Allianz National Football League Round 2
Mayo crash to late McGee sucker punch
Donegal 2-11
Mayo 0-16
Lessons learned in Spring will hopefully see that come the cut and thrust of summer action alternate outcomes arrive. When Aidan Kilcoyne somehow managed to keep a clearing punt in play on the stand side of McHale Park with 75 odd minutes gone in this clash, he had the winning of the game in his hands. The Knockmore cut a thrust goal-wards and had the option to play in Conor Mortimer to lay-up, over the bar, but the DIT student decided to take it on himself, however he got right under his shot and ballooned it high and to the right of the post. Michael Boyle in the Donegal goal collected the ball and set in motion the attack that would lead to Eamon McGee’s pile-driver winning goal. Kilcoyne is not to blame for this second loss of the league for John O’Mahony, but it just shows the thin line there can be between defeat and failure, even in a game that you look to have done all the right things to win it.
Winning home games was always going to be important for Mayo this year in the new structured division one of the Allianz National Football league, with only Galway and Kerry left to come to McHale Park over the Spring, division two football could be a real possability for the third year of O’Mahony’s three year plan. Mayo though looked for large parts of the game to have most of the boxes checked, Conor Mortimer looked rejuvinated and revitalized and on 45 minutes he hit one of those great scores you don’t see every week. James Gill, who was strong and athletic throughout, drove the ball into Mortimer’s corner, and the Shrule-Glencorrib man let it hop past his body, before in one fell swoop collecting and striking it over the bar on the run without ever looking it up. It was great score to cap a very productive afternoon for a man who hasn’t been shining to bright for Mayo this year up to this game. When Mayo were dominant in this contest was when both Mortimer and Andy Moran were being hit with quality balls into the corners as the Mayo two man full forward line had the Donegal back line in all manner of problems. Karl Lacey started on Moran as Donegal percieved him to be the bigger threat going on form so far this year, but Mortimer gave Paddy McDaid a good run around before Lacey was sent over to cover the Mayo number 13 twenty minutes in. Mayo weren’t having it all their own way as 25 minutes into the game Tom Cunniffe was summoned ashore after a he was put through the miller by Colm McFadden and Ryan Bradley, with David Heaney coming on to replace him.
With a quarter of an hour gone in the game Mayo lead by 0-6 to 0-3 with Mortimer hitting four points (three frees) and James Gill and Andy Moran chipping in with others. The Donegal scores all coming from the boot of McFadden. Mayo were enjoying the early spring sun and had a pep in their step at this stage and by the 22nd minutes had their lead stretched out to five points (0-10 to 0-5), Alan Dillon (twice), Keith Higgins and Conor Mortimer raising the white flag. Higgins could have grabbed a goal when he put on the afterburners to break up field and finish off a move that involved Austin O’Malley and Andy Moran. McFadden continued to fight the good fight for the visitors clipping over a free and one from play to cling on to the coattails. The half time interval had Mayo going in leading by four on a score-line of 0-11 to 0-7, with Austin O’Malley scraping the clouds for his solitary point of the day and Ryan Bradley getting in on the action for Donegal with two points before the turnaround.
Mayo started the second half as they finished the first with a flourish, Keith Higgins showed his turn of pace once again to slalom through the Donegal back line and pop over his second of the day and give Mayo a five point lead, but five minutes later Donegal made sure the game would be back in the melting. A long ball was pumped down field and Billy Joe Padden wasn’t able to win it in the air and David Walsh collected the loose size five before hand passing it across goal where Ryan Bradley palmed the ball to the back of the net, closing the gap to two points.
Mayo responded well to this strike and Alan Dillon and Conor Mortimer hit two points to put them four ahead and chasing the wind, Donegal though were at this stage winning he midfield battle comprehensively with Tom Parsons and James Gill be more than handled by Neil Gallagher and Kevin Rafferty. David Walsh clipped over a brace and McFadden found his range again as the lead was cut to two with four minutes left on Michael Duffy’s watch. But when Tom Parsons was able to fire over from distance after being played in by Chris Barrett, the game seemed safe for Mayo. McFadden from another free closed the gap to two once again, and when Chris Barrett was given his marching orders for his second booking in a matter of minutes it was backs to the wall for Mayo. But Donegal had other ideas, McGee unleashed a powerful shot past Shane Nallen from 25 yards out, it was one of those goals that you could see coming the longer that Donegal were able to play keep ball in front of the Mayo posts. Such was the power that McGee hit the shot with there was little that Nallen who in the first half pulled off a fine save from a penalty from McFadden could do about it. So two out of two are chalked down in the loss column for the year so far, it’ next stop Portlaoise on Saturday night in a fortnight, where a win really is a must.
Mayo: Shane Nallen; Tom Cunniffe, Billy Joe Padden, Liam O’Malley; Chris Barrett, Trevor Howley, Keith Higgins (0-2); Seamus O’Shea, Peadar Gardiner; James Gill (0-2), Alan Dillon (0-3), Michael Mullins; Conor Mortimer (0-6), Austin O’Malley (0-1), Andy Moran (0-1). Subs: David Heaney, Tom Parsons (0-1), Aidan Kilcoyne, Trevor Mortimer
Donegal: Michael Boyle; Karl Lacey, Neil McGee, Paddy McDaid; Kevin Cassidy, Eamonn McGee (1-0), Frank McGlynn; Neil Gallagher, Kevin Raffetry; Christy Toye, David Walsh (0-2), Brian Roper; Colm McFadden (0-7), Ryan Bradley (1-2), Kevin McMenamin. Subs: Martin McElhinney, Barry Monaghan, Kenneth Doherty, Leo McLoone
