MAYO IMPRESS TO WIN CLARE DRESS REHEARSAL
GAA News 22 January 1997
Mayo 2-10 ----------------- Clare 0-6
by John Melvin
If this was a dress rehearsal, then bring on the real thing.
However, it is unlikely Clare will be in the same accommodating mood in
Ennis in two weeks time, when they clash with Mayo in the National league,
as they were in Kiltimagh on Sunday for this F.B.D. Connacht League which
saw Mayo produce a superb first half performance to set up a platform for an
eleven point winners.
A thirteen wide tally tells just how frustrating a day it was for the Munster men who failed to open their account until nine minutes into the second half and by which time Mayo had increased their interval tally of 1-7 to 1-9.
However, a lot of credit for keeping that blank scoresheet must rest with the Mayo defence which was superbly marshalled by stand-in full back Pat Holmes in a particularly strong full back which featured very prominently the tenacious Fergal Costello and the impressive Brian Heffernan, with goalkeeper Barry Heffernan also doing well.
The half back line too was solid throughout with Davitt's man Pat Coyne showing up impressively at centre half back, while Paul Cunney got through some good work as did Thomas Nallen before he was replaced ten minutes from time by his brother James.
It seems, there is no shortage of defensive talent in the county, with Kenneth Mortimer and Noel Connelly resting and Kevin Cahill receiving treatment for a long standing shoulder problem.
Mayo were well in control of midfield where both Pat Fallon and David Brady got through an amount of work and helped in setting up a number of fruitful moves.
In fact, a number of the forwards thrived on a good service from Fallon and Brady who sprayed the ball around well.
Undoubtedly the most encouraging displays came from the attack which produced a number of very good moves ending with scores, some from around the forty yard mark.
Swinford's David Heaney, who was introduced against Laois, could be one to watch out for. He is a hard worker and an intelligent player with a good deal of class, while Ronan Golding produced another exciting display and Tony Morley was another to impress along with substitute Diarmuid Beirne who contributed 1-1.
Beirne's well executed goal, after a sweeping move, was the icing on the Mayo cake and came from a very good move down the wing which involved James Nallen, P.J. Loftus and Golding, who laid the ball off perfectly to the unattended Beirne, who dispatched it to the corner of the net.
That came six minutes from the end and at a stage when a much more determined Clare side looked like making serious inroads into the Mayo lead, although, in fairness, they never posed a threat.
They had worked hard to accumulate five points from the 10th minutes of the second half to bring it down to 1-9 to 0-5, but Beirne finished with 1-1 to leave the final gap at eleven points.
Penalty
Mayo's first goal came from the penalty spot for a foot block on Michael Gardiner after Pat Fallon had set him up for what seemed a certain goal. Maurice Sheridan squeezed the ball just out of the reach of the hands James Hanrahan in the 27th minute.Prior to that, David Heaney had opened Mayo's account with a delightful point from a tight angle after three minutes, while the hard working Pat Fallon set up Ronan Golding for Mayo's second point in the 15th minute.
Golding, Tony Morley, David Brady, Golding again, and another from Heaney brought Mayo's first half tally to 1-7 and that could have been much greater but for a point_blank save by the Clare keeper who denied P.J. Loftus.
Mayo never played with the same fluency and cohesion in the second half as they did in the first, although they did start impressively with points from Maurice Sheridan (free) and Tony Morley.
If anything David Brady's withdrawal, to make room for Liam McHale, saw Clare come into it more in the middle of the field but things were not happening for them up front where they shot nine second half wides, with the normally reliable Aidan O'Keefe missing an unusually high quota of frees.
But it was from one of his sideline kicks that Francis McInerney, now operating at full forward, got a fist to for Clare's opening point.
They had another immediately afterwards from play from Kieran Considine while Hynes, Keavey and O'Keefe brought their tally to five with Mayo failing to score in a twenty minute before they finished in style with that 1-1 from Beirne.
A good win for Mayo to keep them on top of the Connacht league but, more importantly, a psychological boost for them as they prepare for Ennis on Sunday week.
It was poor first half performance from Clare who could be holding back showing their real hand which saw a bit more of in the second half particularly from players like Alan Malone. Padraic Gallagher, Martin Keavey, Barry Keating, Brendan Rouine, Francis McInerney, Kieran Considine and Michael Hynes.
Mayo: B. Heffernan, F. Costello, P. Holmes, B. Heffernan, P. Cunney, P. Coyne, T. Nallen, P. Fallon, D. Brady (0-1;) T. Morley (0-2); D. Heaney (0-2); M. Sheridan (1-1), P.J. Loftus, R. Golding (0-3); M. Gardiner. Subs: L. McHale for Brady (halftime), D. Beirne (1-1) for Gardiner 38 mts, J. Nallen for T. Nallen 50 mts.
Clare: J. Hanrahan, A, Malone, J. Healy, P. Gallager, B. Keating, M. Galvin, M. Keavey (0-1); B. Rouine, F. McInerney (0-1); M. Hynes (0-1); A. O'Keefe (0-2); C. Shannon, D. O. Driscoll, D. Keane, K. Considine (0-1). Subs: M. Carmody for Healy, D. O'Sullivan for Keane.}
Ref: P. Neary (Sligo).
Connaught Telegraph - News & Sport - January 1997
