Mayo U-20s beat Galway in cracker in MacHale Park

Connacht U-20 Football Championship Round 2

Mayo 0-16 Galway 2-6

Oisín McGovern in MacHale Park

TWO first-half goals from Galway could not stop Peadar Gardiner’s Mayo U-20s from securing their first win of the Connacht championship in an entertaining Round 2 joust this evening.

Mayo had eleven unique scores as they held their age-old rivals to just two points in the second half.

In the end, an excellent second half was enough to make amends for a first half where Mayo looked shaky in defence.  

Galway had the ball in the next shortly after the throw-in through corner-forward Ronan Colleran.

Derek Savage’s charges stretched their lead to five points when corner-back Darragh Costello crashed in their second goal.

At this point, it looked like it would be a long evening for Mayo. Instead, the homes side rallied with a dogged, workman-like display that made life hard for their opponents all evening.

The hosts got back within a point of Galway at half-time and, despite conceding the opening two scores of the first half, were much the better team in the second half.

Not even the loss of John MacMonagle to a straight red card could stop Peadar Gardiner’s men as they shot points without reply.

Mayo worked relentlessly, turned over loads of ball and kept Galway scoreless from the 35th minute onwards, eventually making sure of the win when Oisín Cronin and Diarmuid Duffy kicked insurance scores in injury time.

There will be a full report plus reaction in Tuesday’s print edition of The Mayo News.