No regrets for Mayo U-18s after ‘savage effort’ in FAI Youth Inter-League Cup Final

THEY gathered in the centre of the gleaming patch of grass in inner-city Limerick and had one last team huddle. The young men who proudly wore the Mayo jersey had just come up short in their quest for national honours, and there was devastation in the air as Chris McGauley delivered a final address.

The team manager had watched proudly as his young men went toe to toe with an exceptionally talented Cork outfit, and he wanted to thank his players for their fearless effort.

Afterwards, he revealed to The Mayo News what he had said in that circle of trust.

“In the build up to the game we spoke about having no regrets when the final whistle sounded and that was definitely the case today. So, I thanked them for a savage effort. They gave it absolutely everything they had and you can’t ask for any more than that.”

Saturday’s match was played in the impressive home ground of Fairview Rangers AFC in the heart of The Fairgreen area of Limerick. It was a fitting setting for a match between two talented sides, and McGauley was quick to praise the opposition.

“Cork are a very good team – strong, aggressive and well-organised. They had a game plan, stuck to it and did very well, but we gave as good as we got. We hit the front early on and on another day the result could have gone our way, but that’s football.

“We have a brilliant bunch of lads. They gave it everything from last September and there wasn’t a word out of them. I really enjoyed spending those months with them and they have many good days ahead of them in the game.”

The manager was then asked about his goalkeeper, Oisín Costello. The Castlebar Celtic stopper had played a starring role all afternoon, but his presence had been in question until the final moments due to an ankle injury picked up the previous Tuesday night.

“Oisín was so close to not playing, but he was so determined. I’m not sure anything was going to stop him. He worked and worked and worked and then arrived at my house yesterday afternoon for a fitness test. That shows what an amazing character he is. He was brilliant today.”

Nearby, the talented goalkeeper was heaping praise on his teammates.

“The lads put in a huge effort and we nearly got over the line. There was a huge collective effort and to get to the final for the first time in a generation was a great achievement but we’re very disappointed not to have finished it off with a win today.

On another day it could have gone our way but Cork took their chances and fair play to them,” he stated before telling The Mayo News about his eventful build-up to Saturday’s final.

“I rolled my ankle badly on Tuesday and there were times during the week when it didn’t look like I’d be playing but I gave it everything and worked at it 24/7. I was on the beach walking in the water every day for about 40 minutes and spent over 20 hours on hot and cold treatment. I didn’t want to let the lads down. This was the last game we’d play together at this age group and we wanted to give it everything we had.”

They certainly did that!