Colm Gannon reports from Hastings Insurance MacHale Park
TWO TWO POINTERS from Sligo in the closing stages left just three points between the sides at the full-time whistle in Castlebar. The second of those two pointers from the excellent Niall Murphy looked to have been taken from well inside the arc — but ultimately it was too little too late for Sligo as Mayo moved on to the Connacht semi-final against Leitrim.
The hosts led by three points at the break and a goal from Aidan O’Shea two minutes after the resumption moved them six clear. Sligo kept in touch through a goal of their own from Luke Towey who palmed home at the far points three minutes later.
Mayo looked to have completely wrestled control of the game by the three-quarter mark when they led 2-17 to 1-11 after outscoring Sligo by seven points to three over 15 minute period.
In that run they did survive a goal scare when Pat Spillane saw his effort blocked on the line by Donnacha McHugh – if Spillane had found the net it would have brought it back to a two-point game – but a brace of O’Donoghue frees and pointed efforts from Enda Hession and Fergal Boland had them nine clear.
Sligo kept working hard and when Cian Lally broke past the Mayo defence and crashed the ball home to the back of the net with 11 minutes left on the clock, the gap was back to just five points. Both sides exchanged points as the clock ticked down, when McLoughlin landed the first two pointer of the day with 68 minutes on the clock and that was followed by Murphy’s effort – there was just a goal between the sides at the very end.
Three points separated the sides at the break after a late double of scores from Sligo in the final 60 seconds of action before the interval.
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Tony McEntee’s side drew first blood after the throw in with David Quinn pointing two minutes in. Davitt Neary levelled it up, fisting over from close range after being played in by Aidan O’Shea, before Niall Murphy — with the first of his four first-half points — nudged the Yeats County ahead again.
Just before the six-minute mark, Ryan O’Donoghue rattled the back of Daniel Lyons’s net finishing off a move started from Colm Reape’s kickout that saw the ball moved on from Neary to Darren McHale before O’Donoghue got the ball to drive it home.
Three Mayo points on the bounce followed through a brace of Aidan O’Shea points with a Darren McHale effort sandwiched in the middle to have Mayo 1-4 to 0-2 up after 19 minutes.
Ryan O’Donoghue of Mayo is tackled by Canice Mulligan of Sligo. Andrew Paton / INPHO
Andrew Paton / INPHO / INPHO
Murphy got Sligo going again with a fine score from a tight angle on the right with their first score in a quarter of an hour. Mayo hit back with a brace in quick succession through a O’Donoghue free and a Jack Carney effort.
Pat Spillane and Carney traded scores to have Mayo six clear once more on a scoreline of 1-7 to 0-4 with eight minutes to go to the break. Sligo cut the gap back to four thanks to a Murphy free and second point of the half from Spillane.
Matthew Ruane pointed for the hosts from close range after playing the ball into Aidan O’Shea and collection the return to leave Mayo 1-8 to 0-6 with just a minute to go to the half-time whistle, but there was still time for the points from McLoughlin and Murphy to leave just three between them at the break.
Scorers for Mayo: Ryan O’Donoghue 1-4 (4 frees), Aidan O’Shea 1-2, Darren McHale 0-4, Jack Carney 0-3, Fergal Boland 0-2, Enda Hession, Matthew Ruane, Davitt Neary, Dylan Thornton and Conall Dawson all 0-1.
Sligo: Niall Murphy 0-7 (1 2pt score), Alan McLoughlin 0-5 (1 2pt score), Cian Lally 1-1, Luke Towey 1-0, Pat Spillane 0-2, David Quinn and Oisin Flynn 0-1 each.
Mayo
1. Colm Reape (Knockmore)
2. Jack Coyne (Ballyhaunis), 3. Donnacha McHugh (Castlebar Mitchels), 4. Enda Hession (Garrymore)
5. Sam Callinan (Ballina Stephenites), 6. David McBrien (Ballaghaderreen), 7. Stephen Coen (Hollymounrt-Carramore)
8. Jack Carney (Kilmeena), 9. Matthew Ruane (Breaffy)
10. Davitt Neary (Breaffy), 11. Darren McHale (Knockmore),22. Fenton Kelly (Davitts)
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Mayo edge rallying Sligo to set-up Connacht semi-final against Leitrim
Mayo 2-20
Sligo 2-17
Colm Gannon reports from Hastings Insurance MacHale Park
TWO TWO POINTERS from Sligo in the closing stages left just three points between the sides at the full-time whistle in Castlebar. The second of those two pointers from the excellent Niall Murphy looked to have been taken from well inside the arc — but ultimately it was too little too late for Sligo as Mayo moved on to the Connacht semi-final against Leitrim.
