Derry rain on Mayo’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade with five-point win

National Football League Division 1

Mayo 2-13 Derry 3-15

Oisín McGovern in MacHale Park

THE prospect of Mayo playing in Dublin and New York within a week of each other has almost evaporated after a rampant Derry put them to the sword with five to spare this afternoon.

Mayo mixed the good with the bad in a game where Derry were more clinical, more ruthless and better-rounded than a home side that only played in fits and starts.

A lack of consistency within games looks to be called into question yet again after a slump which saw Mayo leak 1-4 ten minutes before the first half cost them dearly.

Kevin McStay’s men bit back with their own second half purple patch where they too rattled off 1-4 without reply.

However, Mickey Harte’s Derry steadied the ship and prevailed on a day when Shane McGuigan stole the show with 1-6.

The Ulster men goaled for the first time after just eight minutes when a McGuigan mishit found Niall Loughlin, who palmed it into the net past Colm Reape.

Jordan Flynn buried a rocket in the Derry net a minute later, but Mayo continued to struggle against a well set up Derry team.

Playing with the breeze, the Ulster men made Mayo look vulnerable on the attack.

They exploited that vulnerability to ruthless effect when a bad Colm Reape kickout ended with McGuigan shaking the net in the 31st minute.

Leading 2-7 to 1-4 at the break, Derry played into both sunshine and wind in the second half.

However, the Oak Leaf county still raised green when Conor McCluskey got into the danger zone far too easily and buried it in the net in the 42nd minute.

The tide turned for Mayo when Ryan O’Donoghue moved out to centre-forward.

The Belmullet man supplied some superb ball into the full-forward line, resulting in a Paul Towey hitting the net as Mayo hit 1-4 at the spin.

However, Derry saw the game out strongly as Niall Toner, Conor Glass and Shane McGuigan pointed in the closing stages. 

A full report plus reaction from Kevin McStay and Mickey Harte will be carried in Tuesday's Mayo News.