The New Year started in dramatic fashion at Carrick-on-Shannon yesterday for Mayo’s footballers. In what was the county’s first senior inter-county match in over six months, where James Horan took charge of his first game since returning to the position of Mayo manager, there was drama aplenty at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada. This was capped off by a first-ever soccer-style penalty shootout in an inter-county fixture, which Mayo won 4-1.
The Mayo News football podcast was at Carrick-on-Shannon yesterday to catch all the action in this lively encounter. Co-hosts Rob Murphy and I take you through the match as it played out and, after it finished all-square, we’re then joined by Edwin McGreal of the Mayo News for the historic penalty shootout.
Next there’s post-game reaction from James Horan, following which Ger Flanagan of the Mayo News joins Rob and me to review the afternoon’s fun and games. We also hear from Nigel Reape, who gives his thoughts on the game and how he felt the experimental rules played out on the day.
This first 2019 episode of the Mayo News football podcast is now online and is available to listen to on iTunes and SoundCloud. You can also listen to it on the Mayo News website as well as here on the blog using the SoundCloud player below or the one on the panel on the right-hand side. Enjoy!
It took Dublin four years to achieve 4-in-a-row. It only took Mayo five minutes in Carrick
Willie Joe just looking at the scorers for yesterday did Jason Doherty not score 3 pts . You have only accounted for 2 12 on the 2019 results tab.
I have not had a chance to listen to the podcast yet and maybe this issue was mentioned but did anybody find it strange that while there was a minute’s silence for bereavements in Carrick there was no mention of either John Nallen or Seamus O’Connor. Would it not have been natural for a Mayo official to make sure the PA people knew of their passing.
Andy – I thought that yesterday but maybe county board would rather have minutes silence for them in McHale Park before First league game. You are forgetting Willie Loftus who also died in the last month.
You must have found the penalties very soccer like.
Anyone have the text from the mayo news of what Prenty is saying about attenednave for Gaelic Park in May?
Basically, don’t expect to be able to get into the ground if you travel over there. Gaelic Park has a very small capacity, the fixture is under the control of the NY Board, whose policy always has been to sell entrance tickets on the day at the venue. Tickets won’t be available in advance so anyone going out there won’t have any guarantee of getting into the ground and, by the looks of it, only a minority will get in. That was the gist of it.
Move it to Yankee Stadium? Capacity 50,000 plus – should be enough.
Catcol I doubt that will hold them either!! We’ll have to be in the Bronx at the crack of dawn … it’ll be like queuing for the sales or U2 tickets in the old days!
I’ve no such concerns about the New York game and I’ve Dublin GAA to thank for this happy situation as well. Football Feile is on in Dublin that weekend and my son’s team is in it this year so that’s me confined to base.
How will Horan and Walsh approach the game next Sunday? Will they both be giving new players a chance or going at it hell for leather. Player availability will be the determining factor so I think it will be an opportunity for unearthing new talent.
It’s an easier trip this week than the trek to Carrick but we did get to witness a bit of GAA history in the penalty shoot out. Not long until the league proper so the regulars will probably need to stretch their legs soon as well.
So many friends of mine heading to New York its unreal..There will be quite a few busy bars for the game if the capacity is 4,500..I imagine numbers travelling will exceed that.
Next Sunday is surely a day for Horan to experiment a bit. I would like to see the following tried – if it doesn’t work out now is the time to find out:
Stephen Coen full back
James McCormack midfield
James Carr and Ciaran Treacy starting in forwards
Matty Ruane (midfield) and Darren Coen getting at least 30 minutes of action.
Great podcast lads captured the atmosphere perfectly. Great crowd of Mayo supporters in Carrick also. Leitrim could feel hard done by as they looked to have done enough to win a game. I did not make anything of the player with 2 yellows playing on as its just early January and he was making his way off when he found himself in posession. JH has set out his stall early on when he said that everything starts with the Roscommon game. That’s their focus and we need 2 points from that game.
Id say James will go with much the same kind of team again this weekend against Galway. Maybe change the experienced players with a few other experienced players and the young lads been changed with other young lads. Would like to see Brian Reape get another chance and Conor Diskin start.
Also did anyone notice that Aidan O Shea was in Kerry last Sunday while the lads played in Carrick. I was told by younger members of family he had pictures on social media sites. Id definitely be in favour of our star players like Aido getting rest and going away on breaks. But not the same day our county are playing. Think also it looks bad towards our younger players that Aido isn’t there just for his presence in the dressing room. Hopefully with the long extended break Aido will come back stronger and better for 2019.
