Lavin leads Larkin's lads to derby win

Allianz Hurling League Division 3 – Round 3 

Mayo 1-12 

Sligo 0-13 

In Quigibar, Enniscrone

It was a struggle but it was expected to be nothing less. Sligo may have lost their opening two games of Division 3 but at least they had the benefit of minutes under their belt; Mayo entered last Sunday’s Connacht derby cold, having had their opening round fixture against Cavan postponed prior to their bye in Round 2. So that Ray Larkin was able to mark his first game in sole charge of the Green and Red with an away victory over the next door neighbours offers something to build on, as last year’s Nicky Rackard Cup finalists look to try and climb their way into the second tier of league hurling.

Larkin was joint manager in 2024 along with Brian Finn, and the manner in which their side let slide a commanding position in that Rackard final against Donegal at Croke Park would have cut deep. But hope springs eternal and with Mayo having also beaten Sligo in last year’s Division 3A final, they’ll settle for now with retaining that dominance over their local rivals.

“It wasn’t pretty to watch,” Ray Larkin admitted afterwards. “I suppose it was our first game together, Sligo had two games coming in, so we were happy to win but we’ve loads to work on.” 

Given how, against the breeze, Sligo had narrowed a three points gap to just one entering second-half stoppage time, their manager Stephen Sheil may well wonder what might have been had they not lost Galway import Conor Hanniffy to a red card just one minute into the second-half. But Mayo played considerable periods with fewer numbers too, as corner-back Conal Hession spent 10 minutes in the dock towards the end of the first-half for unfairly – and deliberately – denying Sligo a goal opportunity, and wing-back Eoghan Collins was dismissed on a second booking on the hour mark. And the rivalry also saw Mayo lose a substitute to a red card before they even got on, after a heated altercation by the dugouts late in the first-half.

It was an eventful weekend for Eoghan Collins who 24 hours earlier had co-managed the St Colman’s College team who won the Connacht Post Primary Schools senior ‘A’ football title also at the expense of Sligo opposition in the form of Summerhill College.

Collins’ Ballyhaunis clubmate Ryan Kilbane and Ronan Fallon of Claremorris were handed league debuts when introduced as second-half substitutes to a Mayo team that already had starting debutantes in the Galway duo of Simon Thomas (Castlegar) and Ryan Duffy (Ballygar), who both impressed on half-back and half-forward lines respectively.

But despite their influence it was Sligo who made much the livelier start to the proceedings, racing into a three points lead courtesy of a pair of Andrew Kilcullen points, the second from a free, and one by Paul O’Leary. And while one strike of the sliothar by Liam Lavin would level it in the seventh minute, as the Mayo wing-forward punished a defensive mistake to fire the ball past home goalkeeper Kevan Brennan, four more times in the half the Yeats County were to move ahead of the visitors.

Fionn Connolly did exactly that when running forward from his own wing-back position to shoot an excellent point but a Shane Boland free levelled matters at 1-1 to 0-4 after 11 minutes. And Mayo actually hit the front for the only time in the opening half when Lavin split the posts on 18 minutes but that was swiftly responded to by another pair of Kilcullen points, an 80-metre free included. A third in succession by Kilcullen, in response to one by Ryan Duffy, preceded Mayo’s last point of the first-half, struck by Liam Lavin as early as the 24th minute, and that allowed Sligo to accrue some breathing space by the interval.

The 26th minute black card to Conal Hession resulted in a penalty that was flashed over the Mayo crossbar by Gerard O’Kelly Lynch after which the Black and White signed off the first-half with a brace of points by Paul O’Leary, to see them 0-10 to 1-4 ahead at the turnaround. The cost of not converting the penalty would, however, come back to haunt Sligo.

Hession was no sooner back on the pitch when the extra man advantage transferred to Mayo as Conor Hannify received his marching orders from referee Alan Tierney just one minute into the new half, for a heavy challenge on stalwart Mayo defender David Kenny. Sligo suffered badly in his absence, conceding seven of the first eight points, theirs scored by Gerard O’Kelly Lynch to end a 20-minute scoreless spell and Mayo’s contributed from placed balls by Shane Boland, three frees, Cormac Phillips, a free, and Liam Lavin, a ’65, and from play by Daniel Huane and Ryan Duffy.

That all meant Mayo, with the wind behind them, led 1-11 to 0-11 after 58 minutes but to then score only one point in the quarter hour that remained offered their hosts a lifeline.

Mayo’s cause wasn’t helped by Eoghan Collins’ 60th minute sending off, and with a pair of converted frees by Andrew Kilcullen dragging Sligo to within one point of the Green and Red, the final seven minutes of normal time plus three minutes of stoppage time were fraught with tension.

Between Kilcullen’s brace had come a goal chance, as sub Daniel Rolston connected with a high ball into the goalmouth but Mayo ‘keeper Bobby Douglas managed to deflect the sliothar against the post.

Try as they might, the hosts were unable to find an equalising score and instead, man-of-the-match Liam Lavin (1-4) picked off one final point to secure a two points win for Mayo, whose next game is the rescheduled Round 1 tie with Cavan. That will be played next Sunday, February 16 at 2.30pm in Adrian Freeman Memorial Park, Tooreen. The referee is Michael Connolly.

Cavan were beaten in London by nine points last Saturday but overcame Sligo in their previous outing.

Scorers – Mayo: Liam Lavin 1-4 (1 ’65), Shane Boland 0-4 (3f), Ryan Duffy 0-2, Daniel Huane and Cormac Phillips (f) 0-1 each.

Sligo: Andrew Kilcullen 0-7 (5f), Paul O’Leary 0-3, Gerard O’Kelly Lynch 0-2, Fionn Connolly 0-1.

Sligo: Kevan Brennan; Thomas Davis, Paul O’Brien, Darragh Cawley; James Weir, Kevin O’Kennedy, Fionn Connolly; Brian Shannon, Darragh Flynn; Paul O’Leary, Gerard O’Kelly Lunch, Eddie O’Donoghue; Andrew Kilcullen, Conor Hanniffy, Tony O’Kelly Lynch. Subs: Ronan Molloy (for Flynn 49), Daniel Rolston (for T O’Kelly Lynch 58), Kevin Beirne (for Cawley 68).

Mayo: Bobby Douglas; Conal Hession, Oisin Greally, Conor Murray; Eoghan Collins, Simon Thomas, David Kenny; Daniel Huane, John Heraty; Liam Lavin, Sean Kenny, Ryan Duffy; Shane Boland, Cormac Phillips, Jason Coyne. Subs: Ciaran McDermott (for Heraty 32), Jack Trench (for Murray 42), Ryan Kilbane (for Coyne 58), Ronan Fallon (for S Kenny 70), James Lyons (for Duffy 70+4).

REF: Alan Tierney (Tipperary)