GAA
5 November 1997

Church and General National Football League Section A

Mayo 1 - 9        Galway 0 - 12

By John Melvin

Pride intact. Points shared. Nobody declaring a full hand. All's well that end's well and both managers could leave McHale Park in the knowledge that, while this was a draw, both teams will claim a moral victory over the other. Obviously, it will be a different story when the gloves come off for what is building up as the High Noon in the championship in Connaught when these two sides meet on May 24th.

If this was a dress rehearsal, then bring on the real thing. As I saw it this was a point lost rather than a point won, and Galway, under the new management of John O'Mahony couldn't have hoped for a better result under the circumstances.

It was an indication too of the level of expectation in Galway that they travelled in numbers to McHale Park for this second round clash in Section A and were very well represented in a crowd of around 8,000 in near perfect conditions on an excellent surface.

Twice Mayo appeared to have the winning of the game when they went two points clear in the last quarter, but as we have come to expect from Galway over the years, they are a resilient side, and they came back on both occasions with an injury time pointed free, manufactured and scored by Shay Walsh, to plunder a precious point for them.

Both managers could take many positive readings, but the inescapable fact remains for John Maughan that his forwards at times were guilty of criminal negligence with the number of chances they blew away-fourteen in all, and ten in the second half alone when Mayo had a monopoly of outfield possession. Even a reliable freetaker would have steered over a vital point or two to secure the game.

Positive

From a positive point of view there was the solid displays of both John Casey and David Heaney on the half back line, the enormous contribution of David Brady at midfield, a massive improvement in James Horan's game while Liam McHale, despite a tough basketball tie in Waterford on Saturday night, still possesses the deft touches to open doors for vital scores.

Fergal Costello had a fine game in the corner while Noel Connelly did as well as could be expected as a stand-in corner back for the injured Kenneth Mortimer. James Nallen has had better games, while Pat Holmes did a very good job in curbing Galway danger man Padraic Joyce.

Despite fourteen wides there were some very well taken scores form the forwards with six forwards finding the target, and that has to be viewed as an improvement. The chances were certaintly created but McDonald, despite 1-3, had a bagful of wides and Diarmuid Byrne did not provide the kind of service that is expected from him at full forward.

David Nestor got little return for the amount of work he did while James Horan had his best game in a long time.

McHale's posting to the forty saw a few crevices open in that Galway defence and he scored two very good points.

In fact it was McHale's introduction for the injured Ronan Golding which brought Mayo from three points adrift after ten minutes to a one point lead by the 20th minute.

His first touch of the ball released John Casey and he found Ciaran McDonald with the most accurate of long balls.

McDonald let fly with a stinging shot from 25 yard. Almost immediately McHale came in on the end of a move involving Horan and Fallon to fist Mayo in front for the first time in the game.

Galway had settled in much earlier and had four points clocked up from Paul Clancy, one of their most impressive forwards, Padraic Joyce (free), Sean O'Domhnbail and Derek Savage after 10 minutes with Mayo's only score in that period coming from Ronan Golding, who was shaping up well before his injury.

McDonald pulled back another point from a free in the 16th minute but Shay Walsh restored a three point gap for Galway with a well struck free from all of fifty yards before Mayo struck with the only goal of the match.

Diarmuid Byrne followed up with a good score to put Mayo two points clear after 24 minutes but Galway had pegged it back to level terms, Joyce (free) an Michael Donnellan leaving matters at 1-4 o 0-7 at the break.

Mayo took a grip on matters from the outset on the resumption but three bad wides, in as many minutes, were an indication of what was to come.

Colm McMenamon who once again mixed the good with the terrible, scored a fine point but that was negated by another Walsh free in the 36th minute.

Mayo were now mopping up at midfield where Brady was fired-up while Fallon was also flying, and there was a a lot of grafting from Horan, Heaney, Casey and the Costello, who had a battle royal in the corner with Savage.

But ten minutes elapsed before Horan, with a gem of a point with the outside of his right boot, put Mayo back in front and it was extended to two, McDonald selling a neat dummy before nailing a good pint on his favoured left peg.

Derek Savage from play and a inspirational point from Sean og DePaor brought Galway back again, but McDonald and McHale responded for Mayo to lift them two points clear again going into the last five minutes.

Donnellan picked off a good score after Galway had teased out an opening in the Mayo defence, while in injury time Shay Walsh got the free he played for in a tussle with Noel Connelly, and Galway went away with a point that they were really presented with, although they did work hard in that last ten minutes, particularly when they changed their midfield with Michael Cloherty and Kevin Walsh faring much better.

But Mayo should have had the gate long shut by then. McDonald hit a screamer across the goals after McMenamon picked him out with a superb pass, while McMenamon himself had a goal effort saved and David Nestor was also denied when he pulled on the rebound.

For Galway Tomas Meehan, Gary Fahy, Ray Silke, Sean Og De Paor, Michael Donnellan, Derek Savage, Padraig Joyce, Shay Walsh, Paul Clancy, and substitutes Kevin Walsh and Michael Cloherty played well enough to suggest Galway will be the biggest threat to Mayo's championship hopes next summer.

Mayo: P. Burke, N. Connelly, P. Holmes, J. Casey, J. Nallen, D. Heaney, D. Brady, P. Fallon, J. Horan (0-1); C. McMenamon (0-1); R. Golding(0-1); K. McDonald (1-3); D. Byrne (0-1); D. Nestor. Subs: L McHale (0-2 for Golding (inj)

Galway: M. McNamara, T. Meehan, G. Fahy, F. McWalter, K. Fallon, R. Silke, S. Og DePaor (0-1); P. Boyce, S. O'Domhnail (0-1); P. Clancy (0-1); M. Donnellan (0-2) D. Meehan, D. Savage (0-2); P. Joyce (0-2); S. Walsh (0-3). Subs:K. Walsh for O'Domhnail, M. Cloherty for Boyce,

Ref: E. Neary (Sligo).