Narrow wins are so often the sweetest. Even more so today given that it was a match we looked to have in the bag but then allowed Monaghan back into it, only to snatch victory with a Paddy Durcan point deep in stoppage time. Yes, this was a sweet one alright.
It felt good to be back on the road this morning. We went up from Dublin via Cavan, picking up the Mayo cavalcade as we approached Clones, the road weaving this way and that across the border which, in this crazy world we live in, is meant to remain both completely open while at the same time becoming the frontier between the EU’s single market and its customs union and the UK. But I digress.
It was forty minutes or so ahead of throw-in before we reached St Tiernach’s Park but the covered bit of the stand was more or less completely full by then. We had to head for the wettish seats closer to the pitch, the Cairde Mhaigheo scarves coming in handy to keep the togs dry.
We made three changes before the action got underway. Shane Nally came in for Michael Hall at centre-back, Neil Douglas replaced Jason Doherty at corner-forward while in the other corner Footballer of the Year Andy Moran lined out instead of Conor Loftus.
The opening exchanges were fast, both sides starting with intent. We had the chance to get off the mark first, ref David Gough giving us a handy enough free for a jersey pull but Neil Douglas was wide on the left-hand side from the placed ball.
Monaghan, moving the ball forward with nice efficiency, struck first. Two points from play inside a minute gave them the start they were looking for.
We had to wait close to ten minutes for our first white flag. When it came it was a nice one, though, with Andy Moran shooting from distance off his left to open our account.
They added a third before a rapid flowing move ended with Evan Regan taking aim and firing over with confidence from out on the left. McCarron responded for them, only for Evan to counter this at the other end, this time from a free.
I can’t recall if it was then or a bit later (I think maybe the latter) but Evan also had a free waved wide. His effort curled in beautifully and, to these biased eyes, it looked over, as Evan clearly thought it was too. A loud grumble erupted from the travelling support in the stand as well but it was to no avail.
Eoin O’Donoghue, already cutting an impressive dash on his full debut at senior level, then raided forward and belted over the leveller. Two further Farney points from play followed, though, but these were cancelled out by two more frees from Evan into the town end.
Neil Douglas then got off the mark from a free – from virtually the same spot as he’d missed early on – to put us in front for the first time. The lead was, however, short-lived as O’Connell, from play, pointed at the other end to leave this lively encounter evenly poised at seven points each at the break.
The home team had enjoyed the wind advantage in that first half so with the breeze behind us and some decent reinforcements on the bench – which included Cillian O’Connor – we looked well set to get something out of this one.
Soon after the restart we nearly made a major breakthrough when Diarmuid O’Connor burst inside but Beggan parried his goal effort superbly. Paddy Durcan, who would in the end have the day’s final say, got the opening score of the second half, shooting over from play three minutes after the resumption.
I didn’t have high hopes, I’ll admit, for our next effort at the posts, a ’45 that Neil Douglas was opting to take from the ground. Given the heavy sod I reckoned he’d be doing well to get the required lift on the kick. Well, he did and over it went to put us two clear.
Now it was Monaghan’s turn to chase the game but chase it they did. A McCarron free and one from play by Garland reeled us back in.
But we were starting to look stronger. The breaks were falling our way and chances were opening up for us.
Two more placed balls put us back in front. The first came from an Evan Regan free and then, when a lovely sweeping move ended with Andy Moran’s shot being deflected off target, Neil Douglas once more had the range and the accuracy from the 45-metre line.
The same player knocked over a free after that to push us three clear. With fifteen minutes left on the clock it was now looking like the points were all but in the bag.
But Monaghan weren’t ready to give up just yet. Back they came with three unanswered points to square it up again with time running out. One of these was a free, for a Diarmuid O’Connor drag-down that saw the Ballintubber man departing on a black card.
Adam Gallagher came on instead of Diarmuid, with Cillian O’Connor – who replaced Neil Douglas – also joining the fray before Diarmuid was ordered off. Conor Loftus came on for Andy and Shairoze Akram made his first League appearance, replacing Shane Nally near the end.
Coming down the closing stretch Monaghan looked the likelier winners. They were now getting all of the breaks and they came forward repeatedly, with increasing intent. We didn’t panic, though, our deep-lying defence not yielding up any easy pot-shots at the posts for them.
But then, just when cool heads were needed to see out the contest, the Farney lads lost theirs. No match against an Ulster team at this time of year would, it seems, be complete without some trampish skulduggery and, in a frantic five-minute spell as the game went into injury time, the Monaghan lads reverted to provincial type.
First to go was Ryan Wylie who walked on a straight red for a hit on Aidan O’Shea. Barry Kelly then went on a second yellow for an awful challenge on Colm Boyle while Dermot Malone went on a black card. Cillian O’Connor got a box to the side of the head during this spell as well but, although the ref checked with his umpires about this, no action followed. The same outcome occurred when Jason Gibbons was decked in the middle of the field.
With numerical superiority we now pushed forward with urgency looking for the killer blow, while they flooded the backline in a desperate attempt to keep us out. Adam Gallagher looked to have won it for us but his carefully aimed shot didn’t have the height or the distance. Paddy’s strike soon after had both and his winning score was greeted with plenty of gusto by the big Mayo crowd.
