Devastation as Mayo caught at the death once again

ALL-IRELAND PRELIMINARY QUARTER FINAL

Mayo 1-12

Derry 0-15

(After extra time, Derry won 4-3 on penalties)

Castlebar

THE more things change, the more they remain the same! 

Those blessed with Mayo passports live in a land of breathtaking beauty where music and words and heartbeats create a cacophony of colour unmatched on the planet. The people of the wonderful land between the ocean and the plains are also represented by a football team who continually create emotional roller-coasters like no other.

Over the years Mayo supporters have embraced elation and been clouded by desolation in equal measure – but there has never been anything like the emotional adventure endured tonight in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park as Derry ended the home team's season in a penalty shoot-out at the end of a long evening of football.

Mayo went out on their shields and the sheer effort and endeavour of the players cannot be faulted. They represented the county with great passion and desire, but it's easy to wonder whether things will ever change.

Tonight, the home team should have certainly won the game in normal time, but yet again, the herd of elephants in the room point at Mayo's difficulty with closing out games and their difficulty with massed defences. Both difficulties were glaringly obvious and ultimately cost Mayo their championship season.

Mayo were poor in the first half, much better in the second half and should have closed out the game. However, they were caught at the death once again. They showed tremendous resilience to come back from the dead in extra time, but two missed penalties in the shoot-out ended their season. 

There was a serious sense of foreboding after 35 minutes of a game which, at that time, was as exciting as a dose of whooping cough. Mayo had reverted to their age-old habit of not being able to break down a massed defence while Derry were playing their effective but uninspiring Harte-ball where expressive football was alien.

The one bright spark of the half was Derry corner-forward Lachlan Murray, who scored four points, two of them gems from the left wing. Other than that, there was nothing which rose the heart-rate and that's the way Derry liked it as they enjoyed a three-point lead at the interval.

The one time, Mayo fans had a sniff of excitement in that first half arrived after 24 minutes when Jack Coyne's effort at a point fell short and was dropped by Derry goalkeeper Odhran Lynch. Stephen Coen got his toe to the loose ball but it ended up in the side-netting.

Apart from that the only talking points was whether Chrissy McKaigue should have been sin-binned for a foul on Aidan O'Shea as Mayo looked to launch a counter-attack up the left wing after 18 minutes.

McKaigue's colleague Eoin McEvoy also skirted with a black-card on the other side of the pitch but the referee Brendan Cawley was in forgiving mood.

Mayo were the architects of their own poor first-half showing. Two of their kick-outs drifted over the sideline; they put little or no pressure on Derry's kick-out and their build-up play was painfully slow.

They has a lot to talk about at half time.

Whatever was said, worked a treat because Mayo were much-improved in the third quarter. Tommy Conroy stepped into the light with two classy points, Aidan O'Shea harried and hassled and bustled around the place and Ryan O'Donoghue unveiled a moment of magic which led to Conroy being fouled for a penalty.

O'Donoghue planted the spot-kick in the corner and Mayo were in front, 1-7 to 0-8, after 50 minutes.

Mayo were much the better team at that stage, but Derry stayed in the game with Murray and Shane McGuigan kicking points to leave just one between them down the stretch.

Matthew Ruane had a goal chance saved by Doherty as excitement danced in the evening air. 

Ultimately, when the Fat Lady was clearing her throat, Mayo were a point up and headed for the quarter-final. The home side had a glorious chance to double their lead but Sam Callinan's punched effort went wide. That left Derry with one last chance to save themselves and that's what they did. McKaigue punched the equaliser and extra time arrived.

Derry looked to have it won at times in the two added periods, but two mighty Jordan Flynn points and a single from Paul Towey meant the game ended level, 1-12 to 0-15, after extra time.

A penalty shoot-out was required to produce a winner and the excitement levels went through the roof. However, misses from Towey and O'Donoghue proved costly as Derry were faultless from the spot and the Oak Boys went onto the quarter-final thanks to a 4-3 win in the shoot-out.

Mayo had provided so much elation all night, but ultimately the home side were engulfed in desolation. The more things change, the more they wait the same.

A match report, after-match reaction and analysis will be carried in Tuesday's Mayo News.