Green and Red set a winning pace in final shootout
Eoin Delaney scores the opening goal despite the close challenge of Sligo’s Eoghan Rua McGowan. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Shane Boland was the pick of the Mayo forwards in their Division 3A final victory over Sligo on Sunday afternoon. The Tooreen man scored 2-7 during a three-point win that Mayo were good value for. First-half goals for Boland and Eoin Delaney along with some supreme shooting that saw Mayo hit no wides in the opening half to Sligo’s five put some distance between the sides that the Yeats County failed to close sufficiently throughout a hard-fought second-half.
Sligo’s chances were massively dented by the serious injury suffered by midfielder Fionn Moylan in the second-half, which saw the game delayed for almost 10 minutes while the Easkey man received treatment. Moylan had two points to his name and was beginning to exert control having just set up Thomas Cawley for his goal when he went down injured.
Boland fired in his second goal and although the two Conors who emerged from the bench for Sligo, Hanniffy and Griffin, both found the back of the net, Mayo had enough put on the board to secure the victory.
It took just 46 seconds for Cormac Phillips to put the game’s opening score over from a free and Boland added his first of the day shortly after. Gerard O’Kelly Lynch, whose entire 0-8 tally came from dead balls, responded for Sligo with four minutes on the clock. Finnian Cawley levelled matters before Phillips put Mayo back in front. Points from Rory McHugh and O’Kelly Lynch put Sligo briefly in front with 10 minutes played for the first and only time in the match.
Liam Lavin and John Heraty got involved in the build-up but Eoin Delaney did a lot of the demanding work for his goal. He weaved his way through the Sligo defence and popped the ball in the net. For the next ten minutes, Mayo kept the pressure on. Boland fired over his second from play and with 15 minutes on the clock, he found the net.
Lavin’s shot was hit poorly; so much so that his hurl flew from his grasp. He watched as his wayward shot was taken down by Cormac Phillips and into the path of Boland who smacked home a powerful effort. Adrian Phillips added another from play to put Mayo seven in front following a dominant period of play.
Sligo took the next four points unanswered through Fionn Moylan, O’Kelly Lynch, Michael Munnelly and Thomas Cawley. O’Kelly Lynch scored two more frees for the remainder of the half but Mayo hit another purple patch. Eoin Delaney and Liam Lavin added points from play while Shane Boland fired over a free and a point either side of a Cormac Phillips point to make it 2-10 to 0-10 at the break.
Liam Lavin scored Mayo’s first two points of the second-half but Sligo were getting stuck in. Fionn Moylan was taking the game by the scruff of the neck with a point from play and then his wonderful pass found Easkey teammate Thomas Cawley who buried his chance brilliantly to give Sligo their first goal. The game underwent a long delay while Moylan received treatment and Sligo felt the big midfielder’s absence after he was stretchered off the pitch.
Eoin Delaney scored a point when the game resumed and Boland soon had his second goal and Mayo’s third. Delaney held the ball up well and found Boland in plenty of space and he applied the finish. Sligo were not out of this game quite yet and replied with a goal. Substitute Conor Hanniffy got the better of Mayo goalkeeper Bobby Douglas and put the ball in the net, making it a four-point game. O’Kelly Lynch fired over a 65 and Boland replied with a free before O’Kelly Lynch scored yet again from a free.
As hard as Sligo were working, Mayo was taking scores well having carried over their accuracy from the first-half. Cormac Phillips scored a ’65 and his brother Adrian scored another from play to extend the lead to six points.
With ten minutes of additional time due to Moylan’s injury, Sligo will have felt they had plenty of time to craft a comeback but Mayo remained in the driving seat. Sligo took the next two scores through O’Kelly Lynch from a ’65 and Thomas Cawley from play but frees from Cormac Phillips and Boland effectively cancelled out those efforts.
Conor Griffin bundled the ball over the line to cut the gap to three points before Boland’s free in the tenth minute of added time was enough to see Mayo move out of sight. Sligo did notch the game’s final score from a Rory McHugh free but it was too little, too late. They never quite found their rhythm after Moylan’s unfortunate injury and Mayo were in terrific shooting form all throughout the game, rarely putting a foot wrong in their forward play.
Mayo will commence their Nicky Rackard Cup championship campaign on the weekend after next with a home game against Monaghan. Sligo will host Kildare in the higher tier Christy Ring Cup on the same weekend.
