Kelly pulls the strings as Mullingar Shamrocks dominate replay

Mullingar Shamrocks 1-10 Tubberclair 1-3

What a difference 13 days makes. When these two teams met on October 1, Tubberclair led by seven points in added time and seemed to be cruising to victory, only for Mullingar Shamrocks to salvage a replay with two late goals.

Fast forward to last Saturday at TEG Cusack Park, and it was Tubberclair who needed two goals to turn the game on its head. There was no such turnaround on this occasion, however, as Mullingar Shamrocks claimed a fully deserved victory.

Ryan Kelly pulled the strings at centre-forward for a Shamrocks side which led 0-5 to 1-1 at half-time. But as they had played with the strong wind at their backs in the first half, the Mullingar outfit was hardly particularly satisfied at the interval. Yet Tubberclair only managed to add two more points to their tally and the concession of a soft goal (46th minute) left them staring defeat in the face.

Nothing seemed to go right for Tubberclair on the day as Lady Luck gave last year's champions a cold shoulder. In the opening half, two point attempts by Tubberclair's Daire O’Connor hit the upright. And in the closing stages, two Tubberclair penalty claims fell on deaf ears. Both of these came when Daniel Sammon's side was down by six points (1-9 to 1-3). For the first Sean Whittaker may have been impeded when trying to latch on to a pass inside, but it was difficult to be sure how much contact was made by a covering Shamrocks defender.

The second claim was a cast iron penalty, however, as Tom Bourke was clearly fouled but, to the astonishment of virtually everyone in attendance - and the dismay of the Tubberclair camp - a free out was awarded instead.

In truth, even had a penalty been awarded, Tubberclair did not look capable of forcing extra-time. The Glasson outfit struggled to score throughout, only registering 1-1 from open play, and they committed too many fouls in scoreable positions. In contrast, a Shamrocks side which deployed a packed defence for long stages seldom gave away frees close to their own goal.

The excellent Ryan Kelly made a positive impact from an early stage, scoring the first three points (two frees) of the contest inside the opening 16 minutes. Having hit a free off the post earlier, Daire O’Connor was very unlucky to see a left-footed shot from play meet the same result. O'Connor was obviously pinpointed as a player to watch as every time he gained possession, he was surrounded by Shamrocks players.

Ben McNamee added to Shamrocks' lead with a fine wind-assisted point (21st minute). Tom Ormsby's charges could have enhanced their lead further when Callum Rigney made an incisive run forward but his shot crashed off the crossbar.

On 26 minutes, the boys in green and gold finally opened their account and in sensational style to boot. A flowing move involving O'Connor, Paul Keegan and Sean Whittaker ended with midfielder Taylor Slevin sweeping the ball to the top corner of the net. It was as good a goal as one would wish to see at any level of football.

Shamrocks, in their changed strip of black jerseys with green trim, had a swift riposte with a Gavin Pierce point. The last score of the opening half came when O'Connor pointed a free after he had been fouled himself.

The second half began with a powerful run forward by Tubberclair midfielder Kealan Connell but his shot went short - a failing that affected both sides on the day. At the other end, a great catch and finish by Kelly was a further boost for Shamrocks, before Conor Heffernan punished a needlessly conceded free. Rigney then added his name to the scoresheet and suddenly Shamrocks were four points ahead (0-8 to 1-1).

O'Connor pointed a free after a foul on the lively Whittaker, but in general Tubberclair's inside forwards were unable to make the impact required. Whittaker did raise Tubberclair's first white flag from play (44th minute), and the title was still up for grabs.

A couple of minutes later, however, it looked destined for Mullingar as Kelly's free from the ground was not dealt with by the Tubberclair defence and it ended up in the net.

An amazing goal line save by Caimin Dolan kept Tubberclair hopes alive, before another point from Kelly left six between them. As Shamrocks defended with determination, a superb fetch under pressure by goalie Adam Buckley repelled a dangerous moment. Then came those two penalty appeals from Tubberclair and when neither was given, the destination of the title was no longer in any doubt.

A late black card for Shamrocks defender Adam Glynn meant little as Heffernan completed the scoring with a late free.

Afterwards, Westmeath Coiste na nÓg chairman Barry Kelly presented the Paddy Walshe Cup to Mullingar Shamrocks joint captains Ryan Kelly and Callum Rigney, who carried out speech duties in capable fashion.

It's the first time in 15 years for Shamrocks to win the top grade minor crown and is a significant boost to the club, with the post-match celebrations showing what it meant. For Tubberclair's part, it was a case of what might have been, especially considering the lead they let slip away in the drawn game.

Scorers - Mullingar Shamrocks: R Kelly 1-5 (1-3 frees); C Heffernan 0-2 (2f); B McNamee, G Pierce and C Rigney 0-1 each. Tubberclair: T Slevin 1-0; D O’Connor 0-2 (2f); S Whittaker 0-1.

Mullingar Shamrocks: Adam Buckley; Ben Sheerin, Ty Masterson, Adam Glynn; James Flynn, Peter Finch, Ben McNamee; Cristóir Ormsby, Ameen Hacini; Conor Heffernan, Ryan Kelly, Callum Rigney; Gavin Pierce, Donnacha Maguire, Paul Keating. Subs used: Alex Sheerin for Keating; Luke Raeside for Flynn; Ronan Byrne and Elmugtaba Mohammed for Finch and Heffernan.

Tubberclair: Kailin Blessing; Daire Burke, Caimin Dolan, Liam Staunton; Sean Keegan, Tom Bourke, Jack O’Donnell; Kealan Connell, Taylor Slevin; Thomas Farrell, Paul Keegan, Matthew Lynch; Sean Whittaker, Louis Clayburn, Daire O’Connor. Subs used: Ruairí Dolan for Farrell (inj.); Sean O'Neill for Clayburn.

Referee: Shane Maher (Ballynacargy).