Mayo minors draw with Sligo

Connacht Minor Football Championship

Mayo 1-11
Sligo 1-11

THERE may not have been anything tangible at stake in this Connacht Under-17 football championship game on Friday evening, but nobody seemed to have told the two teams.
With Mayo already having qualified for next weekend’s provincial semi-final, and Sligo’s interest in the knock-out stages of the competition already ended, we expected this to be a box-ticking exercise.
Especially with Mayo making 14 changes to the team that started the previous week’s crucial win over Leitrim.
But instead the small crowd were treated to a cracking contest that hung in the balance right until Mayo midfielder Thomas Tuffy drove through to land the equaliser two minutes into added time.
A share of the spoils was no less than the homeside deserved either, although Sligo’s second half display could easily have seen them pick up their first win of this campaign.
That certainly looked to be the case when substitute Eamonn O’Mahony fired in a goal on 55 minutes that propelled the young Yeats County lads into a one point lead.
But Mayo refused to quit and they stuck at it in the last few minutes with Seanie O’Reilly, Sean Walsh and Conor Jennings driving them forward from defence, and Swinford’s Thomas Tuffy used his pace and power to engineer the equaliser deep in added-time.
Seán Deane’s new-look selection had left after an enjoyable first half by 0-8 to 0-6.
Playing with the wind, they looked to hit their dangerous full-forwardline of Fionán Burke, Ryan Gibbons and Matthew Leonard early and often, and all three were on the scoresheet in the first ten minutes.
But Sligo kept in touch with scores from Aaron Lang, Charlie McDonagh and Eoin Tuffy.
Mayo then hit their stride and rattled off a string of scores without reply from impressive midfielder Tiernan Egan, Dara Neary (a long-distance free), Thomas Tuffy and Fionán Burke to lead by 0-7 to 0-3 after 25 minutes.
At that stage the game looked set to go along expected lines.
But Sligo’s midfielder Conor Walsh and Eoin Tuffy were winning so much ball than the supply to their forwardline wasn’t a problem, and they finally managed to convert a few chances in the closing stages of the half.
A free from Dara Mostyn ended a 20-minute spell without a score, but the same man then landed a beauty from the right wing before Aaron Lang popped over a free to reel Mayo back in.
It was much too close for comfort for the homeside, but Fionán Burke gave them a little bit of breathing space when he curled over a trademark ciotóg effort on the stroke of half-time.
We got an insight into how Mayo’s management were thinking when they introduced two regulars — James Lavelle and Darragh Beirne — for the second period, but Sligo carried on regardless and shot two quickfire points from Aaron Lang (free) and Jim Molloy to draw level for the fourth time.
From there to the finish., it was end-to-end and anybody’s game.
Seán Walsh from Killala came forward to kick a mighty score that was cancelled out by a superb Aaron Lang free before Mayo struck for what looked like a game-breaking score; Dara Neary’s booming delivery gathered and finished to the Sligo net by Matthew Leonard in clinical fashion.
That left the homeside ahead by 1-9 to 0-9 on 45 minutes and seemingly back in control.
Dara Mostyn (free) and Darragh Beirne traded white flags to maintain the status quo before Conor McDonagh galloped through to clip a Sligo score that kept the pressure up.
Man of the match Conor Walsh was relentless in the middle of the field all through, so it wasn’t a major surprise that he delivered the pass that sent substitute Eamonn O’Mahony through for a well-taken Sligo goal in the 55th minute.
The visitors were now a point up with the finish line in sight.
At that stage another statement win for a Sligo underage team looked a real possibility, but Mayo stuck to their task and they were rewarded for their persistence and positive attitude when the tireless Thomas Tuffy popped up to save the day.
Mayo will return to Castlebar next Friday night for their semi-final date with Roscommon.

Mayo
Dylan O’Brien (Davitts); Darragh McGovern (Kiltimagh), Seanie O’Reilly (Castlebar Mitchels), Conall Breslin (Aghamore); Seán Walsh (0-1, Killala), Conor Jennings (Ballinrobe), Paddy Dunleavy (Charlestown); Tiernan Egan (0-1, Hollymount/Carramore), Thomas Tuffy (0-2, Swinford); Conor Nolan (Balla), Dara Neary (0-1, 1f, Parke), Conor Ryder (Moy Davitts); Fionnan Burke (0-3, Kiltimagh), Ryan Gibbons (0-1, Castlebar Mitchels), Matthew Leonard (1-1, Ballina Stephenites).
Subs used: L Flatley for Nolan; D Beirne (0-1) for Gibbons; J Lavelle for McGovern; C Lynch for Ryder; E Campbell for O’Brien.

Sligo
J Cronin; C Regan, E Keane, J McHugh; L Higgins, O Harte, J Lavin; C Walsh, E Tuffy (0-1); D Mostyn (0-3, 2fs), J Molloy (0-1), C McDonagh (0-2); A Lang (0-4, 3fs), M Carroll, C Gallagher.
Subs used: M Murray for McDonagh; E O’Mahony (1-0) for Molloy; D Mastin for D Mostyn; O Devlin for Carroll; C Duggan for Lang.

Referee: C Ryan (Galway)