Extra heartache for Mayo as final dream slips from grasp
Mayo's Andrew Quinn with John McGuinness of Roscommon. Picture: INPHO/Tom O’Hanlon
Playing their part in one of the most exciting games of championship football in the history of Connacht GAA will come as little consolation to Mayo after losing Wednesday night’s provincial U20 final to Roscommon.
There ended up no make, shape, rhyme nor reason to the proceedings in Tuam, as the helter-skelter of the fare saw basic errors entwine with moments of sheer brilliance, and the supporters lapped up all 80 plus minutes of pulsating action in Tuam.
In the end, a contribution of 3-3 from the Roscommon substitutes compared to a single point from Mayo’s bench made a seismic difference, in particular two goals by Ruairi Kilcline, his second deep into the second period of extra-time finally killing off the Mayo challenge.
Mayo had led by eight points at one stage of the first-half so defeat is going to feel especially raw, not least because they had already beaten Roscommon in the group stage.
Kobe McDonald and Tom Lydon each struck 1-6 from play for the Green and Red on the evening and McDonald added a ’45 too, but collectively Roscommon had that narrowest of margins more about them on the night, coming from behind on five separate occasions to eventually book their place in Saturday week’s All-Ireland semi-final.
It had taken a spreadeagled Conor Meaney to prevent a Roscommon goal only 17 seconds after throw-in, when Niall Heneghan fielded Eoghan Carty’s delivery only to have his shot superbly saved by the Mayo goalkeeper.
Heneghan was allowed to kick his mark instead but the response by the Green and Red was emphatic as Kobe McDonald ran on to a Colm Lynch pass and hammered in the first of the game’s seven goals inside the third minute.
That sent Mayo into a lead they nursed quite comfortably for the remainder of the first-half.
Mayo points by Josh Moyles and Darragh Beirne sandwiched two for Roscommon by John Curran and goalkeeper Patrick Gaynor, a ’45, but the Saffron and Blue had left another goal chance behind them with Gaynor’s conversion the result of his opposite number producing another excellent save, this time from John McGuinness.
A goal and two points by Mayo corner-forward Tom Lydon in a blistering three minute spell put further daylight between the teams and while Heneghan and Curran pulled back a couple of points, second points each for McDonald, Moyles and Beirne meant Mayo were 2-7 to 0-5 clear by the 26th minute.
Roscommon, though, struck a rich vein of form to kick 1-6 unanswered from six players either side of the half-time, the goal by John Curran and a wonderful two-point free by their captain Eoghan Carthy.
Roscommon would lose their lead but restore it when the unfortunate Meaney handpassed straight to Ruairí Kilcline who rolled in Roscommon’s second goal into an empty net. However, Mayo hit back through an audacious Kobe McDonald two-pointer and from thereon the game took on a life all of its own.
Mayo thought they had won it in normal time when Tom Lydon, twice, and Colm Lynch hit late points, but wing-back Keelan Kelly equalised for Roscommon who saw John McGuinness fluff a chance to nick the victory in the final act.
Roscommon sub Kevin Hester found the net in the first period of extra-time yet that still ended with Mayo a point to the good, however, the Shannonsiders reintroduced Dean Casey and his couple of points together with Ruairi Kilcline’s 80th minute major sealed the deal for Cian Smith’s side.
See Tuesday's Western People for full coverage and analysis.