Looks like Tuam will get to see the new Mayo jersey after all Willie joe this weekend!
Seriously though, looking forward to Sunday, if anyone has any queries on parking , places to eat etc I’ll be willing to give ye any pointers..
Turfman, he’s got family down in Kerry so quite probably there for that reason. There’s life for these lads outside of Football.
@south mayo exile. Wouldn’t mind seeing McCormack at midfield and Diskin / Reape starting. Also earlier substitutions giving newcomers like Treacy at least 20 mins.
Not sure Coen is answer to our full back issues, just lacks that bit of pace, Harrisson would do for me.
From what I can gather Gaelic Park is in the midst of redevelopment at the Broadway End which if not completed will reduce capacity. They say it will be done by then but then again they said they would start the work three years ago before I moved back home.
Btw, anyone know what the announced crowd was in Carrick?
If you are going to Tuam, I would suggest parking in the multi storey car park, and taking the 10 minute walk. It’s 2 euros, so it won’t break the bank. There is a Supermacs on the way, if that’s your thing, otherwise a few decent enough places to eat, depending on your needs.
I’ll probably park at LIDL and walk in (10-15 minutes). If you are coming to Tuam from the south, it’s not a terrible option.
@FDBinashui if you read my post I said I’m in favour of our star players having breaks and rest. But Mayo are out of championship since July. He could have visited them anytime since then not the same time as Mayo played their 1st match of 2019. Aidan’s presence in the dressing room the last day would have drove our young lads on and they would have played even better.
You’re suggesting some sort of ‘ownership’ over the players there turfman.
We don’t know the circumstances at all. If it was agreed between AOS and James Horan that he wouldn’t be in Carrick, then there’s no issue, and it’s not really any of our business why he was down in Kerry!
I agree Tubberman. Aidan O’Shea’s personal life is none of our business and that applies to any other player on the panel. Horan is there to monitor this and if he’s ok with things then so should we. I met a man outside mass on Sunday and he believes AOS should be dropped.. it didnt seem to matter when I explained he hasnt played this year yet!
Announced crowd in Carrick was 3,000 but I would say it was nearer to 5,000!
Definitely more from Mayo than locals.
Turfman, following Mayos exit last year Also was involved with his club up to county final, so was playing football up to November. These guys are amateur players and deserve a personal life outside football.
I wonder why Aido is always the one singled out, was Keith, Andy, Cillian, Duirmuid, Kevin Colm etc all present in Carrick? I highly doubt it. Lee, Doc, SOS, Donal were there so i think the experienced motivation was covrred in the dressing room.
While it’s acceptable to comment on a players performance on the field I think their personal life should be off limits, especially when the circumstances are unknown. These guys and indeed all players deserve a private life without people commenting on it.
Lord, I hope Aidan didn’t sign any autographs for the kids when he was down in Kerry. Bernard Flynn’s head would explode.
Well said Mayomad. Aido deserves a good long break and come back rested for the league. All we need now is another outburst/expose from Breheny or Brolly. Looking forward to Tuam.
Give Aido a break–his biggest problem is that management have not defined his role.
I’m not having a go at Aido. I think he is one of the best players in the country never mind Mayo. He deserves his break as I have said twice just don’t think he needed to be posting pictures on social media while the game was on. Aido has had a break from football since November as Mayomad siad. I’m sure he’s mad to get back stuck into it again. I think full forward is the place for Aido. Remember him against Sligo in the Connacht final in 2015. He was excellent. No one from Sligo could stop him no matter what they tried.
Team I would like to see Sunday!!
1.Michael Schlingermann
2.Eoin O’Donoghue
3.Caolan Crowe
4.Brendan Harrison
5.Cathal Horan
6.Lee Keegan captain
7.Michael Plunkett
8.Donal Vaughan
9.Matty Ruane
10.Fergal Boland
11.Conor Loftus
12.Conor Diskin
13.Darren Coen
14.Brian Reape
15.Ciaran Treacy
Westport have confirmed Tony Duffy is to replace James Horan as manager for 2019.
Re the crowd at Carrick last Sunday. The stand has a capacity of 3,000, some Leitrim people say 3,500, and it was pretty full. Occasional empty seats but each section was pretty full. And there as at least 2,000 on the opposite terrace and road end terrace. So around 5,000 would be a lot nearer the mark than 3,000. But that’s GAA counting, we’ve seen it before.