The Monaghan fans were incandescent afterwards, booing David Gough loudly as he made his way off the field. They’d have done well, however, to look a bit closer to home in targeting their ire. If their team had shown more interest in playing ball and less in rolling out the hard chaw act when the fat was in the fire they might have got something out of the game.
From our perspective, it was a super match to win. So often we fail to close out matches we look to have in the bag and today we looked like letting this contest go in the same direction. The lads did remarkably well, however, to keep their heads when the hits started flying and they did even better to engineer the decisive score right at the finish. Fair play to them.
We had several good performers today, chief among them Eoin O’Donoghue who played a stormer on his full League debut. Tough and tigerish at the back, fast and confident going forward, the young Belmullet man really put his hand up for us today. More power to him.
Ger Cafferkey had one of his best days for some time beside him in the full-back line, getting stuck in with considerable relish and claiming ball he had no right to win. Brendan Harrison was also a calm and solid presence at the back.
Colm Boyle was up for the battle too. That hit on him looked bad, though, and I’d be surprised if he’s fit to face Kerry. Here’s hoping there’s no major damage done.
Shane Nally did well too, although I felt he was too willing, in particular in the first half, to drive foot passes into the forward division that were never even 50:50 ones for their intended recipients. He did well, however, when we came under pressure in the second half.
Paddy did loads of work in both halves, linked the play well and was a constant thorn in their side. No better man to take on the responsibility when the chance to grab the winner arrived.
Jason Gibbons and Stephen Coen, aided and abetted by a real hard-working performance by Aidan O’Shea, did well at midfield, though Stephen was mainly stationed at half-back. Jason fairly threw himself into the fray, while Stephen did an amount of work, clearing up loose ball and keeping moves going. Aidan was a powerhouse, as well as a magnet for plenty of rough stuff from the opposition.
We did well in the possession stakes around midfield. I’d have a concern, though, that the task of those in the middle third wasn’t made easier by some godawful restarts from David Clarke. Time and again he boomed the ball high into the sky up the middle of the field. We won our fair share of these balls when they eventually returned to earth but on other days this won’t happen for us.
The forwards all worked hard and while there were no real standout displays – we got just two points from play from the front six, one from Andy and the other from Evan – nobody was hiding either. Everyone showed for the ball, fought for possession and worked their socks off in difficult conditions against hard-hitting defenders.
Evan and Neil both did well in the freetaking department. On a day of fine margins, Neil’s two expertly taken ‘45s were crucial to the result. They can both be happy with their afternoon’s work.
So, from a results point of view, it’s the perfect start to our League campaign, after a good hard battle up in Ulster from which we’ve emerged with the points. We’ve plenty more tough tests to come, starting with Kerry in Castlebar next Saturday night, but we’ve safely negotiated our way over the year’s first hurdle. We’re off and running once again.
Mayo: David Clarke; Brendan Harrison, Ger Cafferkey, Eoin O’Donoghue (0-1); Colm Boyle, Shane Nally, Paddy Durcan (0-2); Jason Gibbons, Stephen Coen; Kevin McLoughlin, Aidan O’Shea, Diarmuid O’Connor; Neil Douglas (0-4, two free and two ‘45s), Evan Regan (0-5, four frees), Andy Moran (0-1). Subs: Cillian O’Connor for Douglas, Adam Gallagher for Diarmuid O’Connor (black card), Conor Loftus for Moran, Shairoze Akram for Nally, Ger McDonagh for Boyle.
Audio report:
Man of the Match poll:
Who was our MOTM match against Monaghan? Vote for your top three performers
- Eoin O'Donoghue (36%, 447 Votes)
- Paddy Durcan (16%, 197 Votes)
- Ger Cafferkey (12%, 153 Votes)
- Neil Douglas (8%, 106 Votes)
- Aidan O'Shea (4%, 46 Votes)
- Evan Regan (4%, 44 Votes)
- Jason Gibbons (3%, 40 Votes)
- Colm Boyle (3%, 39 Votes)
- Kevin McLoughlin (3%, 35 Votes)
- Shane Nally (2%, 28 Votes)
- Brendan Harrison (2%, 21 Votes)
- Shairoze Akram (2%, 21 Votes)
- Adam Gallagher (1%, 13 Votes)
- Diarmuid O'Connor (1%, 11 Votes)
- Andy Moran (1%, 10 Votes)
- Conor Loftus (1%, 10 Votes)
- Ger McDonagh (1%, 10 Votes)
- Stephen Coen (1%, 9 Votes)
- David Clarke (1%, 8 Votes)
- Cillian O'Connor (0%, 5 Votes)
Total Voters: 878
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The key to any league is to get early points as this takes the pressure off.
Just two more wins now and we stay in Division 1.
Time now to turn MacHale Park into a fortress.
Well done to all.
Well done Mayo. A great start even if it was close near the end.
Great to get 2 points on board. Well done to lads.
It’s great to be on the right side of a one point game. Well done to all involved.
Great to get the win. Ger McDonagh needing to wait till stoppage time to get game time??
Unsuprisingly he did well in his 3 minutes.
Told ye Eoin o Donoghue is the real
Deal
Paddy gets us the win with his great effort in injury time, well done. He’s bailed us more than once!!!
