Shock defeat leaves O'Mahonys on the brink

IFC RELEGATION Ballivor secure status in style

Ballivor.......................................1-15

Navan O'Mahonys........................1-9

The unthinkable is just one game away from potentially becoming a reality as 20-time Meath SFC winners Navan O'Mahonys slumped into the IFC relegation final following their loss to Ballivor at Cortown on Thursday night.

Firstly, congratulations to Ballivor, last year's semi-finalists, on securing their status after what was a very tough campaign, but the remarkable story is that O'Mahonys star has fallen so dramatically that they are now just 60 minutes away from dropping into the third tier of football in the county.

Last year O'Mahonys missed out on a return to senior football following an extra-time loss to Meath Hill in the IFC final, but this year they find themselves on the precipice of a second drop in five years.

In 2022, seven years after clinching their second successive Keegan Cup and 20th in total, O'Mahonys were relegated from senior football following a play-off final loss to Seneschalstown.

They reached the IFC final last year, but now they must face Curraha in a final battle to avoid dropping down to the third tier of Meath football for the first time since the club was formed in late 1948 (they won the JFC at the first attempt in 1949).

Nerves were obvious from the off in Cortown on Thursday and after a slow start, Ballivor opened the scoring with a free.

Robbie Keelaghan replied likewise and Aodhan Mallon gave O’Mahonys a narrow edge with a point from play. Ballivor soon equalised again and on the 17th minute with a two-pointer.

Mallon quickly reduced this gap with a free before Ballivor enjoyed a purple patch to go into first-half injury time leading by four points. The last kick of the half came from Keelaghan, converting a two-point free to leave two between the sides at the interval, 0-5 to 0-7.

With O’Mahonys needing a good start to get the half going, it was the opposite that occurred with Ballivor finding the net after two minutes.

O’Mahonys responded quickly, with Mallon converting a free to leave four between the sides. A minute later, Keelaghan did the same before an impressive score from Eoghan Nugent left the gap at two points.

After five scoreless minutes, Ballivor added two points in quick succession and midway through the half, Mallon made it a three point game from a free.

Three points in the next five minutes from Ballivor left six between the sides and O’Mahonys chasing the game for the final 10 minutes.

It was Ballivor that added scores in the 55th and 58th minutes to ensure the result all but secured. A late free for Ballivor and a goal from Mallon in injury time had little impact on the final score as now O'Mahonys stand on the brink of a second relegation in five years.

Navan O’Mahonys - Jamie O’Reilly; Darragh Murphy, Paddy Dillon, Sean Betson; Dean Halpin, Mike O’Reilly, Darragh Maguire; Aodhan Mallon, Eoghan Nugent; Cormac Nugent, Oisin O’Brien, Shane Maguire; Ivo Fitzherbert, Duggie Dillon, Robbie Keelaghan. Subs - Conor Finnegan for Maguire, Evan Coffey for Fitzherbert, Ronan Clarke for O’Brien, Shane McCarthy for Keelaghan.