Mayo Under-20s too good for Derry

Mayo 2-10
Derry 1-8

Michael Gallagher
Bekan

AN impressive Mayo performance secured a well-deserved win over a disappointing Derry outfit in Saturday’s Leo Murphy Cup (Under-20) second round clash at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence.
The homeside were much the better team and Maurice Sheridan’s men kicked some eye-catching scores at the end of flowing well-worked moves.
Derry arrived in East Mayo without five players called up to the senior squad, but they still sent out a team littered with star quality. However the Ulster men looked frustrated and tetchy at times as Mayo won most of the physical battles all over the pitch.
The winners took a deserved 2-4 to 0-6 lead to the break after being much the better team in the opening half. Derry were dogged and physically strong but rarely set hearts aflutter with excitement.
For the second week in succession last year’s Mayo minor attackers Dara Hurley (Claremorris), James Maheady (Crossmolina) and Ronan Clarke (Moy Davitts) were eye-catching with both Maheady and Hurley bagging goals for themselves.
The first goal arrived after ten minutes when Hurley ran through the middle and Maheady finished smartly into the corner of the net.
The second goal came six minutes later when Hurley ran straight through the middle again and finished high past Kian McGonigle.
Wing-forward Fenton Kelly, corner-back Brendan Collins and midfielder James Fallon also caught the eye in the opening half for Maurice Sheridan’s charges.
Derry started well with big midfielder Sean Deehan, wing-forward Dan Higgins and physically imposing full-forward Niall McGonigle prominent, but Mayo gradually got a grip on the game and their influence waned. However, it took a superb save from Bryan O’Flaherty to deny Peter McCullough a Derry goal after 12 minutes.
That was as close to a net-shaker the Derry men came in that opening period — a period where Mayo had to replace injured duo O’Flaherty and corner-back Darragh Joyce. The latter was lining out just days after helping DCU to a Trench Cup title.
Mayo continued where they left off after the resumption with Conal Dawson, Cian McHale, Paul Gilmore, Jack Fallon and Ciaran Boland to the fore. Hurley, Maheady and Clarke continued to impress, and the points flowed.
Derry got a boost midway through the half when Higgins blasted home a goal despite some fine play from Mayo sub-goalkeeper David Dolan. However, that was as good as it got for the Oak boys and a late point from Davitts’ Cathal Corless decorated a fine Mayo performance.

MAYO
B O’Flaherty; B Collins, J Ferguson, D Joyce; C Boland (0-1), S Morahan, P Gilmore (0-1); J Fallon (0-1, 1f), C Dawson (0-1); D Hurley (1-0), C Corless (0-1), F Kelly; C McHale (0-3, 2fs), J Maheady (1-1), R Clarke (0-1)
Subs used: D Dolan for O’Flaherty, A Battle for Joyce, F McLaughlin for McHale, F Cruise for Hurley, O Cronin for Corless.

DERRY
K McGonigle; A McGonigle, J Murray, J Moore; E Higgins (0-1), C Shields, P McGurk (0-1); P O’Kane, S Deehan; C Bateson, C Diamond (0-3, 3fs), P McCullough; D Higgins (1-1), N McGonige (0-2, 2fs), C Downey.
Subs used: J Cassidy for Bateson, R Walls for O’Kane, D McDermott for Downey.

Referee: R Hynes (Galway)