Brilliant Mayo Michael Conroy very good on Midwest radio
Great win.monagham were absolutely filthy dirty.eoin o Donoghue and caff outstanding.
Hopefully Boyle injury is not to bad.
Was conroy the main talker on Midwest? Whoever it was he sounds like he could be professional at it. Knew all the players and has a very fluid way of commentating. I for one was impressed.
Great commentary on Midwest brought the game alive
Have Midwest a new commentator? Never heard him before. Interesting to note Mike Finnerty is now in RTÉ radio and was joined by David Casey covering the Galway v Tyrone game.
What was the attendance in Clones? Did Mayo fans outnumber the home support?
Could only listen on Midwest Radio from abroad. All 3 in FB line and P Durcan featured most prominently and maybe Kevin Mc, J Gibbons & Diarmaid. Andy double and triple teamed and Douglas & Regan in 1st half. Boyle injury reported as dead leg. Yes O Donoghue getting very favourable mention.
John Lynch the MWR commentator. Very very good.
Hopefully we will secure the points to stay up and then give fringe players the exposure they need. What a boos for o donaghue’s confidence today’s game is. We have other players needing that same boost and belief in their undoubted abilities… Bring them on…
Missed the game today with flu. I too thought the commentator was excellent. Great to start off with a win , well done to all involved.
Wouldn’t agree with any of ye o Midwest radio commentary. i dono who won half our kick outs or set up a lot of our scores or what positions team lined up who started centre back? An I don’t know how they got subs names wrong ,should know every mayo player without having to look at there numbers on the program by now .. no disrespect to them but bring back Mike finnerty . Great win today though I would have liked to see loftus start
John Lynch has commented on a few games on MWR over the last while. He really is a very clear communicator. You can tell he loves the game and has a huge knowledge. Easy on the ear as they say.
Crickey O donoghue is some buck , motm surely. Caff was very good , delighted for him, honestly didnt think hed ever get that sort of form back, one garyowen came in there in the second half and he absolutely made it his despite the forwards attention. I thought regan had a very good first half , second half he started to take too much out of it a few times.
Monaghan are mad into the boxing, thats the second year now theyve been at that shite. Gave douglas and regan special attention.
Great win today.. For those interested, Mayo had more support than Monaghan and were far louder than the locals.. Eoin O Donohoe was excellent.. As were Boyler, Durcan, Caff and what about Stephen Coen and Kevin McLoughlin absolutely everywhere… Jason Gibbons and Aiden worked very well together.. Regan started very well.. And the reason we have the two points is no doubt, Neil Douglas, very very good on the frees and there were some difficult one’s…The pitch was fantastic for late January.. Monaghan discipline has let team down again, second time in four meetings with Mayo, that they have reduced to 12 men… Anyone see the big sign in the field near Tulsk on the way to the match.. Saying ‘Well Drilling’… There was no need for well drilling.. The field in question was under about 3 feet of water, due to flooding!
Well done to Mayo – fantastic to get a result in Clones. Galway also got off the starting blocks in Tuam v Tyrone. Rossies seemed to be in control v Meath – but lucky to get a draw in the end. Although It’s early days, it’s important to do the heavy lifting early on, as it takes the pressure off, and lends itself to further experimentation. Dare I say, it’s all beginning to build up nicely for May Day!!
John Lynch? Where from or what’s his gig?
Dave,
Don’t know exactly where he’s from, but he left nobody in any doubt which county when Paddy hit the winner. A huge roar, priceless.
Some great performances there today from the backs , Neil Douglas and Eoin O Donohoe have really put there hand up today , it would be nice to see them get more game time , it is concerning to see Cillian miss a few long range frees , he had a clear chance to put us ahead in the last 5 minutes , I really hope he gets a handle on the long range frees but I fear that if he doesn’t his role might be reduced to a super sub role for championship,
Good to see o donoghue gibbons an Douglas play well today would’ve liked to see loftus start aswell needs game time in league
I thought Douglas was pushed out of the way far too easily .caff & odonoghue were great.mcLoughlin was flying
Although ill be reprimanded for this comment there is a clear castlebar v ballina thing going on amongst supporters as regarads the regan v douglas thing. Regan showed better today , thats the truth.
Sean As a Castlebar man i agree–they both need to bulk up.
Joey, 6pts doent guarantee safety, it usually works out that way as there is often two poor enough teams in the div which isnt the case this year. Cork went down on 6pts a couple of years ago.
Mayo_lad, Cillians first day out this year, maybe a little slack is due. One thing for certain, Cillian O’Connor won’t be a sub in the summer, apart from Andy he is still by far Mayos best forward.
Am delighted to hear Dougie had a good game, another couple like it and a spot on the panel should be his. Caff is quality, last year he wasnt at his best after coming back from a horrendous injury (one that ended Paul OConnell and Tommy Walshes careers) if he can get back to where he was in the league of 2016 then happy days. ODonaghue will be a starting corner back in the summer, he is that good.
Considering the journey to Clones is a killer the support today was fantastic..Caff deserves his praise today ..He really stood out on the pitch and for a player that seemed so unsure of himself previously today will be a huge confidence boost..Douglas is very light theres no denying but I still think if he keeps doing what he did today he should be on the panel come championship..And whoever said earlier that O Donoghue was the real deal was right
Hopefully we have heard the end of the Caff bashers after that performance!
