Gaelic Games

Mayo add to Roscommon’s problems with comfortable win

Lee Keegan makes quick return to Mayo colours following black card for Colm Boyle

Mayo’s Diarmuid O’Connor scores a point during the Allianz Football League Division one match against Roscommon at MacHale Park in Castlebar. Photograph: Tom Beary/Inpho

Sat Feb 25 2017 - 21:06

Mayo 1-19 Roscommon 0-14

Mayo claimed back-to-back wins to go top of Division One of the Allianz Football League, running out eight-point winners over a Roscommon side yet to record a win in this year’s competition.

Lee Keegan was back in Mayo colours for the first time this year when he was named on the bench for Stephen Rochford's just six days out from winning an All -Ireland Intermediate Club title with Westport in Croke Park. He made his return to the action quicker than planned at MacHale Park when he replaced Colm Boyle who picked up a black card 30 minutes into the contest.

Mayo made two changes from the side that beat Kerry a fortnight ago, with Jason Gibbons and his clubmate Diarmuid O'Connor coming into the starting 15 for the suspended Tom Parons and Conor O'Shea. But O'Shea got a reprieve starting in place of David Drake as one of two late changes from their named team with the other one seeing Evan Regan replacing Jason Doherty. David Murray and Tom Corcoran got the nod to start for Roscommon in place of Thomas Featherston and Kevin Higgins.

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Mayo went in leading by six at the break thanks to a scoring burst of eight points without reply between the eighth and 21st minute, when they turned a 0-3 to 0-1 deficit into a 0-9 to 0-3 lead. Cillian O'Connor led the way in that run with four points, one them almost ended up in the net when he spotted Colm Lavin off his line in the Roscommon goal. The other scores in that run came from a Fergal Boland brace and one each from Jason Gibbons and Diarmuid O'Connor.

Roscommon struck back with Donie Smith's second point of the day and one from Ciaran Murtagh to close the gap back to four, but points from Conor O'Shea and Donal Vaughan had the gap back to six. Roscommon could have hit the net twice in the closing stages of the half, but David Clarke pulled off great saves from Enda Smith and Seán Mullooly.

Cillian O’Connor got the scoreboard moving three minutes into the second half when he stuck away a penalty after Regan was fouled to put Mayo nine clear and for all intense and purposes seal the victory and with it the two points.

Roscommon staged a small rally with Conor Devaney kicking three good scores, but Mayo's strength in depth showed with subs Keegan, Conor Loftus and Brendan Harrison all scoring two points in the second half.

MAYO: D Clarke; D Newcombe, D Vaughan (0-1), K Higgins; S Coen, C Boyle, P Durcan; J Gibbons (0-1), D O'Connor (0-1); F Boland (0-2), C O'Connor (1-4, 1-0 pen, one free), C O'Shea (0-1); A Moran (0-1), K McLoughlin (0-1), E Regan (0-1, one free).

Subs: L Keegan (0-2) for C Boyle (BC), B Harrison (0-2) for D Vaughan, M Plunkett for C O'Shea, S Nally for F Boland, C Loftus (0-2) for A Moran

ROSCOMMON: C Lavin; D Murray, S Mullooly, N McInerney; R Stack, S McDermott, J McManus; S Kiloran (0-1), T O'Rourke; F Cregg (0-1), C Murtagh (0-2), E Smith (0-2); D Smith (0-3), T Corcoran (0-1), C Devaney (0-3).

Subs: C Cafferkey for S Killoran (BC), G Patterson for S McDermott, K Higgins for F Cregg, N Kilroy (0-1) for R Stack, B Murtagh for C Devaney, C Connolly for D Smith.

Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).

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