Charlestown Sarsfields are on the cusp of promotion back to the top division of senior league football in Mayo by virtue of their comfortable 3-10 to 0-10 victory over Islandeady in the penutlimate round of fixtures in Division 1 B played in Islandeady recently.
The Sarsfields have assumed control of the divison as they sit top of the table with only Kiltaine standing between them and outright victory of the league proper.
The Sarsfields were far from at full strength with the likes of Thomas Parsons, Jack Reilly, Niall Murphy all unavailable due to work commitments while injury curtailed Matt Lenehans involvement as he was unable to line out from the start. The first half was tight and well contested for the most part with the green and white getting plenty of it from the home side who were competitive and fiesty in the tackle and werent holding back in the scrap for possession in the middle third.
The Sarsfields held a slender one point lead at half-time as they were 0-6 to 0-5 in front with Paul Towey to the fore as he clipped over two excellent points with Alan Woods, Gareth ODonnell, Colm Maye and Patrick Goldrick landing the other four to keep the Sarsfields noses ahead at the break. The Sarsfields took control early in the second half with Paul Towey and Conor ODonoghue landing good points. Indeed Towey took centre stage moments later when he played a pinpoint pass to Gareth ODonnell on the edge of the square with the midfielder evading his marker before crashing the ball high into the Islandeady net to put daylight between the teams for the first time. That goal knocked the stuffing out of the home side as the Sarsfields flexed their muscles and put another big dent in West Mayo sides morale when Towey took a pass from Conor ODonoghue and somehow threaded his well placed shot through a forest of bodies to find the bottom corner of the net to put the Sarsfields seven clear. Islandeady never threw in towel to be fair and did muster some pressure in and around the Sarsfields goal and missed two glorious goal chances midway through the half which if they had scored them might have caused a wobble in the green and whites momentum as the defence endured some anxious moments with keeper Kenneth Brennan pulling off a tremendous point blank save with ten to go to maintain the Sarsfields comfortable lead.
The Sarsfields did tighten up defensively in the closing stages as all routes to their goal were well and truly sealed off and they always looked threatening on the break and from one such lightning raid came their third and final goal with youngster Jack Mahon rounding off a sweeping mover from back to front as he rammed the ball to the net to crown a good performance overall with the final score a true reflection of the gap in class between the two teams on the night.
The Sarsfields had fine displays from Paul Towey who was the outstanding forward on view as he showed real glimpses of his undoubted class with his goal and assist for the first goal two of the standout moments of the game. Gareth ODonnell, Alan Woods, Patrick Walsh, Gerard and Enda McLoughlin, Patrick and Matt Lenehan, Paddy Goldrick and Kenneth Brennan also excelled at various stages and were always at the hub of most of the Sarsfields best play. Next up is a the title decider against Kiltaine in Fr OHara Park with the Sarsfields holding most of the aces as they look to regain their place in the top echelons of league football in Mayo with hopefully some silverware on the shelf a nice bonus for what`s been a good year in the rounds for Martin Mulvaney and his management team.