Mayo beat Roscommon to set-up Connacht final showdown against Galway

Aidan O’Shea scored Mayo’s goal.

Mayo 1-15

KEVIN MCSTAY’S MAYO had five points to spare over Roscommon on the final whistle as they set-up a Connacht final showdown with Galway in a fortnight’s time.

Having a slender one-point lead at the break, Mayo outscored their hosts by nine points to five in the second half to ease their way to victory.

It looked like it was going to be battle right to the final whistle when Daire Cregg levelled the game up not long after the start of the second half. But Mayo kicked four of the next five points to put three between the teams on the 45 minute mark.

Ryan O’Donoghue kicked two of those with Aidan O’Shea and Tommy Conroy getting the other, while Cregg got one for Roscommon in that run.

Conor Loftus stretched the Mayo lead out to four points seconds after his introduction for Paddy Durcan and that was responded to by a fine Niall Daly effort to keep Roscommon in touch.

But Mayo found and extra gear and scores from O’Donoghue, Fergal Boland and Conroy had Mayo six points clear and looking set for victory with a quarter of a hour to go. Roscommon did keep plugging away and created a couple of goal chances but failed to take them and Mayo were able to see out the game and book their spot in the provincial decider.

Mayo were in front by the bare minimum at the half time break with Aidan O’Shea’s goal after seven minutes the key score in the half.

The visitors led by 1-1 to 0-0 after eight minutes, with Paddy Durcan getting the opening score four minutes in following a swift break. Diarmuid Murtagh got things going for the hosts with a well-taken effort nine minutes in.

The St Faithleach’s man finished the first half with four points to his name with an impressive showing in the opening 35 minutes. Ryan O’Donoghue pushed the gap back out to four points 12 minutes in, swinging the ball over the bar on the turn.

Murtagh then reel doff two points on the spin in the 15th and 16th minute, the first from a free and the second a fine effort from play that he arced just inside the far post. That was quickly followed by a pointed free from Daire Cregg to cut the gap back to a single point.

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Mayo stretched the lead back out to two on 24 minutes when O’Donoghue got his second of the day from a close-range free. Ben O’Carroll replied almost instantly with a fine point despite being under pressure from the Mayo defence.

O’Donghue got his third point, fisting the ball over the bar after being found by a raking pass from Matthew Ruane down the terrace side of the field. Davy Burke’s men came straight back at Mayo with Donie Smith and Murtagh once again kicking excellent scores to level it up at 1-4 to 0-7 with 33 minutes gone on the clock.

Mayo responded well with points from Fergal Boland and another O’Donoghue free to go two clear once again as the game entered injury time, but there was still time for Daire Cregg to get his second of the half to leave just one between the sides at the half-time whistle.

Mayo march on to a provincial showdown with Galway in Salthill, while Roscommon will have to regroup and wait to see what the draw for the group stages of the championship throws up for them.

Scorers for Roscommon: Diarmuid Murtagh 0-5 (2f), Daire Cregg 0-4 (2f), Donie Smith, Ben O’Carroll, Eoin McCormack, Niall Daly 0-1 each.

Scorers for Mayo: Ryan O’Donoghue 0-7 (3f, 1m), Aidan O’Shea 1-1, Tommy Conroy, Conor Loftus, Fergal Boland 0-2 each, Paddy Durcan 0-1.

Roscommon

1. Conor Carroll (Oranmore/Maree)

2. David Murphy (Padraig Pearses), 3. Brian Stack (St Brigid’s), 4. Niall Higgins (Elphin)

5. Niall Daly (Padraig Pearses), 6. Ruaidhrí Fallon (St Brigids), 7. Eoin McCormack (St Dominics)

8. Enda Smith (Boyle), 20. Ben O’Carroll (St Brigid’s)

10. Dylan Ruane (Michael Glaveys), 11. Ultan Harney (Clan na nGael), 12. Ronan Daly (Padraig Pearses)

13. Donie Smith (Boyle), 14. Daire Cregg (Boyle), 15. Diarmuid Murtagh (St Faithleach’s)

Subs

17. Patrick Gavin (Clan na nGael) for Murray
• 9. Tadhg O’Rourke (Tulsk Lord Edwards) for Ruane
• 18. Robbie Dolan (St Brigid’s) for Daly
• 24. Conor Cox (Éire Og) for Smith
• 25. James Fitzpatrick (Oran) for Harney

Mayo

1. Colm Reape (Knockmore)

2. Jack Coyne (Ballyhaunis), 3. Rory Brickenden (Westport), 4. Sam Callinan (Ballina Stephenites)

5. Paddy Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels), 6. David McBrien (Ballaghaderreen), 22. Donnacha McHugh (Castlebar Mitchels)

8. Stephen Coen (Hollymount-Carramore), 9. Matthew Ruane (Breaffy)

18. Jordan Flynn (Crossmolina Deel Rovers), 11. Fergal Boland (Aghamore), 12. Jack Carney (Kilmeena)

13. Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy), 14. Tommy Conroy (The Neale), 15. Ryan O’Donoghue (Belmullet)

Subs

7. Enda Hession (Garrymore) for McHugh
• 20. Conor Loftus (Crossmolina Deel Rovers) for Durcan
• 10. Bob Tuohy (Castlebar Mitchels) for O’Shea
• 26. Paul Towey (Charlestown) for Flynn
• 23. Padraig O’Hora (Ballina Stephenites) for Coyne

Referee: Sean Hurson (Tyrone)