Mayo Senior Football Match Report
So January Football has begun with the commencement of the FBD Connaght League and Mayo had a bumper weekend. By meeting Sligo in Kent Park on Saturday and Roscommon on the Sunday at Ballyhaunis.
Sligo 1-14 Mayo 2-10
Mayo got off to a flying start in the opening seconds when full-back Neil Carew stepped over his own goal with the ball under pressure from the Mayo forwards following a cross from Michael Mullins. But for the following 30 minutes they were forced to concentrate on defensive measures in an attempt to stem the flow of score from Sligo’s eager forwards.
With the help of a biting wind the home side built up a tally of eight points without response until Conor Mortimer had Mayo’s first point in the 31st minute. The wind was certainly a help to Sligo, but they were also well organised and patient, and while they used the wings to the benefit of the speed Gerry McGowan and Mark Breheny with some degree of success, a lot of danger came also from their urges through the centre of the Mayo defence. When the Mayo defence did actually close down Sligo’s main access route, their scoring became more intermittent and Mayo were only four points behind at the interval (0-10 to 1-3) even though Sligo had much more of the play. Noel Connelly was the outstanding back in that half. His experience stood out, his intervention and attacking instincts drew positive responses from the rest of the defence, especially Pat Coyne, having a fine game at left corner back and to some degree Tom Nallen and Kenneth Mortimer making a return to the side a little slower yet, but steady and Gary Ruane anxious as ever.
At midfield Shane Fitzmaurice was given a deserved trial alongside Michael Moyles. What the Crossmolina man did, he did well, and Fitzmaurice showed especially in the final ten minutes when his punching of the ball pressurised the Sligo defence that he has the potential to win his place in the central area. Moyles injured an ankle in the second half and was taken off by stretcher, but the injury is not as bad as first thought he ought to be back in action in a few weeks.
The Mayo defence came under renewed pressure in the opening minutes of the second half when Sligo scored 1-1 in five minutes. Their goal came from corner forward Mark Breheny. Their goal came from corner forward Mark Breheny after linking up with John Partland and Gerry McGowan. It put Sligo eight points ahead and they were to reach a lead of nine before Mayo embarked on Recovery. Noel Connelly was the driving force of their come-back, and Conor Mortimer, Stephen Carolan and David Nestor the gleanors of some fine points. But it was Mortimer’s opportunism that set the final minutes alight. Another player might have been content to offer no challenge for a ball that seemed to be going wide from Noel Connelly’s centre after Fitzmaurice was fouled. The Shrule man contested it with a couple of backs. His fisted effort shot across the face of the goal deceiving everyone, and the ball glanced off the far upright of the net. Fortuitous maybe, but full marks to Mortimer for his zeal. That score left just three points between them. Stephen Carolan cut that to two. Dara McGinty increased it by one again and Micheal Mullins and David McDonagh reduced it to a single point in the dying seconds.
Both sides were of course experimenting, and the outcome served only to confirm the thin line dividing all teams in the province with the exception of perhaps of Leitrim.
Scorers for Mayo: C. Mortimer(1-4); S. Carolan(0-2); N. Connelly, D McDonagh, M. Mullins and D. Nester(0-1). Mayo: D. Clarke; K. Mortimer, T Nallen, P. Coyne, G. Ruane, J. Nallen, N. Connelly,S. Fitzmaurice, M. Moyles, J. Gill, D. McDonagh, M. Mullins, C. Mortimer, D. Nester, S. Carolan. Subs David Heaney for Moyles. M. McNicholas for Gill.
Other results and news
In the Mayo-Roscommon game the Result was: Mayo 1-15 Roscommon 1-11 Scorers for Mayo: D. Higgins (0-1), J. Gill(0-2), S. Carolan (0-1), D. Nestor(0-1), J. Horan(1-2), C. Mortimer(0-8).
Mulvey Park Mayo have commenced training on their new grounds adjacent to the Castlebar Mitchels Complex. Named Mulvey Park after former Secretary Johnny Mulvey, who is still thankfully a prominent member of the county board, the pitch will be used for preparation of all county teams. In other years Mayo depended on the generosity of the Parkes and the Tourmakeadys to prepare their teams for the various competitions, and owe a deep debt of gratitude to the clubs for obliging them. Now they have there own ground, provided at a cost in excess of £200,000. It will be the home of their teams from now, where plans will be formulated for the various competitions and, perhaps, a winning strategy for the long awaited Senior All- Ireland.
Kieran McDonald
Kieran McDonald is unable to give his Commitment to the Mayo Panel for the time being. Kieran is working in Galway at the moment and is hoping that he will be able to give a commitment soon in the New Year maybe in time for the Championship.
David McDonagh
I was speaking to David McDonagh(scored a point for Mayo at the weekend) recently and he suggested to me that following last years Interview that he would bare all for Charity on currane.net.
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