Joe Bergin the driving-force in Mountbellew-Moylough victory

By NOEL CARNEY Cortoon Shamrocks ............2-10 Mountbellew-Moylough .....0-13 (after extra-time) THE LATEST round of the long-running saga in the Galway Senior Football Championship saw these well-matched clubs serve up an exciting, passionate and sometimes tempestuous replay at Tuam Stadium last Sunday. And it again went to extra-time before Mountbellew-Moylough eventually wore down their rivals. It was a heart-breaking outcome for the losers who missed chances to seal it on both days but for the winners it is a vindication of their pursuit of what they saw as justice when they lodged an objection after losing to Mícheál Breathnachs. It is now time to put that issue to bed and in fairness to the team and mentors they have maintained a steely resolve all through. Furthermore, they are now doing the business where it matters â€â€ on the field â€â€ and this latest victory sees them claim a quarter-final berth in the Championship. They will play Tuam Stars next Sunday in a mouth-watering double bill with the Milltown-Corofin semi final in what will surely bring a huge crowd to Páirc Naomh Iarfhlatha. Mountbellew-Moylough's game-a-week schedule is a punishing one but one that is now unavoidable due to time constraints. While it is extremely tough on players, particularly after having to play two periods of extra-time as well, it is creating an opportunity to give game-time to most of their panel and it will certainly have them match-fit. They are now contenders for the Championship, as they have been for a few years, and they must be very frustrated not to have made the breakthrough at least once. This year they have twice been pushed all the way by a very courageous and dogged Cortoon Shamrocks side that never gave up trying even when the odds seemed to be against them. The leg injury that hampered Derek Savage in the drawn game and saw him enter the fray only after the first quarter had elapsed in this one had a big bearing on the outcome as the lion-hearted former Galway star still caused no end of problems to his opponents despite being obviously in real trouble all through. But if 'Savo' was a hero in defeat for the losers, the winners had their own knight in shining armour in a current county man: Joe Bergin stood head and shoulders above everyone else in what was surely one of his best ever games for the club. Working tirelessly from start to finish he garnished a very energetic display with three magnificent points in the third quarter, forced goalkeeper Darragh Glynn to pull down another one kicked from his own 65-metre line, and capped it all with a stunning goal. The goal came at a crucial time, on the stroke of the interval in extra-time, and turned a one-point deficit into a two-point lead with the benefit of a very strong wind to assist them in the remaining ten minutes. It was far from a one-man show, though. This high-octane performance required tremendous energy levels from the entire team and subs, as of course it did also for Cortoon who matched them kick for kick and score for score all through. At one point, late in normal time the Shamrocks were down to fourteen men when fired-up team captain Mickey Costello was dismissed for earning a second yellow card but it came late in the game and did not affect the result as they again had fifteen for extra-time. There was a sense of déjà vu at the start of the game when Mountbellew-Moylough grabbed an early goal, just as they did in the drawn encounter. Full-back Aaron McHugh drove long into the goalmouth where David Hogan won possession and passed to Paul Donnellan who found the net. Cortoon, who had the aid of a very strong wind, also went close to a goal when a loose ball was volleyed just over by Mickey Costello. With a little luck it could have gone under the crossbar but at least they were off the mark after ten fruitless minutes that yielded five wides. Promising youngster Cathal Mulryan then landed a fine effort from 50 metres, Derek Savage was introduced to loud cheers and when Shane Gilmore drove over another great score they were up and running. Given the strength of the elements though, they could not have been too happy with their scoring progress, 0-3 to 1-0, entering the second quarter. Cathal Kenny gave them further cause for concern when he judged a tricky free to perfection but three frees by David Warde and a second Cathal Mulryan score lifted the Shamrocks who went in at the break with a 0-7 to 1-1 lead. Strangely, no fewer than three Cortoon players went down and needed treatment in as many minutes of the second half but all resumed their places. Joe Bergin then set about eating into the deficit as he kicked one point with his right foot and another with his left in the space of sixty seconds and even though Brian Roache was denied a goal at the other end Bergin surged forward from midfield and drove high between the posts and it was level pegging, 1-4 to 0-7. Mountbellew-Moylough were