Mayo keep the Faith to reach All-Ireland minor semi-final
Mayo’s Fiachra O’Cinnseala in action against Offaly’s Caden O’Beirne during the Electric Ireland MFC quarter-final at King and Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park Roscommon this afternoon. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Mayo advanced to a third All-Ireland minor football semi-final in four years after holding off a relentless Offaly in a pulsating battle in Hyde Park.
The Green and Red got off to a great start when Conor Hession’s found the net inside 90 seconds, but Offaly hit back with 1-1 through their own sharpshooter Tony Furey.
The Leinster champions dominated the opening quarter and hit the next three of the next four points, but Mayo got a second goal on 15 minutes through man of the match Dara Flanagan after a great run by Adam Kelly.
That goal was part of a relentless display by Mayo to half-time, who struck 2-6 without reply, and the third goal came on 21 minutes as Conor Coghill ran through the heart of the Offaly defence and buried his strike into the bottom corner.
Lead 3-7 to 1-4 at half-time, Mayo looked to play a more controlled game but were hit by a second Offaly goal a minute after the restart through Tony Furey as fired in the rebound after Cahair Tighe spectacularly blocked Dylan Dunne’s goal-bound shot on the line.
Hession and Furey traded frees before Rhys Neary was denied by a brilliant save by Offaly goalkeeper Jack Ryan.
Mayo struggled to create chances, much less score them, in the second half and Offaly brought the gap back to three after Cian McNamee found the net from an acute angle.
Dara Flanagan got a desperately needed score on 50 minutes but Offaly supporters, who outnumbered their Mayo counterparts ten to one, were in full voice two minutes as they went back in front thanks to a goal from Dylan Dunne and a Furey free that was brought forward due to an infringement.
That would be Offaly’s final score as a two-point free from Conor Hession nudged Mayo ahead. Aaron Daly hit the post to draw Offaly level with a minute of normal time remaining and Mayo made sure of the win in injury-time thanks to points from substitutes Oran Murphy and Ben Joyce to set up a meeting with Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final in two weeks time.
Scorers – Mayo: Conor Hession 1-2-1 (2 tpf, 1f), Dara Flanagan 1-0-3, Conor Coghill 1-0, Ben Holmes 0-0-2f, Rhys Neary, Oran Murphy and Ben Joyce 0-0-1 each.
Offaly: Tony Furey 1-0-4 (2f), Ruairí Woods and Dylan Dunne 1-0-1 each, Cian McNamee 1-0-0, Cathal Weldon 0-0-1.
Mayo: Thomas Williams; Conor Coghill, Barry Langan, Cahair Tighe; Ryan O’Donnell, Declan Duffy, Dara Flanagan; Adam Kelly, Eoghan Dever; Patrick Garvey, Ben Holmes, Conor Jordan; Fiachra O’Cinnseala, Conor Hession, Rhys Neary. Subs: Oran Murphy (for Holmes 39), Fionn O’Cinnseala (for Neary 46), Ben Joyce (for Garvey 53).
Offaly: Jack Ryan; Caden O’Beirne, Tomás Carroll, Cormac Farrell; Patrick Duffy, Tadhg Kelly, Eoin Rouse; Eamon Maher, Charlie Duffy; Cathal Waldon, Dylan Dunne, Aaron Daly; Tony Furey, Cian McNamee, Ruairí Woods. Subs: Darragh Stewart (for Weldon 46), Cian Duffy (for Furey 53), Daniel Stoyanov (for Carroll 56).
REF: Alan Coyne (Westmeath)
