Gaelic Games

Connacht minor football round-up: Galway keep up unbeaten run as they see off Mayo

Roscommon finish in style to leave Leitrim wondering what hit them

Fri Apr 28 2023 - 22:45

Mayo 1-11 Galway 1-12

A typically tight tussle between Mayo and Galway in Castlebar was decided in the final throes by Charlie Cox whose converted free secured the visitors their third straight victory in this year’s Connacht Minor Football Championship.

A speculative point effort by Darragh Beirne that slipped through the hands of the Galway goalkeeper Cillian Walsh saw the sides all square at the break, 1-4 to 0-7, but Mayo improved in the second half to lead by three points just nine minutes in. However, Galway were back level by the 50th minute when Ross Coen played in Jack Heneghan who coolly finished past Conor Meaney.

Despite ending with 14 players after midfielder Shay McGlinchey’s late red card, the defending All-Ireland champions nicked the win thanks to Cox’s third point of the match.

MAYO: Conor Meaney; James Lavelle, Eoin McGreal, Yousif Coghill; Jamie Clarke, Rio Mortimer (0-1), Fionan O’Reilly; Tiernan Egan, Shane Cunningham; Colm Lynch (0-1), Tommy Lydon (0-5, two frees), Senan Guilfoyle; Darragh Beirne (1-3, two frees), Josh Carey, Gavin Forry (0-1).

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Subs: Conor Jennings for O’Reilly (42), Thomas Tuffy for McGreal (48), David Taylor for Guilfoyle (53), Ryan Gibbons for Carey (54).

GALWAY: Cillian Walsh; Tiarnán Proulx, Conor McNally, Vincent Gill; Brian O’Malley, Ross Coen, Seán Rhattigan (0-1); Shay McGlinchey (0-1), Stephen O’Grady; Jack Heneghan (1-1), Ciarán Mulhern (0-2, two frees), Ciarán McDonagh (0-2); Charlie Cox (0-3, two frees), Seán Walsh, Daniel Fitzmaurice (0-1).

Subs: Mikey Mulryan (0-1) for Fitzmaurice (42), Ruairí Walkin for O’Grady (42), Seán O’Flynn for Rhattigan (47), Ryan Igoe for McDonagh (57), Matthew Leonard for Lynch (59), Pádraic Faherty for Heneghan (62).

Roscommon 5-9 Leitrim 0-12

A game that Leitrim led 11 minutes from full-time ended with them digesting a 12-points defeat, as Roscommon hit them with four late goals to maintain their own hopes of reaching this season’s final.

Hat-trick man Niall Heneghan was star of the show for the hosts, scoring 1-4 by the 25th minute and bolstering his tally with two second-half goals.

Leitrim had relied on the accurate Paul Honeyman for all six of their first-half points, as they trailed by Heneghan’s goal at the turnaround. But he had scoring assistance after half-time as points from Adam Gethins, James Gilheaney and substitute Joshua Maye preceded the lead score by Honeyman in the 49th minute.

But Roscommon, who had lost their opening games to Mayo and Galway, hit back in style, with Heneghan’s brace of majors added to by one from substitute Ruairí Kilcline, to leave the scoreboard reading rather cruelly on a game Leitrim outfit.

ROSCOMMON: Aaron Cox; Colin Murray, Nikita Berzins, Ryan Hanley; Conor Morris, Eoghan Carthy, Ruadhan Henry; Jamie Betts, David Higgins; Cathal McKeon, John McGuinness (0-2), Sean McDonnell; Lee Taylor (0-1), Niall Heneghan (3-4, three frees), Eoghan Murray.

Subs: John Curran (0-2) for Higgins (36), Ruairí Kilcline (2-0) for McKeon (43), Stephen Tighe for Murray (58), Conor Dowling for McGuinness (59).

LEITRIM: Seán Carolan-Morris; Oran Foley, Eanna McNamara, Kyle Russell; Dessie Wisely, Daire Gardiner, Bailey McBride; Dara Grennan, James Gilheaney (0-1); Colm McLoughlin, Paul Honeymoon (0-9, seven frees), Adam Gethins (0-1); Brian Keaney, David Liu Doyle, Ruairi O’Rourke.

Subs: Joshua Maye (0-1) for Liu Doyle (28), Liam Crowe for Carolan-Morris (h-t), Jack Kelly for Keaney (h-t), Joey McBrien for O’Rourke (36), Senan Bohan for Gethins (59).