STUCK IN THE MIDDLE Peadar Gardiner faces Tyrone’s Ryan Mellon (left), with Brian Dooher coming in from behind. Pic: Sportsfile
Red Hand halts Mayo’s progress
Reckless 15 minutes sees back door slam shut
ROUND 3
Tyrone 0-13
Mayo 1-9
Seán Rice
CROKE PARK
FOR close on quarter of an hour Mayo had the game in the palm of their hands to do with it what they liked. What they did was present it to Tyrone. They kicked and passed it into the hands of their northern opponents, and spent the remainder of the Qualifier paying dearly for those 15 reckless minutes.
Having survived a giddy start at Croke Park, they took advantage of a spell of Tyrone inefficiency to hit the front eight minutes before the end of the first half. They carried an unlikely one-point lead into the second half. They grabbed possession of the game immediately after the break and, amid a plethora of blunders, were still able to jack up their lead to three points.
It should have been a far greater lead, enough to cushion against any resurgence by Tyrone. But after bagging the opening two points of the second half, they failed to score again for 18 minutes. By then it was too late. Tyrone, inspired by Seán Cavanagh, had recovered and Mayo’s setback was once more complete.
The omens were not good throughout the first quarter. An unsettled, nervous backline and fidgety forwards left loads of opportunities for Tyrone exploit. Trevor Mortimer and Ronan McGarrity were unable to start. Tom Cunniffe was given the number three jersey. Keith and Aidan Higgins completed the full-back line. James Nallen occupied the vital centre half position with Peadar Gardiner and Trevor Howley fleshing out the flanks.
On David Heaney and Tom Parsons, rested Mayo’s hopes for centrefield advantage, and for much of the first half they more than matched the work of Ryan Mellon and Enda McGinley. But dreadful shooting blighted some of the good work accomplished by Parsons.
As leader of the attack Alan Dillon once more flagged his versatility, and his opening two points came from fouls on Conor Mortimer. Tyrone, more positive and methodical, however, forced the pace of the game, and by the 14th minute they had raced into a lead of three points.
Mayo struggled to keep with them. James Nallen was superb in defence. Peadar Gardiner had the shackles on danger man Brian Dooher. Trevor Howley, until injured, and Keith Higgins did some fine work. But Seán Cavanagh and Colm McCullagh flitted menacingly around the goal, and when their backs came in support, Mayo looked nervous and unconvincing under pressure.
Mortimer was Mayo’s most tightly marked forward – and their best. Billy Joe Padden, at left half forward, overcame a few early wayward passes to settle well and fire over their first point from play, in the 17th minute. But in the ten minutes that followed Tyrone had enough chances to tie the game up. Cavanagh lofted a point. His fisted attempt for another fell into the Mayo net, and Tommy McGuigan blazed the ball wide with the goalmouth yawning.
As if drawing inspiration from those misses, Mayo for the first time showed a glimpse of what John O’Mahony expected from them. A build-up involving Parsons and Andy Moran ended with a perfectly judged cross from Pat Harte where Conor Mortimer was on hand to thump the ball decisively into the net.
It restored Mayo’s lead, and Mortimer increased it from a free two minutes later. But the creaks in the defence had not disappeared. Ryan McMenamin, all the way down from defence, was allowed creep in along the end line for Tyrone’s sixth point. Padden from his left foot and Dooher, almost anonymous up to that, fired over the last two scores leaving Mayo with one to spare, 1-5 to 0-7, at the interval.
Trevor Mortimer, installed at half time in place of tummy bug victim Harte, made an immediate impact. But although livelier, and in command, Mayo kicked themselves out of the game. Andy Moran, normally accurate from close range, managed an incredible miss with a fisted effort from ten yards. Tom Parsons, unmarked, was equally culpable. And after Conor blazed over the bar – which was their best chance of a second goal – and Dillon grabbed his third point, further debris from a couple of horror shots by Aidan Kilcoyne was strewn around them.
The game was Mayo’s to wrap up. But they allowed Tyrone regain the initiative with a succession of points, and Mayo were trailing again in the 61st minute. Cavanagh, who had moved to midfield, was Tyrone’s inspiration.
Tom Parsons missed one and Cunniffe conceded one with a wild inaccurate pass. And while Alan Dillon and Conor did get the final two points of the game, nothing Mayo did – even bringing on Ronan McGarrity – could find the score to send the match into extra time.
Tyrone
J Devine; R McMenamin (0-1), Justin McMahon, C Gourley; D Harte (0-1), C Gormley, P Jordan; R Mellon, E McGinley (0-1); B Dooher (0-1), B McGuigan, T McGuigan (0-2, 2f); Joseph McMahon, S Cavanagh (0-4, 1f), C McCullagh (0-2, 1f). Subs used: C Holmes for B McGuigan (47 mins); M Penrose (0-1) for Mellon (47 mins); D McCarlin for Harte (54 mins); O Mulligan for T McGuigan (67 mins); D McCaul for McMenamin (70 mins + 3).
Mayo
D Clarke; K Higgins, T Cunniffe, T Howley; P Gardiner, J Nallen, A Higgins; D Heaney, T Parsons; A Moran, P Harte, BJ Padden (0-2); C Mortimer (1-4, 3f), A Dillon (0-3, 3f), A Kilcoyne. Subs used: T Mortimer for Harte (h-t); A Campbell for Kilcoyne (55 mins); P Kelly for Howley 61 mins); R McGarrity for Moran (62 mins).
Referee: C Reilly (Meath)
