Mayo draw Oscar blank in Shannonside stalemate
Mayo's Conor McCarthy beats Ryan Larkin of Roscommon to the ball during last Sunday's FAI Oscar Traynor Cup encounter in Lecarrow. Pictures: John Corless
FAI Oscar Traynor Cup – Round 3
Roscommon & District League 2
Mayo League 2
Stuart Tynan in Lecarrow
In a game where little other than pride was on the line, Mayo League and Roscommon & District League played out a frustrating draw in Lecarrow last Sunday in what for both sides was their final game of the 2025/2026 FAI Oscar Traynor Cup.
Mayo and Roscommon were both eliminated in the second round of games last month, with only one team from Connacht progressing to the national stages. As a result, both management teams gave a run out to some of their squad panellists and a draw was a fair result in the end.
Mayo, for whom this was a third straight game without a win, may feel they did not get the rub of the green from some of the refereeing decisions, but the quality of the final ball for much of this game was disappointing, while Roscommon were also guilty of the wrong decision in the final third.
Given the non-regulars on show, perhaps that was no surprise. Yet this game had a lightning start, with two goals inside four minutes. The contest was hardly 90 seconds old when Roscommon got in behind the Mayo backline too easily. The visitors were operating with three centre halves at the back but in a move started by Thomas Hurley and Stephen Murray, it was the latter who crossed for Adam Farrell to finish it off and give Roscommon the early lead.
Mayo’s response was impressive. Ryan Connolly’s brilliant strike from 25 yards may have got a deflection on the way from Ryan Larkin, but his volley had enough power and precision on it to give the Roscommon goalkeeper no chance, and Mayo levelled the game.
Mayo’s Connall Doran was the busier of the two goalkeepers early doors, and he was quick to first deny Murray, then Cian Kelly at near point-blank range.
Conversely, tame efforts by Connor McCarthy on 14 and 21 minutes did little to trouble Darragh Murphy and the game from here to half-time was a scrappy affair, with neither side getting much joy on the ball. Roscommon went close on the stroke of half-time through Daire Keenan, but his curled shot from just outside the area flew just over.
Roscommon should have gone back in front six minutes into the second-half. Tom Hurley captialised on some indecision by Brian Walsh in the Mayo backline only to see his tame shot go wide of the post.
A minute later, Mayo punished the mistake with the best moment of quality in the game. Connor McCarthy played a cross-field ball to Mark Maloney and the Claremorris man raced away before firing a rasper that had too much on it for the Roscommon goalkeeper to keep out.
Mayo’s lead lasted only two minutes however. A quick free-kick was played to Daire Keenan and his cross from the left was directed into the net by Shane Farrell, with a Mayo defender getting a touch on the way, to level the game again.
Another unforced error gave Roscommon a glorious chance to win the game on 76 minutes. Ryan Connolly’s loose pass was pounced on by Cian Kelly. He crossed it to Cathal Horan, but the Ballaghaderreen midfielder could not keep his shot down.
The remainder of the game was a stop-start affair, and the game became niggly with a number of late challenges. Mayo manager Alan Henry had to watch stoppage-time of the game from the stand after picking up two yellow cards earlier in the half, each for dissent.
“We had players in that wanted to come in and represent their county. It’s great to have the boys in with the will to fight a week before Christmas for a game that didn’t mean too much in terms of qualification. The players had pride in playing for their county,” said Mayo defender Andrew Shally after the game.
On the three-game campaign as a whole, which saw Mayo draw twice and lose once, Shally conceded it was disappointing. “With the quality that’s in the county, we definitely should be doing better.”
Roscommon & District League: Darragh Murphy, David Flangan, Keith Murphy, Ryan Larkin, Conor McGreal, Cathal Horan, Thomas Hurley, Daire Keenan, Stephen Murray, Adam Farrell, Cian Kelly. Subs: Ronan Morris (for Murphy 55), Daniel Connolly (for Keenan 79).
Mayo League: Conall Doran, David McHale, Brian Walsh, Andrew Shally, Ryan Connolly, Darragh Byrne, Kevin Kitterick, Connor McCarthy, Jordan Loftus, PJ Gilmartin, Mark Malone. Subs: Lee Traynor (for Gilmartin 71), Sean Hughes (for McHale 77), Shaun Dempsey (for Byrne 85).
REF: Gerard Carmody
