OSCAR TRAYNOR CUP (Quarter-Final)

Connaught Telegraph

TRIBESMEN RECORD FIFTEENTH WIN IN 21 MEETINGS. . .




Mayo haunted by tradition

Mayo ................................................................... 1

Galway ................................................................ 2

TOM KELLY . . .AT MILEBUSH PARK

Tradition came back to haunt Mayo at Milebush on Sunday. They crashed disappointingly out of the Oscar Traynor Cup when they suffered their fifteenth defeat at the hands of Galway in the twenty-one meetings between the sides in the national competition. Mayo were made to pay heavily for a quarter of an hour of defensive madness in the early stages of the second half when Galway Hibs star Paul Langan struck on the double. Langan displayed his opportunism by registering the side's opening goal in the 56th minute following a comedy of errors in the Mayo rearguard.

Westport United's John Fahy miskicked his attempted clearance, and Langan was perfectly positioned to exploit full advantage. Fahy had not been totally to blame for the goal, even though his error may been the most blatant. The entire back four had been caught operating far too deeply and, to coin a phrase, they were all over the place.

Langan undermined the Mayo challenge fifteen minutes later with his second goal following a blistering counter attack. Galway goalkeeper P.J. Norman, who had just prevented a Mayo equaliser when stopping a Gareth Golding close range shot, found Johnny Walsh in space wide on the right. Walsh squared the ball neatly for Langan who drove the ball past Declan Sweeney from ten yards. It was a shattering moment for Mayo. Virtually within seconds of almost snatching an equalising goal through Golding, they found themselves going two behind at the other end with little hope of mounting a recovery.

As it transpired Mayo produced some of their best football after falling two goals in arrears, and went agonisingly close to forcing the game into extra-time. Achill Rovers ace Fergal Kilbane, who had been dropped from the starting line-up because he arrived 25 minutes after the appointed meeting time, was introduced in a desperate effort to rescue the game. In fairness to him, he snatched Mayo a lifeline when he finished off a brilliantly worked goal with fourteen minutes remaining.

GUNS BLAZING

Soccer Action Tim Moriarty played a sweet ball wide to Paul Jordan whose delivery from the left was headed cleaning into the net by Kilbane. Now Mayo went at Galway with all guns blazing, and Golding was unlucky not to have secured an equalising following splendid work down the right by Chris Jordan. With Golding charging down on goal, the ball clipped his right heel and rolled away from danger. In the end, however, Mayo had no excuses. They failed, tactically, to get to grips with the opposition and were always caught out by Galway's incisive running off the ball.

It may have been different had an early effort by Paul Jordan not being saved so spectacularly by Norman, while big John Walsh had to clear an effort off the line midway through the opening half. Galway also had opportunities before taking the lead, the most notable one falling to the feet of Renmore's Alan Shaughnessy who forced a brave block by Sweeney just before half-time. The manner in which Mayo conceded the first goal was always going to effect their confidence, particularly when they lacked a personality on the field who provided leadership and direction.

Mayo were forced to make two personnel changes from the side which defeated Roscommon in the previous round. Manulla central defender Damian Ansbro was ruled out after breaking a bone in his hand in three places in the club's F.A.I. Junior Cup game against Wayside Celtic a week earlier. He was replaced by Westport United Ian McLoughlin, a son of one of the club's former greats, Sean. The other change was the selection of Gareth Golding ahead of Kilbane, while full-backs, Kieran McDonnell and John Fahy, swapped places.

Although the defeat was disappointing, it was not entirely a disappointing season for Mayo and new manager P.J. Duffy will have learned a great deal.

Mayo:

D. Sweeney (Conn Rangers), J. Fahy (Westport United), K. McDonnell (Manulla), T. Healy (Manulla), I. McLoughlin (Westport United), C. Jordan (Urlaur), K. Ring (Claremorris), T. Moriarty (Urlaur), S. Ring (Claremorris), G. Golding (Manulla), P. Jordan (Urlaur).

Res: F. Kilbane (Achill Rovers) for S. Ring.

Galway:

P.J. Norman (Crescent United), K. Joyce (Galway Bohs), D. Samuels (Renmore), S. Lawless (Galway Hibs), J. Walsh (Renmore), J. Keogh (Crescent), M. Devlin (Hibs), J. Walsh (Hibs), A. Shaughnessy (Renmore), O. Keogh (Crescent).

Res: M. Keogh (Crescent) for O. Keogh; R. Walsh (Bohs) for Joyce; T. Warde (Hibs) for Langan.

Ref: J. Cormacan (Roscommon).

* Star Rating: Paul Langan. . .two goal hero.

Connaught Telegraph - News - February 1996

Connaught Telegraph - Sport - February 1996