In Mayo’s opening three matches in this year’s LGFA NFL Division One campaign, goals proved decisive, with each of those matches – against Cork, Kerry and Waterford – all ending in narrow defeat. Goals were once again key for a match involving the Mayo women this afternoon but this time it was two majors scored by us that helped secure a cracking comeback win over All-Ireland champions Meath.

The home team had the wind behind them in the opening half at Páirc Tailteann today and, aided by the elements, they went in at the break four points in front, with the score then at 0-7 to 0-3. John Stagg, a man who knows plenty about women’s football in the county, tweeted at that stage that, with the wind behind them, a big second half was in prospect for Michael Moyles’ team. How right he was.

An unanswered volley of 2-2 on the resumption upended this contest. Burrishoole’s Maria Cannon sparked the visitors’ fightback with the day’s opening goal, soon after Shauna Howley had scored the first point of the half from a free.

Better was to come from the Green and Red when a ’45 from Rachel Kearns, who’d been named in the starting fifteen but wasn’t introduced until the beginning of the second half, somehow made it all the way to the Royals’ net.

After that scoring burst, the sides traded points but Mayo had done enough to claim a deserved first win in this League campaign. They won at the finish by 2-6 to 0-9, a result that gives them renewed hope of retaining their Division One status this year as well, perhaps, as hinting about what more might yet be to come from them this year. Well done to them on a stirring win today.

Match report: Irish Times.

Mayo: Laura Brennan; Éilis Ronayne, Clodagh McManamon, Danielle Caldwell; Lucy Wallace, Ciara Needham, Hannah Reape; Fiona McHale, Sinéad Cafferky; Shauna Howley (0-3 frees), Tara Needham, Maria Cannon (1-1, 0-1 free); Lisa Cafferky, Maria Reilly, Sinéad Walsh (0-1). Subs: Kathryn Sullivan for Wallace, Rachel Kearns (1-1, goal from a ’45) for Sinéad Cafferky, Sarah Mulvihill for Cannon, E Brennan for Reape, Tamara O’Connor for Reilly.

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Earlier on this afternoon, meanwhile, the county’s U20 footballers secured their second win in two starts when they got the better of Derry. The final score in that game, played at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan, was 2-10 to 1-8 in favour of our bucks. Congrats to them.