Controversial goals end Mayo's final dream as Minors fail to make final cut

Connaught Telegraph

GAA News 14 August 1996


Kerry 1-8 -------------- Mayo 0-9

By John Melvin

When the 1996 record book is being filled in, the Mayo minor team could well be chalked down for a Connaught Final they shouldn't have won and a place in the All Ireland they could have won. But such is the game at this level. Totally unpredictable.

Mayo minors lost to Kerry, but there was some salvation, even in defeat, as the team produced the kind of football they had been unable to deliver in the earlier rounds of the championship.

And so it was at Croke Park on Sunday where Mayo minors went into a semi-final against Kerry with many people, including this scribe, believing they were on a hiding to nothing.

As it turned out, had they a pinch of the belief the senior team had in themselves, they might well have pulled it off.

Okay, they may not have quite deserved it, as, at the end of the day, they lacked the punch up front where they relied heavily on the free taking ability of Lyndon Reilly and never worked quite as cohesively as the Kerry lads.

Mayo also found the tactic of the high ball not working particularly well, as the Kerry full back line swallowed every ball that came down their throats, despite the wet conditions which prevailed at the start of the game.

Luck

But for a team that was given little hope at the start of the championship, they might well, with a bit of luck, have gone the distance.

This exciting minor semi-final will be remembered for two moments in particular and two goals. Unfortunately, one of them was allowed and the other wasn't. As the scoreboard tells you above, it was the Kerry goal that stood.

The Mayo defence was culpable to some extent for standing still when a free was awarded to Gareth Clifford.

But before Mayo knew what was happening, Clifford had the ball in the back of the net. It was Kerry cuteness at it's best but it was a costly lesson for Mayo for dropping their guard.

Another referee might well not have allowed the goal. In the 8th minute Vincent Cawley fired to the back of the Kerry net for what looked like a legitimate goal. Mystery still surround why referee Brendan Gorman ruled the goal out, despite being a good distance away. There was never any question about a square ball, unless there was some infringement off the ball. I've spoken to a good few people on this decision and nobody could come up with a plausible answer.

However, if a team is good enough they will beat the opposition and the referee, and in the final ten minutes it was Kerry who snatched victory thanks to the scoring of centre forward Noel Kennelly.

The character of the side was well known ever since they produced that amazing second half revival against Sligo at McHale Park.

And it was that same character which kept them in this game, particularly after that Kerry goal which left them tailing by five points- 1-3 to 0-1.

They clawed their way back thanks to an excellent point from the industrious Ger Brady and another from Karl Boyle left just the goal between them after 20 minutes and it remained that way at the break- 1-3 to 0-3.

By the 10th minute of the second half Mayo had hauled themselves son level terms and one wonders if they had got their noses inf front at that stage would they have held on.

I have a feeling they just might have. It was three well struck frees by Reilly which put Mayo on level terms.

They team was now producing some very good football and they might well have led this game for the first time but for the strength of a very good Kerry defence which defended doggedly under that persistent high ball. The best chance came from a very good move but Vincent Cawley's Mayo's best forward on the day, had his effort blocked down for a fifty.

Edna Lavelle, proving very effective at midfield was the one fouled to present Reilly with the equalising free but a minute later centre forward Noel Kennelly had Kerry back in front and the same player hit three points on the trot to restore that goal advantage 1-6 to 0-6 as the game entered the last ten minutes.

Karl Boyle pulled back a good point for Mayo but Liam Murphy came with two very good points for Kerry to extend the lead to four points with eight minutes remaining.

Mayo never dropped the heads but their only reward was an excellent pint from Vincent Cawley and a another Reilly free three minutes from the end. Mayo did have a last-gasp effort from substitute Fintan McHale turned away but unfortunately on this occasion there was to be no fairy tale ending for Mayo minor.

Luck is a vital ingredient in any game and Mayo, perhaps, had their quota used up before they got to Croke Park. They certainly got no favours from referee Brendan Gorman in a game that will be remembers mostly for the two goals and from mayo's pint of view the wrong one counting.

For Mayo John Feeney had a very impressive game at full back while Ger Brady and Noel Gallagher completed Mayo's best line of defence along with keeper Sean Campbell who produced a couple of quality saves. Murphy and Kennelly posed the biggest threat to the Mayo half backline of Stephen Rochford, Paul Nevin and Niall Dunne and they could not be faulted for their efforts on the day.

Enda Lavelle did well at midfield where Karl Boyle also worked hard, while in the attack Maurice O'Gara worked very hard in the first half and Vincent Cawley and Ger Brady were the ones that threatened most against a very strong Kerry defence with a full back line proved impregnable on the day.

Scorers for Kerry: N. Kennelly (0-4- 2 frees); L. Murphy (0-3- I free); ;G. Clifford (1-0); A. MacGearalt 0-1. For Mayo: L. Reilly 0-5 (all frees), K. Boyle 0-2; V. Cawley, G. Brady 0-1.

Mayo: Sean Campbell (Ballina), Noel Gallagher (Swinford), John Feeney (Ballintubber), Ger Brady (Ballina), Stephen Rochford (Crossmolina), Paul Navin (Claremorris), Niall Dunne (Parke\Keelogues), Karl Boyle (Claremorris), Enda Lavelle (Crossmolina), Vincent Cawley (Lahardane), Ger Brady (Claremorris), Jarlath O'Malley (Louisburgh), Declan Leonard (Lahardane), Maurice O'Gara (Ballaghadereen), Lyndon Reilly (Ballintubber). Subs: F. McHale (Castlebar) for O'Malley (45mts), C. Kenny (Ballycastle) for Leonard 50 mts.

Kerry: K. O'Keefe, K. Leen, M. McCarthy, O. O'Connell, P. McCarthy, T. O'Se, P. Murphy, J. Lynch, T. Griffin, W. Harmon, N. Kennelly, L. Murphy, M. D. Cahill, G. Clifford, B. O'Connor.

Ref: B. Gorman (Armagh).



Connaught Telegraph - News - August 1996

Connaught Telegraph - Sport - August 1996