Garrymore Cross’ another one off the list
Garrymore's David Dolan gets a pass away despite having Crossmolina's Josh Moyles and Jordan Flynn for close company. Picture: Conor McKeown
There will be no fairytale ending to 2026 for Kobe McDonald and Crossmolina Deel Rovers as he played his final match for his club until who knows when. But for Garrymore, the dream is alive and kicking.
An estimated 3,000 people, undoubtedly the biggest crowd that has ever descended on Garrymore for a club championship match, were gripped from minute one last Saturday night for the most eagerly anticipated of the Mayo SFC quarter-finals. What it may have lacked in scores was made up for with the pace and intensity at which the game was played at.
Garrymore have been the story of the senior championship. They have sent three-in-a-row champions Ballina Stephenites packing, defeated Balla and picked off Castlebar Mitchels in the group stages. Of the three, only the victory over Balla could have been described as expected. Their two-point win over Crossmolina, albeit less surprising, was still a case of the underdog prevailing.
The home side’s biggest complaint could be that they did not see this one out with a bit more comfort at the end. On another day, the seven Garrymore wides in the second-half, with another two efforts coming back off the woodwork, could have proved costly and will ensure that no one in the Garrymore camp will be getting carried away just yet. But to paraphrase a certain county manager from earlier this summer: if Garrymore fans want to go a bit nuts after reaching a first county semi-final since 2021, let them.
Even though Crossmolina had the wind, Garrymore hit the ground running with a two-pointer from former Mayo player Shane Nally which was closely followed by a Cathal Slattery point.
The North Mayo men finally got off the mark on eight minutes through a Kobe McDonald ’45 but a stunning two-point effort off the outside of his left boot by Andy Glennon had Garrymore into a 0-5 to 0-1 lead on 12 minutes.
Crossmolina’s uncharacteristic lack of composure was alarming, and Garrymore could have punished it further when Trevor Nally played an inviting ball to Justin Commins, but his strike was turned away by goalkeeper Patrick Loftus, and the resulting ’45 was also missed.
Dylan Flynn got Crossmolina’s tails up with three of the next four points, including a brilliant two-point effort, and the increasing pressure on the Garrymore backline saw Niall Coggins soon make it a one-point game.
Darren Quinn, a free, kept Garrymore noses ahead but Crossmolina had all the momentum at this stage. Diarmuid Coggins brought it back to one before McDonald’s roar could be heard back in Crossmolina when he converted his second ’45 on the stroke of half-time to leave the match delicately balanced at 0-7 apiece.
Garrymore were back in front two minutes into the second-half thanks to a brilliant Darren Quinn two-pointer and a single from substitute Mark Gibbons but from here, a combination of bad luck and poor shooting kept Crossmolina in this one.
James Maheady and Conor Loftus pointed either side of a Darren Quinn single for the hosts, to leave two between them. The home support began to grow increasingly restless with each wide and missed effort.
A huge turnover then put Crossmolina back level on 52 minutes. After a Fionan Duffy free, James Maheady then won possession on the Garrymore ’45, playing it to Duffy before he set up McDonald for his first point of the evening from open play, making the game all square. Kobe McDonald then won a free for Duffy to convert, which put Crossmolina in front for the first time.
Cathal Slattery and Patrick Hession would both hit the post with Garrymore’s latest two attempts but Eoin McGreal, who had done a fine job man marking his county teammate McDonald throughout, had the upright working in his favour on this occasion with a fine score to level matters once again.
The noise level went up another notch as a stunning strike by Mark Gibbons from an acute angle and another from Cathal Slattery put two between them in additional time. Crossmolina looked to McDonald and Jordan Flynn for more two-point inspiration but it was not forthcoming as Crossmolina bowed out of the championship a round earlier than when taking Westport to extra-time in last year’s semi-final.
As for Garrymore? Write them off at your peril.
Scorers – Garrymore: Darren Quinn 0-1-3 (2f), Andy Glennon and Shane Nally 0-1-0 each, Cathal Slattery and Mark Gibbons 0-0-2 each, Eoin McGreal 0-0-1.
Crossmolina: Dylan Flynn 0-1-1, Kobe McDonald 0-0-3 (2 ’45), Fionan Duffy 0-0-2f, Niall Coggins, Diarmuid Coggins, James Maheady and Conor Loftus 0-0-1 each.
Garrymore: Brian Lynskey; Colin Commins, Jamie Oates, Justin Commins; David Dolan, Liam Óg Horkan, Eoin McGreal; Gary Golden, Aaron Hughes; Enda Hession, Andy Glennon, Shane Nally; Darren Quinn, Cathal Slattery, Trevor Nally. Subs: Mark Gibbons (for T Nally 30), Patrick Hession (for Dolan 45), Jamie Hession (for S Nally 60).
Crossmolina: Patrick Loftus; Seán Óg McGuinness, Matthew Gordetskyy, Aaron Coggins; Josh Moyles, Conor Loftus, Diarmuid Coggins; Jordan Flynn, Mikie Loftus; Dylan Flynn, Kobe McDonald, Niall Coggins; Oisin Deane, James Maheady, Diarmaid Walsh. Subs: Diarmuid Fox and Fionan Duffy (for M Loftus and Walsh ht), Patrick Leddy (for Deane 47).
REF: Shane Corcoran (Islandeady)