Just back from Clones. Wasn’t early enough to get a seat in the stand – as a result, clothes are ruined from the moss stained seating in the terrace. Great Mayo support as usual, but no surprises there.
Did well to get the win. They were slow to settle though they were against the wind. When they did, they looked the better team really. Their running game had Monaghan in bother and it was quite obvious that their rustiness was all that kept Monaghan in it at times. At one stage in the first half, only a misplaced handpass from Aidan prevented a goal as Diarmuid was bursting through.
However, in the second half, Mayo tired and they can be very relieved that Monaghan decided to show their indiscipline at this stage. The assault on Aidan, right after a free had been awarded to Monaghan, lead to the first red and then when Boyle was first fouled badly, then pulled up off the ground, the Monaghan chap delivered the coup de gras by striking Jason Gibbons. To be honest, Monaghan could well have won it if it wasn’t for their indiscipline as they were probably fitter than Mayo. No great surprises there. Sweet point by Durcan to win it, mind!
In terms of performances, McLaughlin, Coen (in the second half), Andy, Paddy Durcan, all performed to their usual standard, more or less. In terms of non first team players from last year, Cafferkey and O’Donoghue were superb. Really, really good. Cafferkey looked to be getting back to his form of old. Regan delivered in the first with a lovely score from play and some hard won ball but took too much out of the ball in the second half and petered out. Douglas worked hard in the first half but wasn’t really playing all that well. However, he warmed to the task in the second half, winning some good balls and hitting some lovely 45s over. He definitely warrants a second and a third look, though if I’m being honest, I’d wonder if he has the physicality for championship football.
On that note, I’d love to put a camera on Aido for the day. The hits and abuse he takes during the course of a game is ridiculous. He wasn’t the only one being hit, mind (Monaghan are no shrinking violets), but he seemed an easy target for any Monaghan player to either wrestle off the ball or give a sly dig to during the match. It’s incessant and it’s a credit to him that he doesn’t react to most of it.
Onwards and upwards then. Good win and if they can get a second win next week, then they can look to ease lads back in without the pressure of last year, for example. Remember how refreshed Aido was after having the spring off last year? I’d love to see the likes of that happen again this year without lads having to be rushed back in, trying to stave off relegation. No guarantees though, because Mayo were definitely tiring today at the end and they will need a few more weeks training to get anywhere nearing a fitness they’re happy with.
Oh, Mayo football, how we’ve missed you!
What a vital 2 points that could turn out to be. Caff was immense, delighted for him. Love the way he tackles so clean and dislodges the ball. McGloughlin brilliant as a link man, Douglas deadly on the frees bar his first attempt, shoved off the ball quite easily which is a big concern, should be on the panel for summer. If Regan could just make his decisions a second quicker he could do damage, dallies a bit on the ball and coughs it up far too easily. O’Donoghue brilliant, will push hard. A strong team again for Kerry and we might have a stress-free end of league campaign (imagine that).
Monaghan pure filth, to be expected i suppose. I was behind there goal in first half and no4 was constantly grabbing Regan by the family jewels, Regan was going nuts an I dont blame him. Never had anything against Monaghan, but hope they go down after the dirt they dished out today.
Dave, I believe that John Lynch is from Roscommon. He was with Shannonside Radio for years and recently went freelance. He is an excellent commentator and MC.
Great to see two of our Stars were in the full back line. That full back line could now turn out to be very formidable. Some posters also mentioned Coen, he is a quality footballer and today’s game will be good for him….
One thing that struck me today was the subs list. Delighted to see some of the newer members of the panel being listed, however, there was also a notable list of absentees. Pressure is on for the likes of Conor O’Shea, Barry Moran, David Drake and that is not such a bad thing for the team’s overall progression.
My first time in Clones today. A nightmare of a place to get to but the win made the journey home easier! My take on players for those who weren’t there…
Clarke – Had no saves to make. Kickouts were decent.
Harrison – A ropey opening 20 minutes but recovered to have a decent game.
Caff – I’ve no problem eating humble pie! Great performance.
O’Donoghue – I’m wary of hyping up young lads, but he was excellent.
Boyle – Didn’t venture forward much but an all action display nonetheless.
Coen – Best game in a long time. #6 is clearly his best position.
Durcan – Some man!
Gibbons – Worked hard and won plenty possession. A bit sloppy with the ball at times.
Nally – Quiet enough.
McLoughlin – Typically busy and always looking to create.
Aidan – Won possession and laid it off well.
Diarmuid – Some good work but missed a goal chance. Black carded.
Regan – Good first half, not great in the 2nd. It’s a big advantage having a left footed free taker however.
Douglas – Took his frees and 45s well but needs to do better winning ball. May just be too light but worth another look.
Andy – Intelligent runs and wins almost every ball that goes in. Hopefully Regan and Douglas can learn from him.
Subs were brought on quite late and made minimal impact.
You won’t be, Sean! That’s a fair point and I also thought Evan did better, though Dougie’s two ’45s were vital to the win.
There’s a lot to be genuinely excited about tonight, not least OD and Caf in the full back line. Super stuff.
Dougie had an OK game from play and excellent from dead ball, particularly after missing the first handy enough one. Regan got a great score from play and a huge free in the second half, looked v good.
