MAUGHAN'S ARMY CALL THE SHOTS
Mayo GAA News 28 May 1997
Bank of Ireland Connacht Football Championship
Mayo 1-15 Galway 0-16
The Match Report John Melvin
The political landscape may be about to change in Ireland but the Mayo football dynasty seems set to continue into 97. And the fact that Galway have been removed from the championship must come as a great source of relief to Mayo in their ambitions to retain their Connacht title and have another stab at the All Ireland.
It seems the economic boom the country is currently experiencing is now spreading to football. Gone are the impoverished days of Connacht football. For what was produced in Tuam Stadium on Sunday would match, if not surpass, anything that has been served up by Meath and Dublin, since they declared war on each other a few years ago.
It was tough, it was tense and it was engrossing, and the reason why Mayo are on course to retain their Connacht title is simply because they were less prone to error than Galway and had the self-belief to see them through the seventy minutes. But what a game Galway produced. It took courage above the ordinary to come back from a seven point deficit and I have no doubt we will be running into this Galway team a lot more in the years to come. But it took character from Mayo too to surrender a seven point lead,, go two points behind, and canter past the winning post in the end by four points.
Intriguing
The story in between in an intriguing one in a game that had referee Eddie Neary running to his umpires even before the ball was thrown in as the body of John Casey lay motionless on the deck and the finger of suspicion pointing directly at Garry Fahy.
Some opponents shake hands before a game. Others take a leaf from the book of some of our brethren in the animal kingdom, who like to like to maintain their distance, mark their territory and stake their claim. Some rant and rave and run round in circles.
All we do know is that Casey and Fahy weren't kissing before the throw-in. A double sending-off for what is essentially a 'welcoming' gesture for some highly charged opponents, would have been disastrous for the game. Thankfully the Sligo official is a man of common sense, and in one of his many common-sense decisions on the day, let both players off with a warning, although they did test his patience by persisting in their antics as the game exploded from the very start. If Casey appeared stunned by the welcome he received, it was nothing like the way Galway must have felt when they found themselves 1-4 in arrears after 11 minutes and drifting hopelessly out to sea, apparently without a life raft.
Nestor earned the opening free after three minutes which Sheridan popped over and in the first of several mistakes by the Galway keeper, a short kick out caught Galway's unsuspecting Damien Mitchell unawares and he was caught in possession by McHale and in a move that involved John Casey, the goal was superbly executed to the top corner on the left peg by P.J.Loftus.
Sheridan had two more, from play and from a free, before Nester made it 1-4, in a move which involved the off-from James Horan. What happened after that is something that has troubled mankind and Mayo since the first bag of wind was kicked around in the last century and it has provided countless arguments for scientists, philosophers and shrinks over the years. Does the brain actually turn off or is it that the body ceases to function for a period when complacency sets in. For Mayo it was more like rigor-mortis taking over as Galway began to find avenues back into the game, mainly through the Mayo defence and midfield.
With Seán O'Domhnail beginning to become a growing influence at midfield and the Donnellan brothers, Michael and John, along with Niall Finnegan, beginning to test the fabric of the Mayo defence, the material bean to come apart.
Donnellan, Finnegan (free) and Donnellan again had three points in as many minutes. There was a reprieve when McHale finished a move started by Mortimer and Nallen at the back. Finnegan, with the chance of a goal after a great through ball form Mannion settled for a point to leave the gap at just four. An excellent ball from McHale found Casey who was fouled and Sheridan obliged again to bring Mayo's tally to 1-6- the final score in the half for Mayo with fifteen minutes still to go.
In that period it was Galway who came charging through. Meehan from play, Finnegan (free) followed by a superb point from play from the same player and yet another from the busy full forward saw Galway pull it back to a point with two minutes left in the half and had Donnellan's screamer found the back of the net matters facing Mayo might have been more serious.
A clear foul on Nester should have earned Mayo a reprieve before the break but it was player/manager Val Daly, who had the levelling point to bring the first half proceedings to an end 1-6 to 0-9. The unease which spread through the Mayo supporters at the interval was well founded when Galway took the initiative in the second half to go two points clear-Donnellan and Finnegan (free) being the providers.
Michael Donnellan had profited greatly from his switch with Val Daly.
But a couple of things changed the course of the game, each important in itself. The introduction of Pat Holmes and Kieran McDonald improved matters but it was the emergence of Pat Fallon at midfield which began to turn the Mayo ship around.
Mayo's scoring famine which had commenced in the 21st minute of the first half was finally broken by Casey who produced a great point nine minutes into the second half. But Galway hit back. Finnegan coming in on the end of a good move to restore a two point gap (1-7 to 0-12).
It was a well taken, but critical point, from McDonald which kept Mayo chasing and a move involving Casey and Loftus set up McHale for the point which tied the game in the 47th minute.
The next score was to prove inspirational as well as vital. Sheridan made it look so casual as he took a free from the hands from al of fifty yards and sent it over the plank. A minute later Nestor was first to react to a poor kick-out by the goalie and he scurried through the Galway defensive tunnel to put them two points clear.
Finnegan missed a crucial free and you could see the seeds of doubt had been planted in some Galway minds as the mistakes began to creep into Galway's game and a lack of experience began to show. Val Daly had given it all he could and watched his sink slowly out of sight from the sideline.
Finnegan did pull back another pointed free but Sheridan responded and it was McDonald's point from a tight angle after Fallon laid it off, that put Mayo 1-13 to 0-13 clear.
Sean de Paor pulled another one back but Casey was again fouled and Sheridan obliged and when Connelly made that surging run Sheridan obliged with another free to put it out of Galway's reach and it was gone beyond them when Fallon made the gap five points with a marvellous score two minutes from time.
The Stats:
- Attendance: 18.500.
- Bookings: Mayo: John Casey (before throw-in); Liam McHale. Galway: Gary Fahy (before throw-in); Seán O'Domhnail.
- Mayo scorers: M. Sheridan (0-8-7 frees); P.J. Loftus (1-0); D. Nestor, L. McHale and K. McDonald (0-2 each); P. Fallon and J. Casey (0-1 each).
- For Galway: N. Finnegan 0-9- five frees); J. Donnellan 0-3; D. Meehan, V. Daly and S. De Paor 0-1 each).
Mayo:
P. Burke, D. Flanagan, K. Cahill, K. Mortimer, F. Costello, J. Nallen, N. Connelly, C. McMenamon, P. Fallon, M. Sheridan, L McHale, J. Horan, D. Nestor, J. Casey, P.J. Loftus. Subs: K. McDonald for Horan (20mins); P. Holmes for Flanagan (43 mins); R. Golding for Loftus (64) mins.
Galway:
M. McNamara, T. Meehan, G. Fahy, F. McWalter, S. De Paor, R. Silke, T. Mannion, D. Mitchell, S. O'Domhnail, D. Meehan, V. Daly, M. Donnellan, T. Carton, N. Finnegan, J. Donnellan. Subs: F. O'Neill for Meehan (46 mins); A. Mulholland for Daly (54 mins); T. Wilson for Carton (64) mins.
Ref: E. Neary (Sligo)
