COMING THROUGH Mayo’s David Heaney drives on against Cork and Nicholas Murphy during Saturday’s match at Pairc Uí Rinn. Pic: Sportsfile
Second wind saves Mayo Division 1A
Mayo1-12
Cork2-8 Mike Finnerty Cork
TO try and make sense of the pulsating game that unfolded last Saturday night under the lights at Pairc Uí Rinn seems to be a futile exercise.
There was little rhyme and hardly any reason to a match that ebbed and flowed from start to finish, and ended with Aidan Kilcoyne lobbing the winning score in injury-time in front of 1,653 disciples.
It was a classic smash-and-grab finish; Cork having led from the seventh minute of the game eventually being overhauled with the end in sight. The defeat consigns them to relegation from Division 1 and propels Mayo to within striking distance of the semi-finals. It can be a cruel game at times.
But before we get carried away with the away win and are misled by the eventual outcome, consider these nuggets if you will.
Mayo conceded two first half goals and trailed by six points at the break. They lost Alan Dillon to a hamstring injury in the first quarter and Aidan Campbell limped off just before half-time.
Cork dominated in terms of territory and possession for that entire first half and were full value for their six point lead. Mayo’s defence was being run ragged as Cork rained ball down on top of their 6’5” full-forward, Michael Cussen, and the corner men fed off the breaks.
To say it was looking ominous for Mayo at that stage would be an understatement. The cornerstones of the defence were crumbling, midfield was haemorraging badly, and only Conor Mortimer seemed capable of manufacturing scores up front.
Where Cork were purposeful and confident, Mayo were hesitant and uncertain. Leadership was conspicuous by its absence and there seemed to be only one outcome on the cards.
The opening minutes of the second half give cause for a quick revision of the doomsday predictions.
It took Mayo all of 360 seconds to draw alongside their hosts as they rattled off 1-3 without reply in a dazzling purple patch.
Conor Mortimer, looking a more mature corner-forward these days, lashed in the goal with his right foot and also chipped in with a point. Pat Harte kicked the score that began the comeback and Marty McNicholas swung over the equaliser in the 41st minute. Mayo’s mood had changed.
This transformation was typified by the likes of Peadar Gardiner, David Heaney, Andy Moran and the aforementioned Mortimer. This quartet took on the onus of responsibility and set about leading Mayo out of mediocrity by example.
The final quarter, however, was far from straightforward. James Masters gave Keith Higgins a torrid time all evening and he clipped three tidy points from play in the space of eight minutes to nudge Cork back in front by 2-8 to 1-9.
There were 51 minutes gone and we awaited Mayo’s response. To their credit they summoned up another push and there can be no disputing that their fitness was one of the primary reasons for their renaissance.
Andy Moran’s rude health was graphically illustrated in the 62nd minute when he burst past Michael Prout defiantly and fisted an inspirational point that narrowed the gap to the minimum.
Enda Devenney and David Heaney made a number of similar bursts during the second half that galvanised their team-mates while Billy Padden and Kevin O’Neill showcased their ability to open up a backline with a good, old-fashioned foot-pass.
It took a combination of these approaches before Cork’s frugal backline was prised open sufficiently for Mayo to work the equaliser; Devenney arriving at pace to feed Marty McNicholas who smacked over the levelling score.
The final minutes were frantic as both teams went in search of a winner. Kenneth O’Malley produced an excellent save to deny Kevin McMahon a goal, wides were shot at both ends, but it took a sweet side-step and a cool finish from Aidan Kilcoyne a minute into injury-time to settle it.
Such a result had looked unlikely for long spells in the first half as Cork’s defence was taking no prisoners and their midfield dominance was almost total.
This superiority was supplemented by goals in the ninth and 23rd minutes from Michael Cussen and Kevin O’Sullivan. The same players also shot a point apiece to keep Cork in the ascendancy and both had the beating of their markers, James Kilcullen and Liam O’Malley, whenever the ball arrived.
In fact were it not for frees from Aidan Kilcoyne and Conor Mortimer, allied to a brace of long-range points from David Heaney and Kevin O’Neill, Mayo would have been in dire straits by the interval.
That they came through in the end is testament to their mental fortitude and physical wellbeing. They are winning without hitting too many high notes and that will do for now.
Mayo K O’Malley; L O’Malley, J Kilcullen, K Higgins; E Devenney, B Padden, P Gardiner; P Harte (0-1), D Heaney (0-1); A Campbell, A Kilcoyne (0-2, 1f), G Brady; C Mortimer (1-4, 1f), A Dillon, A Moran (0-1).
Subs used: K O’Neill (0-1) for Dillon (inj); M McNicholas (0-2) for Campbell (inj); A Higgins for L O’Malley; M Ronaldson for O'Neill
Cork P O’Shea; O Sexton, M Shields, K O’Connor; N O’Leary, G Spillane, A Lynch; D Kavanagh, N Murphy; S O’Brien, A O’Connor, K McMahon; J Masters (0-6, 2fs), M Cussen (1-1), K O’Sullivan (1-1).
Subs used: M Prout for Sexton; A Cronin for O’Brien; S Levis for O’Leary; D Hurley for Murphy
Referee: R Hickey (Clare)
