Mayo huff and puff but get the job done
Eoin O'Donoghue, who was making his first league appearance for Mayo since 2021, tackles Monaghan's Jason Irwin. Pictures: INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan
Playing with the advantage of an extra man from as early as the 23rd minute, Mayo stumbled to their fourth win in this year’s National Football League on Sunday, scoring 1-2 inside the final five minutes to come from behind and serve Monaghan their sixth consecutive defeat of the season.
The Farney side’s victory over All-Ireland champions Dublin in Croke Park in the opening round had proven something of an outlier, with their relegation from Division 1 confirmed even before Mayo’s visit to Clones, but the locals could still consider themselves exceptionally unlucky not to have ended their 10-year spell in the top flight on a relative high, having had ample chances to eke out a victory in spite of Mayo’s extra man.
In fact, it took a save by Rory Byrne, the third goalkeeper used by Mayo this campaign, in the very last play of the game, to deny substitute Joel Gilson a match-winning goal which few would have argued Vinny Corry’s men didn’t deserve.
Mayo had gone from the 12th to the 61st minutes without a forward scoring from play, and from the 13th to the 55th without any player scoring from play. As league finishes go, this wasn’t exactly what you might call the Green and Red going out on a high. But still, they got the job done, thanks in no small part to a massively improved midfield performance by Matthew Ruane, which was one of the major positives on the day from a Mayo perspective. The Breaffy man was the game’s top scorer from play, with a goal and two points – his 66th minute major dragging Kevin McStay’s team level just two minutes after Monaghan had themselves found the back of the Mayo net.
This was undoubtedly the smallest attendance Mayo had played a competitive game in front of since Covid times, an indication of the inconsequential nature of the result. It was no great surprise to the estimated 3,000 spectators then that a challenge-match feel enveloped the first-half proceedings, something highlighted by the indifference of home supporters to the dismissal of Andrew Woods for his off-the-ball strike on David McBrien. No one was going to sweat over this one.
Still, for Mayo to reach half-time a point in arrears despite the extra-man advantage was slightly disconcerting, with Darren McHale’s 12th minute goal the only first-half score from play by a forward unit that included its first choice full-forward line of Ryan O’Donoghue, Tommy Conroy and Aidan O’Shea.
The game was a useful one for the Mayo management in that it offered the opportunity to return McBrien and Paddy Durcan from their injury layoffs, and to hand goalkeeper Byrne, Eoin O’Donoghue, Padraig O’Hora and goal-scorer McHale their first starts of 2024, and to experiment positionally too, with Jack Coyne in a more advanced role and David McBrien lining out at midfield. His withdrawal at half-time, McStay assured, was merely precautionary, after the blow he had shipped from the dismissed Woods.
It had taken Jason Irwin just eight seconds to kick Monaghan into a lead that was doubled in the fourth minute by Gary Mohan from a mark. Ryan O’Donoghue levelled from a pair of frees but a cracking point from the right wing by half-back Karl O’Connell had restored Monaghan’s lead when Mayo struck for the opening goal. O’Donoghue’s delivery into the goalmouth took a fortunate deflection into the path of Aidan O’Shea who fed the onrushing Coyne. The Ballyhaunis man hand-passed through for Darren McHale to crash the ball into the roof of Darren McDonnell’s net and Mayo were 1-2 to 0-3 ahead.
A left-footed point by Matthew Ruane a minute later increased the away side’s lead to three but by the 20th minute Monaghan were level courtesy of frees by Micheál Bannigan, two, and Ciaran McNulty, one.
The sending-off of Ciaran Woods should have given Mayo something to capitalise upon but the only score they could muster for the remainder of the half was an O’Shea free whereas points from play by Sean Jones, after a lovely sidestep dummy, and Bannigan, saw Monaghan take a 0-8 to 1-4 lead into the dressing-room.
And nor was there any sign during the early throes of the second-half of Mayo having any idea as to how to make their extra player count, with Jones and first-half substitute David Garland, from a mark, increasing Monaghan’s advantage to three points inside two minutes of the restart.
The Ulstermen, particularly McDonnell and McCarthy, missed further chances to extend their side’s lead while at the other end, Ryan O’Donoghue and Tommy Conroy kicked short into the goalkeeper. And while O’Donoghue, just like he had in the first-half, did eventually score Mayo’s opening points of the second, from a pair of frees, Monaghan replied in kind but from play, with sub Barry McBennett and Micheál Bannigan kicking them 0-12 to 1-6 ahead after 53-minutes.
It was perhaps no coincidence that Mayo would score more in the final quarter than they had up until now, following the introduction of Fergal Boland, with the Aghamore man having a direct involvement in five of their final eight scores.
A point from a mark by half-time sub Cillian O’Connor had gone negated by David Garland when Boland and O’Donoghue linked up to set-up Ruane for his second point. And after O’Connor and Garland traded frees (the latter seemed unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty having beaten Rory Brickenden to possession), Boland blasted over himself from 44-metres before winning the Monaghan kick-out and setting up McHale whose point levelled the game, 1-11 to 0-14, after 62-minutes.
Parity, however, lasted just 120-seconds as Bannigan’s long ball inside saw Ciaran McNulty, despite being well held up by Rory Byrne, slipping the ball back to Kevin Loughran whose drilled finish into the bottom left corner sent Monaghan three points clear again.
O’Donoghue flashed an equalising chance wide a minute later but with four minutes of normal time remaining, a mix-up between Monaghan ‘keeper McDonnell and his defence was ruthlessly punished when James Carr, making his first appearance of the season, and fellow subs Cillian O’Connor and Bob Tuohy set-up Matthew Ruane to fire home Mayo’s second goal.
With all their substitutes used, Monaghan were forced to play out the final seven minutes with only thirteen players following an injury to the excellent Bannigan, and that took its toll, with a foul on Boland allowing Ryan O’Donoghue to kick Mayo in front for the first time since the opening quarter before Boland supplied Padraig O’Hora to score a 70th minute point and send Mayo two clear.
And yet still the job wasn’t done. Three minutes of stoppage time had all but elapsed when goal-scorer Loughran lumped a ball into the Mayo goalmouth where it was won by Joel Wilson, the last of Monaghan’s six substitutes. Wilson turned and let fly at goal only for Byrne to throw himself in the way of the shot and ensure Mayo’s win - and a fourth-place finish in the table.
Both teams will be in action again on Sunday week, April 7, with Mayo in New York to launch their Connacht SFC title bid and Monaghan hosting Cavan in an Ulster quarter-final.
