Boden crowned All-Ireland champions

Thu, 17th March 2016

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S 2-14 CASTLEBAR MITCHELS (Mayo) 0-7

For the first time in their history Ballyboden St Enda’s are All-Ireland club senior football champions following a stellar display in Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day.

On the biggest stage of their lives they delivered their biggest display winning in impressive pillar-to-post fashion in front of a crowd of 31,518.

Boden made a lightning start with a superbly worked and executed Colm Basquel goal in only the second minute as the southsiders immediately settled into their task.

After 15 minutes the powerful running of Aran Waters caused alarm bells and his was fouled in the square for a penalty that Andrew Kerin clinically dispatched for Boden to lead 2-3 to 0-3, they never looked back.

Boden had stars all over the park with their massive work-rate unsettling their opponents while tactically Boden won that battle.

At the back goalkeeper Paul Durcan, Stephen Hiney and Shane Clayton were imperious with Stephen O'Connor raiding forward to telling effect while Bob Dwan, released from the shackles of corner-back marking owing to Castlebar’s tactics, prospered out the park and kicked three points into the bargin.

On a forgettable day for the Mayo and Connacht champions they kept battling to the finish but Boden were in no mood for charity and remained very strong at the back to run out very comfortable victors.

SCORERS – Ballyboden St Enda’s: A Kerin 1-2 (1-0 pen), C Basquel 1-1, B Dwane 0-3, S Durkin, R Basquel 0-2 each, MD Macauley, S O’Connor, D O’Reilly, C Keaney 0-1 each. Castlebar Mitchels: N Douglas (0-1 ‘45’), J Durcan (0-1f) 0-2 each, P Durcan, N Lydon, A Walsh (f) 0-1 each.

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S: P Durcan; S Clayton; S Hiney, B Dwan; S O’Connor, D Nelson, S Durkin; A Waters, MD Macauley; D O’Reilly, C Basquel, R McDaid; R Basquel, C Keaney, A Kerin. Subs: S Lambert for Macauley (35), S Malony for R Basquel (60), D Davey for O’Reilly (60), D McCabe for Waters (61), S Gibbons for McDaid (63).

CASTLEBAR MITCHELS: R Byrne; T Cunniffe, A Feeney, D Newcome; P Durcan, E O’Reilly, R O’Malley; G McDonagh, B Moran; S Hopkins, N Lydon, N Douglas; S Keane, D Kirby, R Feeney. Subs: F Durkin for Hopkins (24), C Costello for Keane (37), J Durcan for R Feeney (37), A Walsh for Douglas (41), S Conlon for O’Malley (46).

REF: C Lane (Cork).