Honours even as 14-man Garry’ are caught at the death
Midfield action between Mayo Gaels and Garrymore players during the drawn Mayo SFL Division 1B encounter last Saturday evening. Pictures: David Farrell Photography
A late John Gallagher free earned Mayo Gaels a share of the spoils in Saturday evening’s hosting of Garrymore. The latter, while perhaps disappointed not to claim both league points on offer, could take pride in their resilience which saw them play almost two thirds of the match with a player less, following the dismissal of attacking ace Darren Quinn in the 23rd minute.
This was a dramatic game that ebbed and flowed from the first whistle to the last and at the end of the sixty minutes, both Mayo Gaels and Garrymore were left to reflect on missed chances.
The game opened at a furious pace, with both teams creating early goal opportunities inside the opening two minutes. John Gallagher got the scoreboard ticking in the fourth minute with a free for Mayo Gaels but Garrymore responded through Eoin McGreal, whose driving run saw him fire narrowly over the crossbar. Darren Quinn followed up with a tidy point to send Garrymore in front.
Turnovers plagued both sides during the early stages, with some loose passing in the final third, but Mayo Gaels strung together a spell of dominance when they registered three unanswered points through James Jennings, Ronan Commons and Sean Keane, each of them excellent individual efforts. But Garrymore soon levelled again, thanks to a superb two-pointer from Trevor Nally in the thirteenth minute.
Mayo Gaels briefly pushed ahead through another John Gallagher free and a well-taken point from play, but the visitors defence, led by the commanding David Dolan, held firm. Aaron Hughes and Joseph Ferriter restored parity before Quinn, booked just seven minutes earlier, now received a black card to upgrade his punishment to red and reduce Garrymore to fourteen players.
Mayo Gaels, however, failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage. Adam Gallagher did nudge them ahead, only for Trevor Nally to hit another two-pointer from a placed ball. John Gallagher and Shane Nally exchanged scores, sending Garrymore into the break with a narrow 0-9 to 0-8 lead.
The second-half maintained the same intensity. Cathal Slattery opened the scoring before Mayo Gaels substitute David Quinn levelled matters with a fine two-point effort. Gary Golden and John Gallagher, a free, traded scores as both sides began to rack up wides. Despite good movement and buildup play, finishing was lacking from both sides, with Garrymore hitting the post three times in the second-half alone.
Trevor Nally edged the side in red and white ahead again in the final quarter, but Ronan Commons cancelled out that point. Garrymore’s midfield pairing of Liam Óg Horkan and Cathal Slattery made excellent driving runs while substitute Michael Connolly worked tirelessly after his introduction for the visitors.
In the 53rd minute, Garrymore finally made the breakthrough. Horkan’s incisive solo-and-go split the Mayo Gaels defence, ending with Conor Lydon burying the ball into the net. Sean Keane and Gary Golden traded points, keeping Garrymore’s three-point cushion intact, but when John Gallagher produced a stunning two-pointer in the 59th minute, that set up a grandstand finish.
With the clock ticking down, David Quinn flicked a ball onto the crossbar but was the first to react and kicked over the bar to level the game. Garrymore responded immediately with a point from Eoin McGreal but John Gallagher held his nerve from a late free to ensure the points were shared in a pulsating encounter.
