Mayo crowned Connacht Under-20 Champions after thrilling game

CONNACHT UNDER-20 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Mayo 2-17

Roscommon 4-8

In Saint Jarlath’s Park, Tuam

Where to begin with this one?

Let’s start with the main details. Mayo are Connacht Under-20 Champions.

Peadar Gardiner’s men showed heart, grit, and resilience as they overcame a Roscommon side who refused to go away.

But even a novel wouldn’t tell the story of this one.

Huge credit must go to the Rossies for the way they turned around the first half. John Curran may have opened the scoring for them, but once Mayo found their groove in the first quarter, they were unstoppable.

Oisín Cronin, Hugh O’Loughlin, Darragh Beirne, and the ever-prolific Tom Lydon all raised white flags, and that’s not to mention the sublime goal move started by Séamus Howard, plucking the Roscommon kickout from the heavens, and finished by the very same young man, rolling the ball under Patrick Gaynor.

With the Tuam scoreboard reading 1-7 to 0-1, it looked like the trophy could already be draped in green and red.

However, when Roscommon found their shooting boots ten minutes before half-time, they did it in style. Three goals in as little as eight minutes made a game that seemed to be getting away from them into an absolute humdinger.

First, John Curran’s fine cross-field ball was well met by Rory Carthy, who dispatched to the net with aplomb. Then, five minutes later, John McGuinness found space in an all-at-sea Mayo back line to snatch a three-pointer of his own.

Moments later, Mayo had their second goal. A Roscommon kick-out lacked the requisite height to clear Cathal Keaveney. Keaveney found Darragh Beirne, who punished the Roscommon number one.

The utter lunacy and helter-skelter action didn’t stop there, as the dangerous McGuinness rattled the Mayo net on the verge of half-time to reduce the breathing room to two points.

Mayo found their groove at the start of Act Two again and seemed to manage to get a grip on things, and had it not been for a string of Gaynor saves, they would have been out of sight.

Enter Roscommon captain Robert Heneghan, who got a palm to a short Carthy attempt to drag Mayo into deep waters once more.

From there, Peadar Gardiner’s charges tried to wriggle free, but it seemed like they came undone as Niall Heneghan palmed the pall into the net in the dying moments.

However, referee Thomas Murphy signalled for a square ball, and Mayo were able to regather and just about hold off Roscommon for a momentous and historic win under cloudless skies.

A full report, plus reaction, will be included in Tuesday’s edition of The Mayo News