Breaffy's O'Shea shoots down Mayo Gaels

Mayo Senior Club Football Championship

Round 3
Breaffy 2-10
Mayo Gaels 0-9

TWO goals from man of the match Aidan O’Shea propelled Breaffy into the quarter-finals of the Mayo SFC at the expense of Mayo Gaels in Ballindine on Saturday afternoon.
The Mayo star hit the net after 16 seconds to set Breaffy on the road to victory and he beat Paul Mannion again in the 57th minute to round off an impressive day’s work.
In between, Mayo Gaels gave the winners a few anxious moments in the opening half but their challenge faded out as the second half progressed.
O’Shea’s first goal was followed up by a neat point from Michael Hall to leave the Gaels behind by 0-0 to 1-1 after four minutes.
But their comeback then kicked in and two brilliant points from John Gallagher, along with a stunning long-range effort from midfielder Ethan Henry, and two huge frees from the same man, saw Mayo Gaels hit the front for the first time after 21 minutes.
But Breaffy steadied the ship with four unanswered points, the pick of them coming from Davitt Neary and Colm Flynn, to lead by 1-6 to 0-6 at half-time.
Anybody expecting a battle royal in the second half were sorely disappointed as Breaffy took a grip on the game and kept the Gaels at a safe distance.
An early score from Conor Beirne extended their lead and a string of wides from Mayo Gaels hampered their attempts to make a game of it.
Breaffy were four points up heading into the closing stages before Aidan O’Shea’s second goal put the game to bed.
Despite the defeat the Gaels have retained their senior championship status for 2024.