Minors make emphatic recovery from Ros’ setback
Ben Holmes scored three points either side of the half-time interval as Mayo cruised to victory over Sligo in the Connacht MFC. Picture: David Farrell
A dominant Mayo sauntered to a comfortable victory at MacHale Park on Friday evening last, getting their Connacht championship campaign back on track after defeat to Roscommon in the game previous.
Mayo, for whom this was a second win in three championship outings, torpedoed the Sligo game-plan during the opening twelve minutes by garnering 3-2, with Sligo replying with just 0-2 during the same period. It left Aidan Rooney’s troops with a mammoth task from thereon.
Mayo, jointly managed by Tom Reilly and David Heaney, made a whirlwind start to proceedings and notched their opening goal of the joust after just two minutes. Conor Jordan’s eagle-eyed vision resulted in Rhys Neary collecting possession and the latter applied a clinical finish to the back of the net.
Mayo were doing the early running and points from Fionn Ó Cinnseala, a free, and Conor Hession were buttressed by a second three-pointer of the evening on seven minutes. This time the aforementioned Neary turned from scorer to provider and his neat lay-off teed-up the raiding Oran Murphy whose sweetly struck effort rustled the back of Gareth Cummins’ net.
Sligo struggled to enter into enemy territory as some of their wayward and stray passes were eagerly snaffled up by the locals. However, the Black and White finally had some joy when firstly Adam Feeney fired over their opening point of the clash on eight minutes before Ryan Lang struck over a free on ten minutes.
Mayo though were in no mood to allow their opponents an avenue back into the game and the Green and Red added their third green flagged effort on twelve minutes. Kiltimagh’s Conor Hession, who produced a swashbuckling display at wing-forward, brilliantly fielded possession near the danger zone and he turned on a sixpence before bearing down on goal and finishing with aplomb. Two minutes later, Hession added a point from play, before Sligo’s Lang added his second free of the game.
Eastern Gaels wing-back Dara Flanagan was another player to shine for Mayo on the evening, and his promptings and link-up play posed the visitors plenty of problems with Flanagan also chipping in with a deserving point on 20 minutes.
The only two-pointer of the game arrived on 21 minutes, as Ballinrobe’s Cian May brilliantly curled over a sublime effort, thus mustering a commanding 3-6 to 0-4 advantage for his team.
The tireless Lang continued to plough on for the Sligo cause and he landed another free for the Yeats County outfit, much to the joy of the loyal band of Sligo supporters. But Mayo continued to busily search for scores and sure enough, points arrived from Fionn Ó Cinnseala, a free, and Ben Holmes, who forced a reply from Sligo’s Adam Feeney. But a second point from midfielder Holmes on the stroke of half-time ensured an unassailable 3-9 to 0-5 interval advantage for the hosts.
On the resumption, Holmes continued from where he left off, by landing a quickfire point, before his teammate Hession guided over another majestic white-flagged effort.
Sligo were keen to reduce the deficit and they enjoyed a fruitful period when Lang, from a free, and Feeney, twice from play, forced the umpires into action, with Ballyhaunis’ Adam Kelly managing to acquire a point during the same spell.
Conor Hession was beginning to spread his wings and he notched three points for Mayo, which included a free and a magnificent ’45, from the 39th up to the 48th minute, with Sligo’s Brian Meehan managing to guide over a point during the same period.
The Green and Red continued to craft scoring opportunities, with singles from Adam Kelly and Cian May further galvanising the hosts lead.
To their credit, Sligo refused to throw in the towel and the visitors managed to notch one of the scores of the game on 54 minutes, when James Donoghue swung over a delightful point.
Mayo’s substitutes also made a positive contribution however, with Ardagh’s Tony Carey scoring a tidy point from an acute angle.
On 60 minutes, Sligo were awarded penalty after Conor Walsh was fouled inside the area. Sligo substitute Conor Davey’s brilliantly taken spot-kick rustled the back of the net, which helped put a slightly better reflection on the full-time score-line.
Mayo though, would have the final say in this game, as Ben Joyce’s late injury-time point proved to be final act of what was very much a one-sided encounter.
Scorers – Mayo: Conor Hession 1-0-6 (0-1 ’45, 0-1f), Rhys Neary and Oran Murphy 1-0-0 each, Cian May 0-1-1, Ben Holmes 0-0-3, Adam Kelly and Fionn Ó Cinnseala (2f) 0-0-2 each, Dara Flanagan, Ben Joyce and Tony Carey 0-0-1 each.
Sligo: Adam Feeney and Ryan Lang (4f) 0-0-4 each, Conor Davey 1-0-0 (pen), James Donoghue and Brian Meehan 0-0-1 each.
Mayo: Thomas Williams; Conor Coghill, Barry Langan, Cahair Tighe; Ryan O’Donnell, Declan Duffy, Dara Flanagan; Adam Kelly, Cian May; Rhys Neary, Fionn Ó Cinnseala, Conor Hession; Ben Holmes, Conor Jordan, Oran Murphy. Subs: Dara Dawson (for Neary 41), Tony Carey (for Ó Cinnseala 44), Ben Joyce (for Holmes 51), Sean McCann (for Tighe 54), Fionn Conlon (for Jordan 55).
Sligo: Gareth Cummins; Conor Stenson, Conor Boyle, Darragh Cuffe; James Donoghue, Rian Gilmartin, Adam Taheny; Brian Meehan, Conor Walsh; Éanna Giblin, Adam Feeney, Marc Clifford; Ryan Lang, Thomas O’Brien, Ewan Boland.
Subs: Jason Davey (for O’Brien 36), Conor Davey (for Boland 43), Finn McDaniel (for Boyle 52), Ryan Healy (for Giblin 58), Micheál Harte (for Donoghue 60).
REF: Christopher Ryan (Galway).
