Mayo boys endure tough start to national competition
Dan O'Malley scored twice in what turned into a difficult afternoon for Mayo away to Galway in the FAI Youths Inter-League.
A heavy defeat on Saturday afternoon signalled a disappointing start to the Mayo U18’s campaign in the FAI Youth Inter-League. Playing Galway away from home, they were very competitive in the first period with just a single goal separating the teams at half-time, however, that 3-2 interval scoreline was to read much less flattering after the full-time whistle.
Indeed, the Mayo boys had remained competitive for the first 55 minutes, but a disastrous last half hour would mean Galway comfortably strolled to a win in this opening game of the competition.
Mayo had a great chance to score the game’s first goal when Dan O’Malley looked to capitalise on a defensive error from one of the Galway central defenders, but the chance went begging when O’Malley, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, flashed his shot wide. Galway would make no mistake in taking the lead however, as a wonderfully worked short free-kick routine allowed a third man runner to fire the Maroons ahead.
Mayo responded through a move involving Adrian Sotoparra and Jamie Clarke, schoolmates at St Joseph’s, Foxford. Sotoparra, who plays for Conn Rangers, moved the ball to Clarke of S&F United, with the latter cutting in from the right and unleashing a left-footed shot that despite being well saved by the ‘keeper, saw Westport’s Dan O’Malley react quickly and nod home the equaliser.
It was another set-piece by Galway however, that saw the hosts regain the lead, with Cathal Whelan driving the ball low and hard from the edge of the box to beat Mayo stopper Ewan McGowan.
A short while later Mayo would fall two behind, when a move down the left flank allowed a Galway man to cut the ball back and it was well finished first-time from the edge of the Mayo area. There was to be a ray of light at the end of the half though, with Jude Lavin’s goal – Mayo’s second – coming from a cleared Galway corner-kick. A genius individual run dummied the Galway defender and outpaced him, before Lavin slotted into the bottom right corner. This left the sides separated by just the one goal, in favour of the hosts.
It was from a corner-kick that Galway took a 4-2 lead after half-time, but when Adrian Sotoparra pressed the Galway defence well, winning the ball and having it fall to Dan O’Malley, the latter buried a 25-yard shot into the bottom corner for his second goal of the game.
A delivery from the right wing found an unmarked player at the back post and his header made it five for Galway before another move down the same flank was finished by aplomb by a Galway forward whose driven cross flew into the top corner. And when the Tribesmen derived a seventh goal from a corner-kick, it meant five of the seven goals had all come from set-pieces.
Mayo League: Ewan McGowan, John Murphy, Alex Halpin, Tom McGeough, Ajay McGrath, Matthew Leonard, Jack Dawson, Jamie Clarke, Dan O’Malley, Adrian Sotoparra, Jude Lavin. Subs: Evan Durkin, Sean Walsh, Tomas Bourke, Ashton Judge.
