Powerful second-half performance from Mayo swats aside Tribesmen

Eleven different players contributed the 16 points that saw Mayo record an impressive 0-16 to 2-6 victory over arch rivals Galway in Wednesday evening’s EirGrid Connacht U20 Football Championship Round 2 clash in Castlebar.

The visitors had led by three points after 40 minutes yet were held scoreless for the remainder by a dogged Mayo defence, with seven points at the opposite end steering Peadar Gardiner’s side to their first win of the campaign.

Galway had led by five points after 18 minutes and it was no more than they deserved as besides the goals scored by Ronan Colleran (his side’s opening score) and corner-back Darragh Costello, they could easily have had another when Matthew Thompson first-timed a pass by Daithí Kilcommins just over the crossbar under pressure from Mayo goalkeeper David Dolan. However, Mayo finished the first-half strongly, scoring five of the last six points, with Niall Hurley, Tom O’Flaherty, Darragh Reilly and Daragh Beirne each on the mark from play, which left the hosts just one point adrift, 0-9 to 2-4, at the turnaround.

Mayo opened the second-half with a trio of wides and their punishment was that Galway substitute Fionn MacDonnacha struck back to back points to leave three between them. And yet by the 47th minute the teams were level for the first time as Reilly and Hurley pointed either side of Finbar McLaughlin becoming the sixth Mayo forward to score.

A 51st minute red card for centre-back John MacMonagle, who had careered into Conor Heneghan, looked like it might derail Mayo’s challenge but Galway’s numerical advantage lasted only two minutes as Colm Costello received a black card.

With Mayo now overturning Galway players almost at will, subs Oisin Cronin and Tom Lydon together with senior panellist Diarmuid Duffy fired over insurance points for the unbeaten Green and Red who had drawn their opening round with Roscommon.

See next Tuesday’s Western People for full coverage.