This evening’s Connacht MFC Round 2 clash with Roscommon at James Stephens Park in Ballina was obviously looked upon in advance as a bigger test for the county’s Minors compared to their opening round meeting with Leitrim a week ago. This was because the same evening the young Rossies had beaten fancied Galway by two points, to start their U17 provincial campaign in the best possible manner.
If anyone told you then that Tomás Morley’s charges would have 21 points to spare over Roscommon this evening you’d have been forgiven for questioning the sanity of such soothsaying. But that’s exactly what happened, with the Mayo lads running out 4-14 to 0-5 winners at Ballina this evening.
Mayo were out the gate well before half-time in this one. Roscommon got the first two points of the evening but a 1-1 burst from Ciaran Mylett put our lads into the lead and there they stayed until the finish.
Still, midway through the first half it was close, Frank Irwin’s free nudging us two points clear at that juncture.
But then we started to land the heavy blows, which put the result beyond doubt before half-time. Goals from Paddy Heneghan, Ciaran Mylett and Frank Irwin, interspersed with points from Rory Morrin, Ciaran Mylett, Ethan Henry and Paul Walsh saw us surge all of seventeen points clear at the break.
The tempo of the game understandably dropped in the second half. We added six more points to our tally while they managed to tack on two, as we closed out a 4-14 to 0-5 victory.
Tonight’s win was a significant one, in that it’s the first time we’ve beaten Roscommon at Minor level in the Championship since, as an U18 competition, we defeated them in the Connacht final of 2014. That was the last year we beat Galway at Minor level too.
We’ll get a chance to put that one to rights next month but, in the meantime, the lads are back in action this night week, where they face Sligo at Markievicz Park in Round 3. The young Magpies lost narrowly to Galway tonight in the other round-robin game – Galway won that tie at Tuam by 1-15 to 1-10 (match report here).
Impressive stuff. Seems like a good team and good management team. Nice to see the young lads winning games in championship. Looking forward to seeing them in the flesh.
Tickets are sold out online now on Tickets.ie for the match tomorrow but yet I find it hard to see a full house in McHale Park tomorrow.
Smart man John Prenty did this so people will pay the full 35 euro tomorrow.Yet he only charged 30 euro for Sligo and Galway game last week.Mayo people have to be charged an extra fiver cause of our big support base.A double header in the Leinster championship tomorrow to watch All Ireland champions Dublin v Louth and Meath v Carlow is only 20 euro for stand and terrace.Antrin v Tyrone only 20 euro in Ulster and Kilkenny v Galway in Leinster hurling only 20 euro.This is just pure greed from Connacht Council milking Mayo fans for money.
Well done to our minors and their mentors, the football in the first half was very very impressive, if this can be repeated for the rest of the season it will be a very good year for this team, and btw correct decision to play in ballina, right size venue on an ideal evening for football
Brilliant playing surface in Ballina as well
Serious tally to put up against Roscommon. I hope they have a long and successful year ahead. Well done to all involved.
Must be a great thrill for young lads to be wearing their county colours. Hon Mayo.
TH, I could be wrong but the tickets not being available online isnt that they are sold out, its probably because there is only a postal option. Print pdf not available for connaught games. Tickets bought after Wednesday might not make fridays post. Also e5 price hike on the day applies across the board, to prevent ticket queues on the day.
It’s starting to shape up that this is the best minor team we’ve had since 2013, possibly better.
well done Tomas and all the crew all the best
Great performance by minor team and playing a mixed game of football, some of the foot passing outstanding,Walsh from mitchels looks a serious player.
Disappointed to see the rossies outnumber us at minor match