RE being concerned with Cillian missing frees (he only took one today I thought?), it was an absolute monster from way out the sideline! Jesus give him a break!
Andy’s opener was absolutely outrageous!
And in fairness to Dougie, there is no substitute for games. He definitely isn’t light, but I am sure there is a definite transition period in getting used to the physicality of inter county football. He has played very few inter county games. I’m just delighted he is getting the opportunity
I know they were missing one or two today, but if we can see form like that from Eoin and Caff, then Jesus our full back line has serious options.
Delighted with the 2 points. Just in the door and buzzing!
Great to get the 2pts. A good start for once
Think I’m in that photo Willie Joe – must have been very near you and tracking you on the trip from Dublin. Your journey sounds uncannily like mine.
My second trip to Clones, and I love the place. Great atmosphere, great Monaghan guys in front of us and a humdinger of a match. Just couldn’t keep my programme up to date, such was the speed of the action; I had to forget about the Monaghan subs.
Monaghan hit hard, very hard and I thought both full back lines dominated their opposite numbers. Our FF line was really too light, turned over too much and was the starting point for a lot of Monaghan attacks. We were a bit lucky really to snatch it, because Monaghan had a lot of bad wides, or wrong options from good positions.
For effort though it was hard to be critical of anyone today and all will have benefitted from that. What more can you ask. O’Donoghue was outstanding: assured, controlled, aggressive when he had to be – his series of tackles on the stand side near the end when Monaghan were really dangerous was a joy to behold. I thought Shane Nally did a lot of good things too and Adam Gallagher caught the eye. I think he has a lot to offer, but I’ll draw a veil over that attempt at a point from a very good position late in the game.
– Kudos to Durkan for a mighty point when he had very little space.
– At 3 points up we should have pulled away but a refusal to use the strong wind to whack over points from 30 yards combined with tiredness let Monaghan draw level.
– MOM ODonoghue, he looks like he was carved from rock and you could imagine him holding his own in a boxing ring.
– Draw between Douglas and Regan both lacking the physicality to win AND hold onto the ball…great 45s and frees though
– Caff more confident, Gibbons too ponderous with his passing but should improve.
– Very dissapointed with Diarmuid way off the pace, his black card summed up his day. COC did get a belt around the head after coming on but he also threw a belt a few mins later, his indicipline will cost him and us dearly if he is not careful.
– Some of our kickouts were very short and could have been easily
– None of our half forward line scored
– Side note, Clones looked like it was once a fine town but like so many others its pocmarked with dereliction – such a pity.
One negative and it’s a recurring one………..why do we find it so hard to take advantage of having an extra player/players
Missed the game today now only for the odd chance I got to hear the new fella on MWR. Anyone know where I can get to see a replay of this game?
Just in, great result away from home.
Just wondering did anybodyelse notice diarmuid dragged down outside the square and told to get up by gough in the next break in play gough books the culprit.
Some strange calls by gough today for both sides.
Need to work on kickouts and support play was bad at times.
Very satisfying coming out of Clones on the right side of a tight game, especially with so many non-established players on show. O’Donoghue was very impressive, bursting with pace and energy, delivered some excellent passes into the half-forwards. Gave his marker a torrid time. Coen was strong in the half-backs, made a crucial intervention towards the end. Caff had his best performance for Mayo in a long time, Monaghan never looked like getting close to goal, aside from that pull-down by Diarmuid where he took one for the team. Jason Gibbons worked hard and covered a lot of ground. Our engine room was mostly firing today as Clarke was able to target midfield throughout where Aidan O’Shea put in another ‘passenger’ performance! Andy was sublime as always. I thought Evan Regan put in a good shift, hopefully a good confidence booster going forward. Douglas was excellent from the frees but I didn’t think he contributed much from play, probably needs more gym work? Hard to know about Nally, got on a bit of ball but didn’t seem to get many opportunities to score, one wide was his total I believe?
Subs didn’t have a huge impact. I don’t think Akram touched the ball, not sure about Loftus? Gallagher tried hard for all the time he was on. Good to see him back regardless. Some of the players looked a bit small though. A few of the forwards would need to bulk up if they are going to mix it with the Kerrys and Dublins of this world.
It’s early days but there’s a lot to be positive about. Should we manage to get another All-Ireland run together it’s looking like we’ll have more options for positions than we had last year, which is exactly what’s needed. Another win before the break will take off a lot of the pressure we usually see towards the end of the league.
Also, this is the second time since 2015 that Monaghan have finished with 12 men against us. I could see them getting frustrated in the second and third quarters when things weren’t going their way. The better team won thankfully!
Did Mayo acituallybscore a point that was flagged wide? Commentators were certain it was over and said Mayo sideline was going daft with the decision.
Evan’s second free I think went over, flagged wide. I didn’t have a great view in fairness but crowd in stand with a better view went daft
The point that wasn’t – probably would have went to Hawkeye had it been in place.
Willie Joe, here’s a link to a tweet Mid West Radio put out earlier. It shows Evan Regan’s free that went ‘wide’…
https://twitter.com/radiomidwest/status/957620234919301120
Ya pressure on drake ; COS etc , was hoping to see Tracey get game time
Does anybody know when the season ticket is updated it says on mine that I was not attended which I was.
