Fairytale of New York in Bekan as Mayo beaten on home soil in Connacht Hurling League decider

Connacht Hurling League Final

New York 2-25

Mayo 2-12

Oisín McGovern in Bekan

THE fairytale of New York became a reality as Mayo slumped to a ten-point defeat in the Connacht Hurling League Final this evening.

Indeed, margin of victory did not reflect how impressive New York were in a win that lost some of its gloss thanks to two very lucky Mayo goals.

The Statesiders ruled ‘The Dome’ from top from start to finish against a Mayo side that struggled for scores for long periods.

With Cormac Phillips getting most their scores, a Mayo team minus several key players conceded eleven unanswered scores in one first-half blitz that would have put a B-52 to shame.

With David Mangan and Martin Cullen in flying form, Mayo’s half-time blushes were spared when Matthew Connor’s shot fell through New York goalie James McCormack’s hands and into the net.

Carrying a handsome 0-14 to 1-2 lead at the break, New York drew blood within a minute of the restart when Ruadhan Mulrooney assisted Martin Cullen for their first goal.

It took until injury time for Mayo to score from play in the second half, with their second goal coming from a close-range Cormac Phillips free that found the roof of the net.

New York continued to the pepper the opposition goalposts as the hosts found themselves almost solely dependent on frees from Cormac Phillips.

Ger McPartland and Ruadhan Mulrooney combined for McPartland to finish New York’s second goal in lovely fashion towards the end.

For the next ten minutes, players and supporters smiled in expectant delight before leaping for joy at the sound of the full time whistle on a historic night for New York GAA.

There will be a full match report plus reaction from the New York camp in Tuesday’s Mayo News.