Boland's beauty beats the Dubs

FOOTBALL

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE ROUND 2

MAYO 1-12

DUBLIN 0-14

Hastings Insurance MacHale Park

A NERVELESS kick from Fergal Boland in the final moments of injury time sent Mayo supporters home happy after Dublin were dispatched by the tightest of margins in a throbbing MacHale Park tonight.

The Aghamore man benefitted from the quick-thinking of Ryan O'Donoghue, who picked him out with a quick free from the right wing and when Boland's shot flew between the posts the roar could be heard in the centre of the town where Lord Lucan once watched the finest of cricketers practise their skills.

Mayo now sit atop the league table following two wins in six days, but if their victory in Salthill on Sunday last was comfortable and serene, tonight's win was hewn from hard work and effort.

Mayo were poor in the opening quarter, good in the run-in to half-time, slow out of the blocks after the resumption, boosted by a goal from Stephen Coen after 51 minutes before going toe-to-toe with the guests all the way home.

The first half ended with the teams locked together at 0-8 apiece and Mayo were happy with that, given their timid opening quarter. Dublin looked like the wizards of old as Mayo stood off them and seemed dazzled in the floodlights.

Jack McCaffrey, Con O'Callaghan, Ciaran Kilkenny and their brothers in blue were playing as they pleased and built up a deserved 0-5 to 0-1 lead after 17 minutes. In truth, the guests should have been further in front and Mayo looked timid and tepid.

Then, Paddy Durcan burst up the right wing, the crowd rose and Mayo had arrived. Ryan O'Donoghue kicked two frees, Paul Towey landed a beauty from a central patch of grass and Bob Tuohy brilliantly squeezed one over following a classy pass from O'Donoghue.

Suddenly Mayo were level and the old stadium was hopping.

They exchanged a share of four points before the interval and the teams emerged for the new half with renewed vigour. However, it was Dublin who once again hit the ground running and three points on the spin had the visitors looking good and prancing forward.

Mayo were finding it hard to pick a way through the Dublin back line but O'Donoghue closed the gap to two after 49 minutes before Stephen Coen scored his first ever goal for Mayo when he flicked a Jordan Flynn delivery to the net.

That set the tone. It was all or nothing going down the stretch as the stadium throbbed and both sides went for broke. Con O'Callaghan's point six minutes from the end left Dublin a point clear, 0-14 to 1-10, but the Blues wouldn't score again.

Instead it was O'Donoghue who kicked the balancing score as time ticked away and when Boland landed the winner, the roar cracked the sky.

Castlebar was rocking, Dublin were beaten in Castlebar for the first time in 12 seasons and it was a bank-holiday Saturday night. It doesn't get much better!