A great start to the league. Todays win doesn’t guarantee anything but it’s a great result. Castlebar will be hopping next weekend. Kerry will surely be looking for a bit of revenge over us.
So happy to see new names as part of any Mayo win.
Think we’ll be seeing the lads dying for the cause over the coming weeks especially now that there are new faces performing well.
Delighted to see so many complimentry remarks about Ger Cafferky. He’s a big man to come.back from his injury and he had some testing days on the pitch. Hope he gets.to show us how good a footballer he is all year. Best of luck to him.
My thoughts on today, Great start to the league. Brilliant Mayo support. Got a few dubious decisions for a change. Overall really enjoyable day.
David Clarke. Not a lot yo do today, but kickouts fine
Brendan Harrisson Hadnt his usual commanding game
Ger Cafferkey Started slow, but our second best player on the day
Eoin O Donoghue Man of the Match, Outstanding
Colm Boyle Some good interventions, looks doubtful for next week
Stephen Coen Improved display, showed attitude and workrate
Paddy Durcan Two super points and adequate otherwise
Jason Gibbons Worked hard, a little hesitant in possession
Shane Nally Never gave Darren Hughes an inch, a lot of possession, one poor hand pass led to score
Kevin McLoughin So hard working and intelligent
Aidan O Shea Needs to get his fitness up kept plugging away
Diarmuid O Connor Think he needs a break, disappointing again
Evan Regan Always looking for ball, but taking one touch too many
Andy Moran Constantly showing for ball but just didnt get away from hard hitting defenders
Neil Douglas Two lovely 45’s, but lacking physical presence at times
Re regan’s free which was controversially waved wide, I was almost but not directly behind him, I thought it was marginal and may have been directly over the post?
Not a blatant bad decision by any means!
Re Diarmuid black card, it was exactly the right thing to do in my opinion. Monaghan were on a driving counter attack, they outnumbered our defenders, there was a risk of one of those soft goals we all hate. Well, Diarmuid made the right call, preventing the dagger of a “soft goal”. We won, partly thanks to him in my opinion.
I recall Donal Vaughan doing something similar and taking a balck last year. His was also the right thing to do at that time, in my opinion. We won or drew that game too I recall.
Regan’s free looked just inside the far post from where he took the free alright, to my line of sight and I was in a good position to judge … Wasn’t given… But Regan scored a pretty soft free about 5 minutes afterwards, given for what looked like a fair shoulder on Andy,.. And the Ref Gough moved the free in as well!
Mairtin, Donie did that alright in the first few minutes in Ennis
Well done Mayo. A good win. Great defensive performance by all 6 at the back. Caff solid all through. O’Donoghue made a case for first 15. Boyle goes to war as he always does. Dirty hit on him at the end. Durkan has set a high standard and was worth the ticket price alone to see that score at the end. Coen moved to 6 and gets involved around the middle. He won a lot of breaking ball. Monaghan won most of their kickouts as Beggan found men with ease. Clarkes restarts tend to become 50-50 balls as they are driven too high. Only 2 forwards scored from play, Evan and Andy. This stat alone needs to improve. Douglas and Regan scored well from placed balls but need to present a threat from open play. Shane Nally I thought had a good game particularly 1st half. Some great ball delivered to inside line. Aidan needs a few more games to get back to his best. Diarmuid also. Good win for our neighbours Galway today.
Great start. A win is a win and you can’t take that away. Two points in the bank. We looked at times especially in the second half that we could dominate and take complete control.Monaghan refused to buckle. They are a good team, lively on their feet and looked to have more in the tank at the latter stages, despite playing into a pouncing wind. Mayo have the points. Durkan and Kirby showed well today. Mayo when they drove forward at speed looked formidable. It’s just the beginning and I’m priviliged to be along for the ride.
Come on Mayo!
And again Mark to foul Bryan Sheehan at the end of the drawn game in the semi. No black card but as blatant a pull down as you can get but a safe on scoring wise. There’s a time an place for it I’m sad to say………
Great to see Ger McDonagh get on the field. A star to watch and could make a big impact this year.
Joe Ruane……Kirby ????
Not long back and only processing some photos and video from the match. I think i have *that* point that was waved wide, not sure myself if it was or went over. Will be later before its uploaded. (was missing my right hand camerawomen today, I missed lot of photos but got a lot of vid).
Good stuff Mick. As far as I could see today, there was no camera to record the action. Incredible
Looking forward to seeing your highlights!
Don’t know what rest of ye think- but in my opinion for the last 12 months or so Diarmuid and Cillian are playing like lads who are not enjoying their football. Is the pressure playing for Mayo getting too much or are they burnt out? Diarmuids form has been mixed at best and Cillian getting a reputation for been narky on the field. Opposition know this now and are starting to play on it. Would love to see the two of them throw off the shackles and really go for it.
I was delighted for Caff. I genuinely thought he would never regain his best form but boy did he give a fine display today. As regards Cillian and Diarmuid I think what they need is more football not less in order to regain their best form.