poised to take the lead in another attack but tenacious wing-back Paul Varley came to Cortoon's rescue with some great covering. The Black and Ambers did eventually get in front when David Neary pointed from play with nearly twenty minutes gone and they were then in a great position to power on with the gale behind them. You would expect any team managed by Tommy Joe Gilmore to have heart and commitment though, and we saw those qualities come to the surface in Cortoon as they battled bravely. They missed some opportunities but clawed their way level through Shane Gilmore, and then Fergal Heverin edged them ahead, 0-9 to 1-5, with eight minutes left. The excitement was rising, the tension was increasing and the tackles were getting more robust â€â€ to put it mildly. Referee Frank Kinneen had some tricky decisions to make and while he usually got them right he angered both teams on occasions and there were times when innocuous tackles yielded unnecessary frees. He also showed yellow cards to four players after one melee but while tempers were often high the players were simply playing with fire and spirit in what is, after all, a contact sport. That said, Mickey Costelloe was sidelined towards the finish after being shown a second yellow card, before Cathal Kenny and Shane Gilmore both went close to a winning score only to fail narrowly and it ended 1-6 to 0-9. Alan Tierney, who had earlier been substituted, went on for extra-time to make up the full complement for Cortoon who got a great boost when Brian Walsh converted a 45. Tierney then gave them a two-point lead after a great high catch in the goalmouth by Fergal Heverin and it was beginning to look good for the Cortoon men. That outlook soon changed, though. Joe Bergin made a fine high catch and sent Gary Sweeney away but the wing-back was fouled, giving Cathal Kenny a chance to cut the lead to one, and as the first half of extra-time ran out Bergin charged forward and unleashed a stunning drive to the roof of the net and the M&Ms were suddenly ahead, 2-7 to 0-11. With the elements to aid them they were now in pole position. It got even better when Stephen Boyle drove over a lovely point on the resumption and a super score from the sideline by Cathal Duffy immediately made it 2-9 to 0-11. Cortoon looked dead and buried but Brian Walsh gave them hope by converting a free after Derek Savage was fouled and there were still eight minutes remaining. The loudest cheer of the day was not for a score but for Mountbellew-Moylough captain Joe Meehan when he made a belated entrance. He had buried his father John, a great GAA man and a great community man, the day before the game. Joe marked his arrival on the field with a vital point that completed his side's 2-10 total. Derek Savage, still causing trouble despite struggling to run, won a free that Shane Gilmore pointed to leave a goal between the sides and Savo himself tried a snap shot that missed the target. Another possible though remote chance then presented itself in the shape of a close-in free. Brian Walsh had to go for a goal and did, but his powerful low drive was beaten out and Mountbellew-Moylough had survived.   IT has been a long road so far for the winners and they are only in the quarter-finals. Can they maintain their hectic schedule and continue their winning ways or will the demands of weekly Championship battles prove too much? This was a strong team performance with particularly fine displays by Cathal Duffy, Garry Sweeney, Joss Moore, Raymond Murray, Joe Bergin, Colm Colleran, Cathal Kenny, Paul Donnellan, and David Hogan in the first half. Cortoon go out but do so with their heads held high. For the second week in a row it was a case of what might have been and they have some very good young players coming through like Matthew Concannon, Cathal Mulryan and the Varley brothers. Darragh Glynn, Donal O'Neill who improved tremendously after a shaky start, Brian Roache, Derek Gilmore, David Finnegan, Fergal Heverin, Shane Gilmore, Mickey Costello, David Warde in the first half and Derek Savage were among those who played their hearts out. Mountbellew-Moylough: B. Donnellan; L. Kenny, A. McHugh, C. Duffy (0-1); G. Sweeney, J. Moore, R. Murray; C. Colleran, J. Bergin (1-3); S. Boyle (0-1), C. Kenny (0-2, frees), P. Donnellan (1-1); D. Neary (0-1), D. Hogan, A. Sweeney. Subs: P. Gardiner, for L. Kenny; J. Collevy, for Neary; M. Geraghty, for A. Sweeney; J. Meehan, captain (0-1), for P. Donnellan. Cortoon Shamrocks: D. Glynn; M. Concannon, D. O'Neill, B. Roache; C. Mulryan (0-2), D. Gilmore, P. Varley; F. Heverin (0-1), D. Finnegan; S. Gilmore (0-3, two frees), M. Costelloe captain (0-1), A. Tierney (0-1); A. McDonnell, D. Warde (0-3, all frees), A. Varley. Subs: D. Savage, for McDonnell; A. Boyle, for Concannon; B. Walsh (0-2, one 45, one free), for Tierney; A. McDonnell, for A. Varley, inj., A. Tierney as 15th man for extra-time. Referee: Frank Kinneen. Herald Sport Man of the Match: Joe Bergin (Mountbellew-Moylough).