewarded for their attitude and outlook. Shane Hopkins and his brains trust got their tactics spot on and it paid off in spades.
Bryan O'Flaherty had a day to remember, the young goalkeeper kicked two points and pulled off a number of saves late on as Cill Chomáin came looking to get back into the game. Brendan Gibbons was another to light up the day with three points from play.
From throw-in it was all Islandeady, Pat Carolan whipped over a wonder score to get things going, then Darragh and Caillin Joyce got in on the act and they were 0-3 to 0-0 up inside five minutes.
Cill Chomain did come back with Derek Moran getting their first point and then finishing off a goal chance after good work by in the build up. But it didn't give them the spurt to drive on as many expected as it was Islandady who drove hard back and got their own goal through Liam Joyce, who leapt highest to claim the ball before smashing it home. That score set up Islandeady to see out the half and go in leading 1-6 to 1-3 at the break.
Things just got better for Islandeady after the resumption when Seamie Lally was able to bolt though the middle of the Cill Chomáin defence and get his sides second goal and it was a matter of being able to see the game out from there on in.
It was something they were able to do, with the likes of Peter Collins, Niall McCormack, Paul Corcoran, Brendan Gibbons and Peter Gordon all putting their shoulders to the wheel and when Cill Chomáin really tried to put the squeeze on at the end O'Flaherty was able to stand tall and keep his goal intact and sides noses well in front at the end.
Islanders round off the season on a high
Achill rounded off their season with a Mayo Junior B Championship title after a hard fought win over Moygownagh last Saturday afternoon, there were nine points between the sides at the end, but that gap was only created down the closing stages as the north Mayo side wilted and Achill took advantage.
Achill couldn't have got off to a better start when Seán 'Lively' McNamara got their first goal of the day a mere few seconds after the game had got going. They could have been more in front than the 1-5 to 0-3 they were at the break, with captain Eddie Doran seeing a penalty saved by Patrick Patten and the same man also pulling off a fine save from McNamara.
Moygownagh put the cat amongst the pigeons early in the second half when the experienced Garry Carey netted to being the gap back to what looked like a manageable deficit - but Achill didn't panic and the likes of Eoin Murphy, Peter Gallagher, James O'Hara, Brian Lavelle who finished the day with 1-4 getting his sides second goal all putting in good showings for the islanders.