Kevin kilbane has joined the bandwagon too , seen him in the crowd in clones today
good result, thought diarmuid made a couple of good runs on the far wing and not 1 player spotted these, if they had it was a goal oppurtunity. Thought Douglas done ok, but ran out of steam as did nally in the 2nd half. I thought gibbons won alot of primary possession. Mayo took alot out of it with the short kick outs, gibbons was winning alot in the middle , and we still went short. Even when Monaghan went short, they were quicker and more direct in transitioning from backs to forwards. Alot to work on, roll on Kerry.
Massive win for us today.Delighted we grined out a hard faught win.O’Donoghoe had great game no shortage of confidence. Can anyone confirm for me as I can’t recall games as good as others but Durcan has baled us out now a few times with big late scores?
David Gough had a great game again. He must be the best referee in the country. He implements the rule of the game. Players knew what to expect from him. Monaghan’s discipline was questionable and it always is. Cannot remember them ever finishing with 15 against us. Mayo support was great right through and especially in the closing minutes. Well done lads.
Yep , diarmuid is not enjoying himself it seems, needs to loosen up , maybe hes feeling too pressurised ,although he made a couple of runs in first half that weren’t sported by player in possession , one was especially frustrating for him ,he was clean through if he received it and he was very frustrated by it evidently ,hands on the head gesture.
(Kevin kilbane is no bandwagoner, Achill roots and very proud of it,always on the flights over for championship games)
Mayomaningalway, go to YouTube and “paddy durcan, mayo v Kerry, 2017” sorry I can’t give the direct link.
Greetings all after a lengthy self-imposed absence. Isn’t it great to be back on the road? That sense of anticipation upon waking up this morning was just mighty – last year (personally speaking) felt like a bit of a chore at times, but there was no doubting the eagerness for road today.
To say I’m delighted with the nature of that win would be an understatement. Far too many times we have left games like that behind us and stewed the whole way home but it was great to eke it out there today. Paddy
Durcan deserves immense credit for once again taking on a massive shot and nailing it. That said, we left ourselves wide open when the game was in the mix and allowed Monaghan back in; we need to get better at managing games at this point (It’s tended to be a bit of a problem in Septembers gone by too) and getting into the habit of closing games out decisively.
For me Eoin O’Donoghue was the standout player – he took his place today like he owned it and he is going to be massive for us. Delighted to see Caff put on such a good show too – had been getting pretty tired of seeing people write him off yet again. Regan did well in the first half. Still feel Dougie can be better and he lacks physicality but he can be pleased with his day’s efforttoday. Jason Gibbons had one of his better days and worked his socks off but (and please don’t shoot me) I feel he has a frustrating tendency to be behind his man, and tends to slow down the play in the centre of the field. David Clarke didn’t make things easy for his outfield players today!
I thought Monaghan were absolutely filthy. We know that already from days gone by (remember Ryan Wylie launching Mark Ronaldson into the hoarding in Castlebar in 2015?) but Gough in fairness to him was on the ball. Aidan took some amount of abuse again today though. Their no. 4 as someone else said above was red rotten. Monaghan’s indiscipline was a huge factor in our win though and our return from play (or lack thereof) was a bit concerning, but frees have to be won, and a free = a point any day of the week. On the plus side it was good to get a win against 12 men 🙂
Very concerned about Colm Boyle given the manner of his departure and I sincerely hope that his injury is far less serious than it looked. If it’s a dead leg that will take time to clear (look at Diarmuid last year) but definitely the lesser of two evils. I would also be concerned about Diarmuid O’Connor; he hasn’t been his sparkling, marauding self for a while. To the outsider it might look like tiredness and that he needs a break, but we don’t know that for sure. Perhaps it’s just a regular dip in form (physical or mental or confidence) and maybe he just needs to play his way through it with the support of his teammates and come out the other side. We can only speculate.
As for Cillian, he can hardly be judged on today’s appearance and I’d hope that this isn’t going to be another year of scapegoating the player who will probably soon – at the age of 26? – hold the record as the top scorer of all time in senior championship football. (Not a marquee forrward, though …)
We absolutely cannot allow what happened last year in MacHale Park re-occur this year. We need to be winning games at home.
Mayoman in Galway, I reckon Paddy has intervened at crucial periods at least three or four times now – he stepped up against Derry last year when we were in dire straits and hadn’t scored for over 15 minutes, he got a big score against Roscommon last year and if I recall correctly against Kerry too when it was needed though it wasn’t the decider. But he really is a man for the big occasion.
Mayoman, Kevin Kilbane has been on our bandwagon for quite a while now!
Delighted with the result today. As others have said there’s nothing better than winning a tight game, and to do so while trying out a whole host of new and fringe players is just bonus territory all round. For me Ger Cafferkey, Diarmuid and Cillian O’ Connor have nothing to prove. I’ve seen what they can do.. repeatedly demonstrate skill, sheer class and brilliance at the highest level against the best opposition out there. They are without doubt some of the best players we have in the County when they are in form. For me the jury is still out on Evan Regan, Adam Gallagher and Douglas for varying reasons. For example we are talking about whether it was a point or not a point today when really I’m thinking, left footed player, nice distance out, drop it over the black spot, routine, no fuss easy peasy.. but no. I know Kevin McLoughlin misses these too but Kevin has so much more to his game. For Evan to have a chance of making Summer football he can’t miss these gimmes. You can be bloody sure Kerry or Dublin won’t have us guessing whether it went over or not!
