Castlebar progressed to the semi-finals of the Mayo Senior Football Championship with a one-point victory over reigning champions Knockmore on Sunday.
Key to the Castlebar victory was Ethan Gibbons who scored seven points, five coming from play, in the 0-12 to 0-11 victory.
"It's phenomenal," Barry Moran, the former Mayo footballer who is Castlebar joint manager with Neil Lydon, told TG4 about Gibbons's performance.
"Last week, he was a sub. So, he wasn't really happy over the last couple of weeks, but we're picking on form, and Ethan has come into form.
"He'd a great game for us last week, came in and got three from play, one from a free to grind out a draw against Garrymore. He'd a massive day today, and I'm delighted for him.
"He could have sulked about it, but he came in and did his job, and I'm delighted for him. He was a brilliant player today for us."
9 August 2020; Ethan Gibbons of Castlebar Mitchels and his team-mates make their way onto the pitch prior to the Mayo County Senior Football Championship Group 1 Round 3 match between Castlebar Mitchels and Breaffy at Páirc Josie Munnelly in Castlebar, Mayo. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Moran added: "It was a major battle here today. We're lucky in one way. I think Aidan Orme had a chance there to level it, and then we missed one at the end. We're delighted, beating Knockmore, two-time county champions.
"We've been working hard over the last few months, and we played Knockmore in a league final but there's nothing like championship. If you took Donie Newcombe and Ger McDonagh out of the starting 15 today, your average age is 21.
"It's important for that group not to get carried away. You need championship football like that to build character. Everyone watching today saw that this team has character.
"We're taking it one game at a time, and when you've got a young group like this, you have to do it like that. We're not going to get carried away here today. We'll see who we get in the draw, let them out for a few drinks, or whatever they want to do tonight, and then we'll regroup on Tuesday.
"On our day, if we get our heads right and we work, we're capable of beating anyone. The flipside is if we don't [work] anyone can beat us."
Today’s Connacht Gold SFC Man of the Match, Castlebar Mitchels Ethan Gibbons Well done Ethan 👏#mayogaa pic.twitter.com/ECHMoNVBHC
— Mayo GAA (@MayoGAA) October 2, 2022
See Also: Andy Moran Scores Incredible 3-3 In Final Mayo Club Game
