Goals are key as Breaffy pick up first win

AbbVie Mayo SFL Division 1 – Round 3 

Breaffy 2-13 

Garrymore 1-9 

Stuart Tynan in Garrymore 

Two goals early in the second-half saw Breaffy pick up their first Division 1 win of the season over a gutsy Garrymore last Friday evening.

There was little between the sides in the first-half but by the tenth minute of the second, the result wasn’t in doubt as a pair of majors for Sean Deane’s side saw last year’s league champions bounce back from defeat to Ballina Stephenites and a draw against Claremorris.

What should be music to the ears of Mayo senior manager Andy Moran is the performances of Jack Livingstone, Matthew Ruane and Aidan O’Shea for the victors. Livingstone was composed in goal and the majority of his kickouts found their intended targets.

In midfield, Ruane, after a slow start, got stronger as the game went on. He kicked two superb points and completed the full game as he continued his road back to full fitness after an injury-hit twelve months while O’Shea was a handful for the Garrymore backline all evening and converted three of his four frees.

Garrymore’s inter-county duo Enda Hession and Eoin McGreal missed the game due to injury while the club’s injury issues were not helped by the withdrawals during the game of Jamie Oates and David Dolan.

It was Breaffy who were quickest out of the blocks, with James Minogue opening the scoring for the visitors on six minutes after a pair of early wides for the Blue and White. Aidan O’Shea was to the fore for their next two scores, holding off multiple challenges for his first point of the evening followed by winning a foul and converting the resulting free.

Garrymore responded well, kicking the next five points to go in front. Aaron Hughes, Darren Quinn and Mark Gibbons were involved in the build-up for Micheál Connolly to fire over their first. Mark Gibbons picked off the next two (one from a free) and they took the lead thanks to a fisted effort by Cathal Slattery before Darren Quinn extended their lead further.

The score was 0-5 to 0-3 in favour of the hosts with 27 minutes played when goalkeeper Brian Lynskey was called into action to deny Breaffy’s Paul McDermott with a brilliant fingertip save. Another Aidan O’Shea free and a single from Davitt Neary ensured the teams went in level at the break, although Garrymore’s Darren Quinn had seen a free from a tight angle in the last action of the first-half come back off the post.

Lynskey was again called into action to deny Breaffy a goal early in the second-half, this time from Neary. Micheál Connolly put Garrymore back in front shortly after but on 46 minutes, Garrymore’s resistance was broken as Aidan Cunningham and the O’Shea brothers Conor and Aidan combined for Niall Carter to raise their first green flag.

Aaron Hughes and Pierce Deane exchanged points while Darren Quinn missed chances to draw Garrymore level, with both efforts dropping short.

The game was effectively ended on 41 minutes when Breaffy were awarded a penalty after Aidan O’Shea was brought down by Colin Commins, and Aidan Cunningham converted his spot-kick with conviction and precision.

Cunningham followed it up with an excellent two-pointer while Matthew Ruane landed his first point of the day. Ruane was denied a goal soon after by the woodwork but Aidan O’Shea ensured the move would not come to nothing as his point moved Breaffy 2-10 to 0-7 clear with 51 minutes played.

Garrymore continued to battle, with Trevor and Shane Nally prominent, and Darren Quinn finished off a superb goal two minutes later to give some hope.

That minor flicker was extinguished however, thanks to points from the Conor and Aidan O’Shea.

Garrymore’s final score of the evening was a fine one thanks to a Darren Quinn two-pointer after a breach by Breaffy, but Ruane’s last for Breaffy was a fitting end as held off two challenges on a barnstorming run before pointing.

Scorers – Breaffy: Aidan Cunningham 1-1-0 (1-0pen), Aidan O’Shea 0-0-5 (3f), Niall Carter 1-0-0, Matthew Ruane 0-0-2, James Mingoue, Davitt Neary, Pierce Deane and Conor O’Shea 0-0-1 each.

Garrymore: Darren Quinn 1-1-1 (1tpf), Micheál Connolly and Mark Gibbons (1f), 0-0-2 each, Cathal Slattery and Aaron Hughes 0-0-1 each.

Garrymore: Brian Lynskey; Alan Commins, Jame Oates, Colin Commins; Conor Lydon, David Dolan, Patrick Hession; Kenneth Lydon, Liam Horkan; Micheál Connolly, Cathal Slattery, Aaron Hughes; Darren Quinn, Gary Golden, Mark Gibbons. Subs: Nathan Gill (for Oates 23, inj), Trevor Nally (for Dolan 36, inj), Shane Nally (for Connolly 40), Jamie Hession (for Golden 49), Bobby Walsh (for Slattery 50).

Breaffy: Jack Livingstone; Mark Ward, Mark Dervan, Yousif Coghill; Ross Connolly, James Minogue, Gavyn McManamon; Matthew Ruane, Niall Carter; Paul McDermott, Conor O’Shea, Davitt Neary; Aidan Cunningham, Aidan O’Shea, Pierce Deane. Subs: Tommy O’Reilly (for McDermott 48), Adam Ruane and Gareth Dunne (for Carter and Cunningham 59), Keith Mulchrone (for Connolly 60+1).

REF: Frank Flynn (Aghamore)