Andy Agree with the 5K of a crowd in Carrick. About 1500 would be juvenile in a crowd of that size I belive.
when will Mayo do something about full backline and midfield , both these areas are major problems and giving the same players more game time there is not going to help and bringing on a player for last few minutes is no good either. Give new men a few full games in them positions and if they are not good enough then just let them go from the panel and try someone new. Often heard it said over the years is was harder to get off the Mayo Team than get on it .
I think that’s an interesting team TH.
Personally would not play Lee at 6, think we need someone to hold/defend the middle better and that would be sacrificing Lee’s brilliant attacking forays……I would prefer him on the flanks as think he can cause more damage from there
Culmore I had kind of assumed that Brendan Harrison would naturally make his way to full back, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. He does tend to make bursts up the field, so maybe he isn’t the most natural fit. But it’s clear we need to fix the full back issue.
Midfield, I think Diarmuid has to there once he is back. Ideally, Tom Parsons would have been the perfect partner but I just hope he can recover from the horror injury. Diarmuid is good in the air and his mobility is way ahead of most midfielders. The way the game is gone, a more mobile midfield is probably he best play. But I am a traditionalist and I love to see high fielding (Aidan the man for that, even if his mobility might become an issue against top sides).
Interesting team TH. Would really love to see Cathal Horan & Conor Diskin get a go. It’s great to be back!!
Ink ow mayo is box office for national media but is James Horan is the media a bit too much lately? Maybe they are just drip feeding comments from a recent interview but we appear to be all over the papers lately….I wish we were a bit quieter being honest.
Ive been thinking on this clash and I feel it will be shadow boxing as neither Horan or Walsh are going to show much at this stage. It will be a good opportunity for both sides to test their fringe players out in a competitive fixture. I dont think much will be learned unless one side is overwhelmingly beaten but I cant see that happening. The Connaught final is looking like a potential Galway v Mayo unless Rossies can upset Mayo in the semi (most likely upset). Then either Galway or Mayo are one match from the Super8. There is a distinct possibility of both sides reaching Super8 this year. Current AI odds – Galway 14/1. Mayo 12/1
Does anyone know which province is with Connaught in 2019?
Connacht and Leinster champions together in Super 8s I think.
It’s still off season re football and I don’t see anything wrong with the media turning their focus on high profile managers. Horan is well capable of handling himself and imo very respectful to supporters by keeping us in the picture as he sets out his stall for next 4 years
Going by his most recent interview I would expect a mix of experience and newbies for the team clash with Galway but not necessarily the same set that was on view in Carrick.
I would not be concerned about our midfield as DOC is the best in the country but full back remains a worry.
I don’t thing Keegan would be near as effective at centre back but maybe midfield. He was good enough to win player of the year from wing half back so why fix something that’s not broken. McCormack looks worth a try at midfield. Early days but I expect a bigger turn out in tuam as momentum gathers
On the major Issue of Full back in Mayo, JH has to find out whos the best of Caolan Crowe , Brendan Harrison , Chris Barrett or Ger Cafferkey for the position .Someone thats up to marking a Damien Comer, David Clifford, or a Michael Murphy in Croker.I would have liked to have seen Seamus Cunniffe, Ger McDonagh and Eddie Doran brought into Horans panel to be tried out in the Number 3 position but they musn’t have impressed at trials.So we are back basically to the same men Rochford had for Full Back.Harrison in my opinion plays his best in the corner and is probably not suited to marking a target man full forward like Clifford or Murphy.Barrett not suited to a target man either and he plays his best football at 6 as he did in 2017 AI final leaving Leeroy and Paddy to there favourite half back spots with Boyler in reserve.Ger Caffs form since his Hamstring injury in 2016 has been off ,he seems to have lost pace and doesnt have the level of aggression needed to be a top Full back like a Philly McMahon or Padraic Hampsey.So I hope JH gives Crowe a good run of games at full back and see how he goes there.He is Physical , a good man marker and aggressive in the tackle.
Great fun in Carrick on sunday.Just getting to listen to podcast…..an exciting one to start the year!
Mayo have had a problem with the Full back position going back since the great Kevin Cahill from Ballagh and Tom Nallen from Crossmolina finished up around 2002.Cahill was the best full back I have seen in Mayo and Connacht since I started watching football in the early 90s.