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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Magic Moran tips the scales
By Joe Pilkington
MAYO 0-19 ARMAGH 0-17
A 10 POINT haul, including nine frees and a ‘65’, by Tipperary native Brian Moran tipped the scales in favour of Mayo in an intriguing encounter at Crossmaglen, last Saturday.
The Moycarkey-Borris clubman scored five points in each half as Mayo overcame an 0-11 to 0-9 half-time deficit with a strong second half performance to win by two points.
It looked as if it was going to be a cakewalk for the Westeners as they raced into a 0-8 to 0-1 lead after 14 minutes but were hauled back by a free running Armagh side that missed a penalty and accumulated 15 first half wides to the visitors one, yet went in at the break in the lead.
In the fourth minute Ger Enright registered Armagh's opening point to halve the deficit as the visitors, with points from a Moran free and one from play from David Dowling, were out of the blocks a lot quicker. Three more Moran points, two from midfielder Derek McConn and one from Eoghan Madigan had Mayo seven points ahead by the quarter hour.
The last 20 minutes of the opening half belonged to Armagh as the visitors wilted inexplicably to be outscored 10 points to one. A 21 minute pointed ‘65’ from Mayo’s Moran was all that interrupted the string of points and wides chalked up by a rampant Armagh who really turned this game around.
Paul Breen with two from frees and two from play led the Armagh fightback and Ryan Gaffney and John Corvan grabbed a brace apiece, with Kieran McKernan and Paul McCormack, a free, completing the Armagh points haul. Corvan elected to take his point on 26 minutes with a good goal chance presenting itself.
On the half hourmark Mayo registered their only wide of the half and three minutes later with the teams tied at 0-9 apiece, Brian Higgins batted away a Paul McCormack penalty to safety to ensure a goal free opening half.
Manager Martin Brennan must have read the riot act at the break as Mayo came out a different proposition. They got closer and tighter and the space and freedom which Armagh had enjoyed evaporated. Saying that, immediately after the throw-in Armagh stretched their lead through a Fiachra Bradley point before Moran and McKernan traded points.
Mayo, however, then introduced dual star Keith Higgins to telling effect as he dropped in front of the half back line and mopped up a lot of loose ball to really steady the Mayo ship. Two Moran frees were followed by the best score of the match from David Dowling and the sides were level at 0-13 each some 10 minutes after the restart.
Higgins from play fired Mayo into a lead that they would never relinquish with parity twice the nearest Armagh got for the remainder of the game. A second Bradley point tied things before Mayo substitute Kenny Feeney gave the Westeners a shortlived lead as a Paul Breen free brought parity with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Mayo full-forward Ronan Cullinan got himself on the scoresheet on the hour mark before a Moran free, following a red card offence by Armagh's Barney McCann, doubled the lead. Another Mayo substitute Niall Murphy put a goal between the teams with his side’s eighteenth point of the afternoon. Paul McCormack, now operating at full-forward, pulled one back for Armagh before Armagh goalkeeper Joby Burke pointed a free which was moved closer to goal for dissent as the game moved into added time.
Fittingly, Man-of-the-Match Moran had the final say with the last point of the game taking him to double figures in a most productive afternoon for the Tipperary man.
As Mayo returned to the West, they will have contemplated how they lost control after such a terrific start.
SCORERS – Mayo: Brian Moran 0-10 (9f, 1 ‘65’), Derek McConn and David Dowling 0-2 each, Ronan Cullinane, Eoghan Madigan, Keith Higgins, Niall Murphy and Kenney Feeney 0-1 each. Armagh: P Breen 0-5, P McCormack, J Corvan, R Gaffney, F Bradley and K McKernan 0-2 each, J Burke and G Enright 0-1 each.
ARMAGH: J Burke; B Mallon, P McArdle, F McMullan; P McCormack, B McCann, B Breen; K McKernan, R Gaffney; J Corvan, C Carvill, P Breen; G Enright, C McCann, F Bradley. Subs: B McCormack (for C McCann), P Cunningham (for McKernan).
MAYO: D O’Brien; B Higgins, K Moran, S Morley; E Madigan, P Barrett, C Ryan; S Markham, D McConn; S Hunt, D Dowling, B Moran; S Hoban, R Cullinane, Kenny Robinson. Subs: K Higgins (for Hunt), K Feeney (for Robinson), N Murphy (for Hoban), S Hunt (for Madigan).
Referee: Garrett Duffy (Antrim)
Mayo Host Derry next week in Round 3 of the NHL. Throw in at McHale Park, Castlebar is at 2.30pm. Referee is Pat Greene.
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