Londoners topple Mayo in FBD shock

FBD Connacht Senior Football League Quarter-Final 

London 0-12

Mayo 1-8 

History was made on Sunday as London recorded their first ever victory over Mayo to book their place in the semi-finals of the FBD Connacht Senior Football League. 

The Exiles survived falling behind to a 50th minute Cillian O’Connor goal to kick three of the game’s final four points and win by the minimum at the Connacht GAA Air Dome.

Michael Maher’s side was exceptionally well organised and while Mayo will be bitterly disappointed to lose having struck fourteen wides, it was difficult to argue anything other than that London were good value for their win.

It was an exceptionally sweet occasion for their debutante full-forward Shay Rafter as the London native scored six points against his father’s home county, including the 70th minute winner from a mark.

With Stephen Dorman, Liam Gallagher and Daniel Clarke performing strongly around the midfield diamond throughout, London set much of the early pace and it would take all of 25 minutes for Mayo to hit the front for the first time, through Jordan Flynn’s second point of the game. But even then London were level inside a minute as their captain Eoin Walsh scored his side’s fourth point; the other three, from a free, a mark and from play, were all kicked by Rafter who then hit another free in the 31st minute to level the match for a fifth time.

A Cillian O’Connor free – his second of the half – ensured Mayo took the minimum of leads, 0-6 to 0-5, to the dressing-room at half-time, their other points having come from Frank Irwin and Darren Quinn, one of nine newcomers given their start by manager Kevin McStay.

But any notion that Mayo, despite their experimental nature, might overwhelm the visitors after the restart was quelled when London hit the opening three points of the second-half, which included a wonderful solo effort by substitute Gareth McDowell. However, a mini purple patch by Mayo did yield a skyscraping point from full-back Donnacha McHugh and then a Cillian O’Connor goal, after Flynn’s fine catch and delivery from midfield, to leave the locals 1-7 to 0-9 ahead.

But London gained oxygen from a wonderful save by their goalkeeper Andrew Walsh to deny Kevin Quinn from bagging Mayo a second major, with back-to-back Liam Gallagher frees sending them in front again. And while sub Conal Dawson kicked an equalising free on 64 minutes, that was Mayo’s solitary score of the final quarter, with punishment for their eleven second-half wides served by Shay Rafter’s match winner.

London will return to the same venue for next Saturday’s semi-final against Roscommon who were too strong for Sligo on Friday night.

*See Tuesday’s print edition for full coverage.