13 August 1997
By Aiden Henry
The referee at the centre of the Connaught senior football final injury time controversy has rubbished allegations he did not know the score when he blew the final whistle. Top rated official Mick Curley denied claims which suggested he thought the sides were level after Sligo midfielder Paul Durkin registered his side's last point against Mayo.
Speculation had been rife in the province since Curley appeared to prematurely call a halt to proceedings at Hyde Park as Sligo mounted a memorable fightback. But Curley, speaking from his Galway home last night, said the stories being circulated were totally without foundation. He said:: "The rumours doing the rounds are pure nonsense. I never at any stage said or thought the sides were level when I blew the final whistle. When the time was up on my stop-watch, I knew Mayo had won by a point."
Mr. Curley explained it was part of his policy as a referee to know at all times during a game which team was leading and by how much. "As a referee you are always asked two questions by players during games, how much time is left and what is the score."
When questioned why he didn't allow any injury time when it seemed to many supporters that at least one or two minutes should have been added on in the second half, he said: "I couldn't allow any injury time when there wasn't any. I never stop my stopwatch unless there is a serious injury and medical attention is needed. In the second half of the Connaught final I had no reason to stop my watch".
Meanwhile, Mayo's build-up to the All-Ireland semi-final on August 31st received a blow at the weekend when full-back, Kevin Cahill was ruled out for the season after breaking down in training. Cahill, who had to leave the field in the Connaught semi-final against Leitrim with a knee injury, has a cruciate ligament problem which will take almost twelve months to heal. He has also been advised that, in order to be able to play again, he will need surgery.
Mayo's injury worries escalated with the news that full-forward, John Casey, twisted his knee while playing for Charlestown in the Intermediate championship on Sunday. He was unable to line out for his club in an important league fixture on Monday night due to the soreness in his knee. However, Casey himself was confident that the injury was only minor and he hoped to be back training shortly.
