Late burst secures Mayo victory in Clones
Tommy Conroy taking on Monaghan goalscorer Kevin Loughran in Sunday's victory for Mayo at St Tiernach's Park, Clones.
Goals in either half by Darren McHale and Matthew Ruane helped Mayo to a 2-13 to 1-14 victory over Monaghan in their concluding game of Allianz Football League Division 1.
The Green and Red had trailed for all of the second-half until Ruane’s 66th minute major levelled the contest after which points by Ryan O’Donoghue, a free, and Padraig O’Hora secured a two points win – their fourth of the campaign.
It was an unconvincing win however, considering Mayo had played against fourteen players since the 23rd minute dismissal of Andrew Woods, and against thirteen players from when Monaghan had all their substitutes used with seven minutes left to play.
It took a last gasp save by goalkeeper Rory Byrne from Monaghan sub Joel Wilson to secure the victory; Byrne was one of four Mayo players making their first league starts of the season.
Mayo led 1-3 to 0-3 after 13 minutes but Darren McHale’s 12th minute major was the first and last score from play by a Mayo forward until substitute Fergal Boland pointed in the 61st minute.
In between, Monaghan had scored five of the last six points of the first-half, three of them by the excellent Micheál Bannigan, to lead 0-8 to 1-4 at the interval, despite the sending off of Woods for an off-the-ball strike at Mayo midfielder David McBrien.
By the three-quarter stage Monaghan had moved three points clear, with substitute David Garland having a positive impact up front for the hosts, and the same player was particularly unlucky not to be awarded a penalty in the 60th minute. But when fellow sub Kevin Loughran fired into the bottom left corner to give the Ulster side a 1-14 to 1-11 lead in the 64th minute, Mayo looked backed into a corner.
The arrival of Boland was timely for Mayo; as well as scoring himself he set-up points for Ruane, O’Donoghue (a free) and O’Hora, but the crucial score was Matthew Ruane’s goal which emanated from a mix-up between Monaghan goalkeeper Darren McDonnell and his defence.
Mayo’s next game is in two weeks’ time when they begin their Connacht SFC campaign at Gaelic Park in New York.
