Mitchell's goal-scoring touch helps The Downs reign supreme

Shay Murtagh Precast SFC final

The Downs 1-18, St Loman's, Mullingar 0-20

By Paul Hughes

When Niall Mitchell netted just before half time in Sunday’s SFC decider in TEG Cusack Park, The Downs contingent must have been dreaming of 2022.

On that day four years ago, they met the same opposition in the hunt for the Flanagan Cup. The weather was awful, the football poor and scores hard to come by. It was a radically different story last Sunday: the weather was ideal, the football thrilling and scores plentiful. What the two finals had in common was that The Downs prevailed and that it took a goal from Mitchell to separate the sides.

Victory on Sunday meant that The Downs join Mullingar Shamrocks as the second most decorated senior club in Westmeath, with 12 titles to their name. It also meant that the black and ambers have won back-to-back SFC titles for the first time since the great Mick Carley and his teammates sealed a hat-trick in 1970. Only the brave or foolhardy would bet against Dermot Power’s charges repeating that feat in 2027.

The Downs might have been the strong pre-match favourites but all analysis went out the window with the news that Ronan O’Toole was to start for St Loman’s. One of the most gifted forwards in Westmeath, O’Toole lives and works for Australia but came home for the decider – and he didn’t disappoint, kicking some exquisite scores.

However, the day belonged to The Downs and man of the match Niall Mitchell, who stole the show in his role as target man, nabbing a decisive goal and putting on an exhibition in fielding. Westmeath manager Mark McHugh, watching from the stand, will have been pleased with the standard of football on display and as he builds a panel for 2027, the performances by O’Toole and Mitchell will give him more food for thought.

High-quality football was the order of the day in the first half, with Mitchell’s form evident early on and fans treated to an exhibition in long-range kicking from John Heslin (St Loman’s) and Luke Loughlin (The Downs).

However, the black and ambers led 1-10 to 0-10 at the short whistle Mitchell pounced for a slapped goal in stoppage time, and St Loman’s never really recovered from that hammer-blow.

Though Heslin fired an equaliser with seven minutes to go, the Blues were terribly wasteful in the final 20 minutes and The Downs, for whom a Leinster Club opener against Longford’s Clonguish now beckons, got over the line with a flurry of scores in stoppage time.

St Loman’s started the brightest, with O’Toole a livewire whose trickery inevitably invited some aggressive marking. Skipper Sean Flanagan opened the scoring after being teed up by Shane Dempsey and the Saints had strong claims for a foul dismissed moments later when O’Toole was challenged while kicking for goal.

At the other end, Joe Moran equalised for The Downs, handpassing over the bar with a potential goal on but after five minutes, St Loman’s led 0-3 to 0-1 thanks to a brace from John Heslin – the second from a free, after O’Toole was again fouled.

From there, however, The Downs settled and within ten minutes they led 0-8 to 0-3 thanks to Luke Loughlin (0-5, including a two-pointer off his left and a two-point free) and Niall Mitchell (0-2, one from play). The black and ambers almost netted in the 11th minute but St Loman’s netminder Jason Daly was equal to a shot from Ian Martin.

Shane Dempsey replied for St Loman’s (after a superb flick from Heslin), but Moran once again posed a threat, powering down the middle and fisting over the bar. Heslin then reduced the arrears to three with a two-point free off his left boot before a Loughlin free made it 0-10 to 0-6.

St Loman’s then roared back into contention with three scores on the trot, with O’Toole and Sam McCartan opening their accounts before Heslin equalised courtesy of another two-point free, this time with his right peg.

The game was nicely poised but The Downs had the last say of the half when Luke Loughlin unleashed Kevin O’Sullivan down the right flank. Bearing down on goal, O’Sullivan squared for the inrushing Niall Mitchell, who had the simple task of slapping the ball to the net.

Trailing by that goal, Paddy Dowdall’s troops needed a quick response after the restart and inside the first minute, Sam McCartan found Ronan O’Toole, who despatched his second point just inside the post. St Loman’s sought to narrow the gap further but they were stymied.

By the end of the third quarter, Mitchell’s goal still separated the sides, with O’Toole, Dempsey and Danny McCartan finding their range for the Saints and Dean Egerton, Jonathan Lynam, Mitchell (a free) and Loughlin on target for the holders.

With seven minutes to go, however, a draw looked on the cards when John Heslin dragged St Loman’s back to parity (0-17 to 1-14) with a brace of frees, the second of these a two-pointer after The Downs were caught out by a breach of positional rules.

However, the Blues never managed to get their noses in front and kicked seven wides in the final 20 minutes, with the McCartan brothers and Dempsey among those misfiring. Shortly after a free from Mitchell edged The Downs into the lead, St Loman’s sub TJ Cox found himself in a goalscoring position and, after hesitating at the first opportunity, his eventual shot was blocked.

Another free from Heslin levelled matters again and a draw looked even more likely when he and Mitchell traded wides in stoppage time. However, The Downs upped the ante and hit three on the trot courtesy of Mitchell, Loughlin (frees) and Ian Martin to lead 1-18 to 0-18.

With six minutes of injury time called, there was still time for another sting in the tail but when Ronan O’Toole conjured a late two-pointer, it was too late for St Loman’s. Not for the first time, The Downs were all over the subsequent kickout.

The final whistle sounded, and at full-time, Luke Loughlin and Ian Martin, the eloquent joint-captains for The Downs, accepted the Flanagan Cup from Westmeath GAA chairman, Paddy Wallace.

Scorers - The Downs: N Mitchell 1-6 (0-5f), L Loughlin 0-7 (1 2pt, 1 2ptf, 1f), J Moran 0-2, J Lynam, I Martin and D Egerton 0-1 each. St Loman’s: J Heslin 0-10 (3 2ptf, 3f), R O’Toole 0-5 (1 2pt), S Dempsey 0-2, S McCartan and D McCartan 0-1 each.

The Downs: Trevor Martin; Éanna Burke, Josh Murtagh, Oisín Loughlin; Jonathan Lynam, Ciaran Nolan, Joe Moran; Lorcan Mullen, Charlie Drumm; Kevin O’Sullivan, Ian Martin (joint capt.), Billy Moffatt; Luke Loughlin (joint capt.), Niall Mitchell, Dean Egerton. Subs used: Tom Tuite for Egerton (48), Michael Moloney for Moran (55).

St Loman’s, Mullingar: Jason Daly; Mikey Weir, Darragh O’Keeffe, Nathan Lally; David Whelan, Jack Geoghegan, Eoghan Hogan; Sean Flanagan (capt.), Sam McCartan; Cillian Plunkett, John Heslin, Neil Duffy; Ronan O’Toole, Danny McCartan, Shane Dempsey. Subs: Kelvin Reilly for Weir (48), TJ Cox for Duffy (51), Kevin Regan for Plunkett (57).

Referee: Alan Coyne (Castletown-Finea/Coole/Whitehall).

Footnote

Before the game a minute’s silence was observed in memory of the late Davy Nolan, Blanchardstown, Co. Dublin and formerly of Mullingar, who had a distinguished football career with Mullingar Shamrocks and UCD during the 1950s and 1960s. He was a dual star for Westmeath and won a Westmeath SHC medal with Pearses in 1962.

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