The hosts led by three points at the break and a goal from Aidan O’Shea two minutes after the resumption moved them six clear. Sligo kept in touch through a goal of their own from Luke Towey who palmed home at the far points three minutes later.
Mayo looked to have completely wrestled control of the game by the three-quarter mark when they led 2-17 to 1-11 after outscoring Sligo by seven points to three over 15 minute period.
In that run they did survive a goal scare when Pat Spillane saw his effort blocked on the line by Donnacha McHugh – if Spillane had found the net it would have brought it back to a two-point game – but a brace of O’Donoghue frees and pointed efforts from Enda Hession and Fergal Boland had them nine clear.
Sligo kept working hard and when Cian Lally broke past the Mayo defence and crashed the ball home to the back of the net with 11 minutes left on the clock, the gap was back to just five points. Both sides exchanged points as the clock ticked down, when McLoughlin landed the first two pointer of the day with 68 minutes on the clock and that was followed by Murphy’s effort – there was just a goal between the sides at the very end.
Three points separated the sides at the break after a late double of scores from Sligo in the final 60 seconds of action before the interval.
Tony McEntee’s side drew first blood after the throw in with David Quinn pointing two minutes in. Davitt Neary levelled it up, fisting over from close range after being played in by Aidan O’Shea, before Niall Murphy — with the first of his four first-half points — nudged the Yeats County ahead again.
Just before the six-minute mark, Ryan O’Donoghue rattled the back of Daniel Lyons’s net finishing off a move started from Colm Reape’s kickout that saw the ball moved on from Neary to Darren McHale before O’Donoghue got the ball to drive it home.
Three Mayo points on the bounce followed through a brace of Aidan O’Shea points with a Darren McHale effort sandwiched in the middle to have Mayo 1-4 to 0-2 up after 19 minutes.
Murphy got Sligo going again with a fine score from a tight angle on the right with their first score in a quarter of an hour. Mayo hit back with a brace in quick succession through a O’Donoghue free and a Jack Carney effort.
Pat Spillane and Carney traded scores to have Mayo six clear once more on a scoreline of 1-7 to 0-4 with eight minutes to go to the break. Sligo cut the gap back to four thanks to a Murphy free and second point of the half from Spillane.
Matthew Ruane pointed for the hosts from close range after playing the ball into Aidan O’Shea and collection the return to leave Mayo 1-8 to 0-6 with just a minute to go to the half-time whistle, but there was still time for the points from McLoughlin and Murphy to leave just three between them at the break.
Scorers for Mayo: Ryan O’Donoghue 1-4 (4 frees), Aidan O’Shea 1-2, Darren McHale 0-4, Jack Carney 0-3, Fergal Boland 0-2, Enda Hession, Matthew Ruane, Davitt Neary, Dylan Thornton and Conall Dawson all 0-1.
Sligo: Niall Murphy 0-7 (1 2pt score), Alan McLoughlin 0-5 (1 2pt score), Cian Lally 1-1, Luke Towey 1-0, Pat Spillane 0-2, David Quinn and Oisin Flynn 0-1 each.
Mayo
1. Colm Reape (Knockmore)
2. Jack Coyne (Ballyhaunis), 3. Donnacha McHugh (Castlebar Mitchels), 4. Enda Hession (Garrymore)
5. Sam Callinan (Ballina Stephenites), 6. David McBrien (Ballaghaderreen), 7. Stephen Coen (Hollymounrt-Carramore)
8. Jack Carney (Kilmeena), 9. Matthew Ruane (Breaffy)
10. Davitt Neary (Breaffy), 11. Darren McHale (Knockmore),22. Fenton Kelly (Davitts)
13. Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy), 19. Dylan Thornton (Ballina Stephenites), 15. Ryan O’Donoghue (Belmullet)
Subs:
Sligo
1. Daniel Lyons (Shamrock Gaels)
2. Evan Lyons (Shamrock Gaels), 3. Eddie McGuinness (Tubbercurry), 4. Paul McNamara (St. John’s)
5. Brian Cox (Calry St. Joseph’s), 6. Nathan Mullen (Coolaney Mullinabreena), 7. Luke Towey (St. Molaise Gaels)
8. Canice Mulligan (St. Pat’s), 9. Paddy O’Connor (Kilmacud Crokes)
17. Cian Lally (Drumcliffe Rosses Point), 11. David Quinn (Shamrock Gaels), 12. Alan Reilly (Curry)
13. Alan McLoughlin (St. Molaise Gaels), 14. Niall Murphy (Coolera Strandhill), 15. Pat Spillane (St. Jude’s Dublin)
Subs:
Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan)
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Connacht GAA Gaelic Football green and red Match Report Mayo Sligo