Mayo defeat Sligo to reach Connacht U20 Final
Mayo’s Darragh Beirne scores a point in the opening minutes of the Dalata Connacht GAA U20 Football Championship Round 5 tie at Markievicz Park, Sligo, this evening. Picture: David Farrell Photography
A stunning first half performance by Mayo saw them advance to the Dalata Connacht U20 Football Championship Final with a 100% record after defeating Sligo 5-22 to 2-18 in Markievicz Park this evening.
The green and red's attacking power in this year's championship has been evident, and Darragh Beirne and Niall Hurley contributed for 4-10 of the overall tally. Both men found the net in the first half, as well as Cathal Keaveney, as the black and white appeared powerless to stop the relentless Mayo attack.
Mayo led Sligo 3-9 to 0-5 at half-time, and Claremorris forward Beirne notched 1-1 in the first four minutes of the second half to seemingly put the game beyond doubt.
Sligo, buoyed by the introduction of Ronan Niland at half-time, responded well through a trio of two-pointers before Dara Moystn found the net, which was quickly followed by Connor Flynn raising the green flag.
It would only be a brief respite for the home side as Mayo kept the scoreboard ticking through Beirne, Colm Lynch, Oisin Cronin and Luke Feeney, with Hurley netted his second goal late on.
Other results this evening saw Roscommon defeat an understrength Leitrim, a result which eliminates Galway from the championship. The Rossies will meet Sligo next week in the semi-final to see who will meet Mayo in the decider on April 30.