Great to have the 2 owl pints in the owl bag with an away win.
We might avoid the drop to division 2 yet.
Jaysus, Monaghan were filthy.
Mayo Mick – Great Work. Thank You.
Has Aidan been made new captain? Sure I heard it on RTE’s highlights tonight.
I’d be fairly sure that Aidan was captain today as Cillian wasn’t starting. Cillian was even in the huddle pre game (all other subs had left the field) giving the pre match chat.
14allnall41, for the Diarmuid issue that you mentioned-that Monaghan player was booked for what he was at after the ball went up the field. He literally tried to pull the jersey off him. There’s a great photo of it doing the rounds on Twitter.
Thanks drog seen that last night afterwards.
Hope boyler can recover soon.we are really blessed with some of the best defenders in the country.reagan should be given more time the potenial is there he just needs to stop rushing things.more games will sort that out.
Caff looks really lean and up for the fight this year,after coming back from that serious injury what a man.
Its really important to get a result in castlebar next week or yesterdays result will be forgotten farely quickly.
Coen at number 6 on s oshea would be a great start.
Ill probably get roasted for saying this but clarke needs to up his game his kickouts werent good yesterday or against sligo and the kerry boys will exploit this.big fan of clarke lets hope he gets it sorted.
14allnall41 your right about Clark if he can only fix that part of his game we would be sorted but I am sure he is working on it too
Diarmuid O Connor got into some great scoring positions yesterday but did not get the pass—we will get sharper with time.All the hype is on Galway, Kerry & Dublin. Oisin Mc Con did not even mention our win .Happy days !!!!!
EOD the MOM. Himself and Chrissy doing our parish proud, Belmullet Abú.
Diarmuid has a great knack of ghosting into great positions,completely free from his marker, a la his goal against Kerry last year.Its up to the other guys to spot him!
The problem with rushing things is that you’d want to be getting out of that around 21/22. Mid 20’s I’m not sure I’v observed many mid 20’s footballers go from rushing things at county level to being composed. A Mayo forward does not come to mind that made such improvement in their mid 20’s.
JP – surely Andy Moran fits that bracket?
@MayoMark, I’d have to go back and check. Wasn’t Andy a nailed on starter by 24?
I do agree though that even at 33 Andy Moran is shooting far better compared to what I recall from him being 24.
He was in those days more of a working wing forward. I’m not sure we thought of him as a major scoring threat in those days?
However Andy is an exception. His career trajectory is ridiculous. Where most footballers would start to plateau at 27/27 he has been getting better up until last year.
think about it Willie Joe before you start criticising Clarke.
How many guys were we missing yday…………, 4 starting backs and our two midfielders
He was playing with guys that are not first choice, I was at the game and I think the plan was to target long in the Air
to target AOS long in the air
I did think about it, Mayomafia, and the more I continue to think about it the more worried I get. His kickouts yesterday were, in the main, high, hanging ones that took forever to come down and gave his intended targets no more than a 50:50 chance of gaining possession. From what I could see there was little in the way of targeting involved – how could there be, given how long it took for them to come down? We got away with it yesterday, thanks mainly to our winning more than our share of the breaks in the scramble for possession once those kickouts came back down to earth but we won’t manage to do this every day.
I thought that Stephen Coen and Kevin McLoughlin were the best two performers yesterday. The ground covered by both them was enormous. McLouglin showed up to help colleagues in trouble on numerous occasions. One mistake he does have is that he can be wasteful with his passes. Stephen Coen looked like a man possessed. He really wants that starting place. Not previously a great fan of his but yesterday went someway to me revising my opinion. I thought Monaghan tackling was superb and its only when they lost the run of themselves that led to cards. If they stuck to their hard tackling, quick closing down and some very good long range shooting they would have troubled us. They were also short some regulars. Great stadium. Monaghan town on Saturday night was also rocking. I would recommend it as a weekend destination.
Was at the game yesterday. A great result. If we go back to the ” Farney File” I would like to see all the people who said we had not a “snowballs chance in hell” of coming away with a win come back and admit they got it wrong. If you look at the blog of Rise Again we were going to get cleaned at midfield. That did not happen.
Mayo Mafia must be thinking of last years team when he was not blaming Clarke for his poor kick outs. According to him we are missing 4 starting backs and 2 midfielders. If this is the advice he would tell Clarke, then I would be seriously thinking of not bothering following this team. In Sinabhuil blog he thinks Coen and McLaughlin were the best 2 performers yesterday. I think he must have enjoyed the Monaghan hospitality on Saturday night. If O Donoghue, O Shea, Durcan, Gibbons, were not ahead of Coen/ McLaughlin, a lot of supporters must be at the wrong game. As for the Monaghan players, their type of sportsmanship shows why they have not contested a AI final. I still think we also can get a result against Kerry next Saturday night.
Mayo man in Meath.There was a blatant penalty foul on Diarmuid in front of the umpires eyes in the first half just before the Monaghan player went to pull him off the ground.Serious pressure by diarmuid in the second half when he tracked a Monaghan player back from Monaghan back line and forced the player to kick well wide.
N n
Top player yesterday were caff Eoin boyler Aido and Andy Monaghan disgrace and the official a disgrace for letting them get away with it. Aiden taking terrible abuse all through Time now officials start protecting the players