Mayo minors pipped by Galway

Football Connacht Under-17 Championship

Round 3
Galway 1-12
Mayo 1-11

THERE was a dramatic finish to this Connacht Under-17 championship derby match on Friday evening as Galway’s Charlie Cox kicked the winning score from a free in the fifth minute of added time at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park.
Cox’s score meant that the young Tribesmen remain unbeaten after three rounds of the competition, and condemned Mayo to their first defeat after two games.
An enjoyable and high quality match looked set to end in a draw when Mayo’s Tom Lydon — who was outstanding in the second half — kicked the levelling score from a free, four minutes into stoppage-time.
But referee Michael McGirl let the game continue and, from their next attack, Galway fashioned a free that was moved closer to goal (presumably for dissent), and one of last year’s All-Ireland winners, Charlie Cox, held his nerve to steer over the winner.
The teams were level seven times in total during the course of a game that was played in ideal conditions in front of a disappointingly small crowd.
There was also deadlocked at half-time: 1-4 to 0-7.
Galway raced into an early two points lead before Mayo’s Darragh Beirne saw his ‘garryowen’ effort for a point spilled into the Galway net by goalkeeper, Cillian Walsh, in the 11th minute for a fortuitous goal.
The teams then traded scores all the way to half-time with the pick of the points coming from Mayo captain Rio Mortimer, Gavin Forry and Darragh Beirne, along with brilliant efforts from Galway’s Ciaran McDonagh and the aforementioned Charlie Cox.
The pace and intensity of the game quickened noticeably in the third quarter with Mayo surging ahead by 1-8 to 0-8 after 40 minutes thanks to a string of superb points from Tom Lydon (2) and Colm Lynch.
Galway always looked dangerous though on the counter-attack, and they struck for the equalising goal on 51 minutes when man of the match, Ross Coen, picked out Jack Heneghan with a wonderful pass, and the Tuam Stars attacker gave Conor Meaney no chance.
Both teams went hell-for-leather in search for a winner in the closing stages with the prolific Tom Lydon trading points with Ciarán Mulhern and Mikey Mulryan.
Lydon’s close-range free deep in stoppage-time looked like being the last score of an energy-sapping encounter, but Galway had other ideas and they managed to snatch victory in the dying seconds to stay on track for a place in another Connacht decider.
Mayo will take on Leitrim in round four next Friday evening in Carrick-on-Shannon before rounding off the round-robin series at home to Sligo in two weeks’ time.

Mayo
Conor Meaney (Westport); James Lavelle (Belmullet), Eoin McGreal (Garrymore), Yousif Coghill (Breaffy); Jamie Clarke (Moy Davitts), Rio Mortimer (0-1, Claremorris), Fionan O’Reilly (Castlebar Mitchels); Tiernan Egan (Hollymount/Carramore), Shane Cunningham (Castlebar Mitchels); Colm Lynch (0-1, Parke), Tom Lydon (0-5, 2fs, The Neale), Senan Guilfoyle (Eastern Gaels); Darragh Beirne (1-2, 1f, Claremorris), Josh Carey (Kiltane), Gavin Forry (0-2, Castlebar Mitchels).
Subs used: C Jennings for O’Reilly; M Leonard for Lynch; C Ryder for Guilfoyle; T Tuffy for McGreal (inj); R Gibbons for Carey.

Galway
Cillian Walsh; Tiarnán Proulx, Conor McNally, Vincent Gill; Brian O’Malley, Ross Coen, Seán Rhattigan (0-1); Shay McGlinchey (0-1), Stephen O’Grady; Jack Heneghan (1-1), Ciarán Mulhern (0-2, 2fs), Ciarán McDonagh (0-3); Charlie Cox (0-3, 2fs), Seán Walsh, Daniel Fitzmaurice (0-1).
Subs used: Mikey Mulryan (0-1), Ruairi Walkin, Seán O’Flynn, Rory Igoe.

Referee: M McGirl (Leitrim)