National Football League Play-off - 1997
Mayo GAA News 3 April 1997
MAYO MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Mayo 0-7 ------------- Clare 0-4
John Melvin
reports from
Tuam
It's a long way indeed from an the glory of All Ireland Final to hoking
in the league dump over two mangy points to stay alive in division two. But
such is football. And while this was not pretty stuff in Tuam, in fact, it
was an untidy game, spoiled by negative tactics and poor refereeing, but for
Mayo supporters, in a crowd of around 5,000, victory, at any cost, was
essential to maintain morale.
Dropping back to division three inside a year, and after coming within a whisker of winning an All Ireland title, is not good for any team's morale, particularly when you are facing Galway in the first round of the Connacht championship in Tuam.
Mayo have accomplished two things, well three if you include getting an early gallop around the Tuam Colosseum before the lions are faced in May. They won a crunch match in Tuam and retained their league respectability. We could not have asked for anything better after last Christmas when the results began to go against the Connacht champions.
You can look at Monday's game in a very negative way by saying there was hardly a forward in sight; Mayo still don't have the right control at midfield and they are not sending any messages that would frighten off pretenders to their Connacht throne.
Or you can take the line I would prefer; This was a very difficult match to win and Mayo dug extremely deep into their heart and soul to win it, with fourteen men at that, and playing into a wicked wind for the second half. And I think if a team has heart and soul, it counts for a lot, although it won't be sufficient for the championship unless they return with a few Tunisian camel-kickers who can kick points from forty yards.
And I'm sure Clare manager John O'Keefe would give his right arm to have had a few of those Mayo backs on his team when he faces into the Munster championship while he would also liked to have his two best players - McInerney and O'Keefe - who were injured on the day.
Depressing
He is looking at the championship from a much more depressing perspective than John Maughan, who agreed, this was not pretty stuff, but nobody should have expected it to be otherwise, under the circumstances, where survival is the key.At the end of the day, and not for the first time, the Mayo defensive unit produced the goods. Kevin Cahill was probably the most outstanding, although he was very closely followed by Fergal Costello while Pat Holmes, Kenneth Mortimer and Noel Connelly all delivered, particularly when they had to hold possession into the wind and James Nallen, although far from his best, still made a big difference.
It was their ability to link with each other and McHale's capacity to stitch the movements together, which brought the ball up the field and it was McHale who provided the perfect pass for Nestor to score a vital second half point which kept Mayo three points ahead- 0-6 to 0-3, at a vital stage.
Nestor's introduction, for the injured James Horan, was critical to Mayo's cause. But so too was the delivery to the forwards in the second half.
Snowball
In contrast, the high ball, or snowball, type of effort never gave P.J. Loftus or Ciaran McDonald much of a chance, particularly when everything was swallowed down the throat of Clare's outstanding full back Frankie Griffin.In fact, the Mayo forwards got little if any change from a very good Clare defence, and Mayo supporters had genuine reasons to be concerned when the side led by 0-4 to 0-1 at the interval.
Pat Fallon and the roving Colm McMenamon had Mayo's two opening points inside six minutes, while McDonald and James Horan provided the other two in a less than memorable opening half.
When Ger Keane provided Clare with an opening pointed free inside a minute of the re-start and the same player had the deficit reduced to just one point inside four minutes, it seemed the scales were tilting heavily in Clare's favour. And they could have titled much further but for some superb defending which forced eight wides from Clare in that second half alone, and fifteen for the game.
Maurice Sheridan, who was having a frustrating afternoon, made a vital contribution before he departed the scene with a well judged forty yard free into the wind in the 39th minute. When Nestor followed with his point off the inside of the post there were still twenty minutes remaining. And when Sheridan was dismissed with ten minutes remaining for a second bookable offense, it was backs to the wall time for Mayo.
They did get stuck in and Clare could only manage one further point which came three minutes form time to reduce the gap to two but again Mayo moved the ball up field, McHale being the main transporter and McDonald was fouled and kicked the free which left Clare needing the goal which was never to arrive.
Mayo survived, albeit only just, but that is what the league is about, winning the ones you have to. The championship is about winning all the ones.
Mayo: J. Madden, K. Mortimer, K. Cahill, F. Costello, P. Holmes, J.
Nallen, N. Connelly, L. McHale, P. Fallon, J. Horan, C. McMenamon, M.
Sheridan, K. McDonald, J. Casey, P.J. Loftus. Subs: D. Nestor for Horan.
Scorers for Mayo:C. McDonald (0-2); M. Sheridan, P. Fallon, C. McManamon,
D. Nestor, J. Horan (0-1 each). For Clare: G. Keane (0-2); M. Hynes (0-2).
Clare: J. Hanrahan, A. Malone, F. Griffin, M. Galvin, B. Keating, B. Rouine, A. MacCartaigh, M. Hynes, P. Cosgrove, C. Shannon, C. Clancy, J. Enright, M. Daly, C. Considine.: D. Russell for C. Clancy (44mts); D. O'Driscoll.
Ref: J. Bannon (Longford).
Connaught Telegraph - News & Sport - April 1997
