Photo: Mayo Mick
The perils of drawing any conclusions from challenge matches are well known and so, I guess, the fewer inferences that are made about our well-being arising from today’s 5-12 to 0-16 victory over Cavan in Ballina, the better. It was a match with nothing at stake which afforded both teams the opportunity of trying a few things out and so if either of the two management teams learned anything new about their respective charges then that’s really the only tangible outcome from today’s contest. That’s the way it is with challenge matches.
Photo: Mayo Mick
The result of today’s game, and the manner in which it was secured, has, I suppose, something in it for everyone. Those wearing the rose tinted glasses can point to the 11-point winning margin, the fact that we banged in five goals and the welcome news that two of these came from Andy Moran, who got sixty minutes of very useful game time under his belt. The doomsayers, meanwhile, can mutter about the way that Cavan bossed the first half exchanges, that our cutting loose in the second half was against an entirely different Breffni fifteen and that sixteen points conceded isn’t hectic. As I said, something for everyone.
Photo: Mayo Mick
Viewing it purely as an opportunity to give lads a run-out, then Andy’s hour on the pitch, and his two goals, has got to be viewed as a major positive. Darren Coen’s 1-3 is also worth noting and is Richie Feeney’s shift at centre-forward, from where he weighed in with three points. It’s perhaps also noteworthy that the small bit of freetaking that needed to be done was shared between Kevin McLoughlin and Alan Freeman, with ‘keeper Kenneth O’Malley landing a fifty as well.
There was some talk in advance that Evan Regan would start today but, in the event, he only got on for the last ten minutes. Neither Barry Moran nor Jason Doherty played any part in the game but they did apparently take part in the warm-up and so both must be close to full fitness again.
Photo: Mayo Mick
As I wasn’t in James Stephens Park today, there’s little more I can say about the game but I know a number of you were so please feel free to add whatever detail you want on performances that impressed or didn’t impress or whatever. For the record, the starting team, scorers and subs used today were as follows:
Mayo: Kenneth O’Malley (0-1, ’45); Kevin Keane, Shane McHale, Tom Cunniffe; Donal Vaughan, Colm Boyle, James Burke; Aidan O’Shea (0-1), Jason Gibbons; Kevin McLoughlin (0-1, free), Richie Feeney (0-3), Cathal Carolan; Darren Coen (1-3), Alan Freeman (0-3, two frees), Andy Moran (2-0). Subs: Michael Walsh for Cunniffe, Alan Murphy (2-0) for Carolan, Keith Rogers for Boyle, Evan Regan for Moran, Brendan Harrison for Vaughan.
PS: Mayo Mick has a load more photos from today’s game apart from the ones I’ve used in this report. They’re available to view here.
Still good to score five goals no matter how you look at it. Alan murphy is doing well. An important run out for andy. Still no sign of dillon today. Hope he is ok. And no sign of caff. Any worries there? Jesus roll on the rossies. Cant wait.
Challenge matches should always be taken with a pinch of salt…. Good to win, but 16 pts conceded ain’t the best.
Hi, It looks good to me. (Richie Feeney had 3pts).
Murphy got some game time and I’d imagine James Horan is a happy man. The injuries and experimentation have allowed him to have a good back-up that can slot into position easily.
All this without Conroy, Varley and Doc.
Last year when Donegal came to Swinford for a friendly, they had a reporter on the spot in touch with the Studio in Donegal. It was a dour friendly!
Is Dillon injured?!
Glad to see Andy Moran back, and that the likes of Coen can do it as well, even if its only a challenge. That’s 9 goals in two games, a record for mayo?
If they can keep knocking a goal or two in every game they would really lighten the load on themselves. That will take some doing but at least they seem to be really trying to figure it out.
Any word on mister o Connor?
Good run out for the team gives the fringe players a chance looking forward horan has given an indication in the mayo news coc season may not be over
Some great photos there Mayo Mick, haven’t been to James Stephens Park in years but from the background to some of the shots, not much has changed. Love the shot of the score board – not so much for it’s confusing scoring system, which could do with a bit of tweaking, but the background, with it’s pile of rubbish, the little girl taking time out and the hill field looking like it always looked, you could say, the more things change the more they stay the same !
Mayo News seems to confirm, ( at long last ) what glasshalffull said last week regarding Cillian, about 8 weeks out. This is as good as could be hoped for. Good too , to score 5 goals today, even in a challenge. The scorers, Andy and two new lads is a bonus as it keeps the boys in possession on their toes.
Will be watching ghf posts with interest in the future
There was some fine scores today, some very useful performances especially Coen who showed well, I suppose the story of the game started when the mayo lads had an early morning training session so looked sluggish from the throw in. We lacked a cutting edge and a link player. Had Cavan took some glaring chances in the first half we may well have been down by much more than 2 points at the half. Both teams had plenty room to run at each other, but mayo upped in the 2nd half and some very clever forward play we just walked through the Cavan defence. Andy got 2 fine goals, Alan Murphy took his goals well, Aiden o Shea lorded midfield, boyler made some big hits. Overall a useful run out, the fact the team had a good training session that morning I suppose makes the score line that bit more impressive. Cavan will be no pushover in the remaining ulster matches either!
Mayo mchale, looking at that snap of the scoreboard, the rubbish and the little girl, I was thinking the same thing! Lmao.
Anyway, good result. From mayo micks snaps, it looked like a very poor attendance, what’s wrong with ppl?
Cavan dominated the 1st half. We couldn’t get near Cian Mackey of Cavan. They had about four 1 on 1’s and hit the cross bar twice. O’Malley made a great point blank save but also kicked the ball straight to 2 Cavan forwards in the 1st half when going for a short kick out. Not great stuff.
Burke looked very comfortable. Played well. AOS dominated midfield, he’s so vital to our rhythm at this point. Boyle yet again nearly got his head taken off and could have been seriously injured in a 50/50, the man has no fear and he’d be first man I’d go to battle with.
Andy’s direction, running off the ball and ability to make the long ball into the FF was great to see again. Coen looked very comfortable and took his goal well after the end of a lovely move, great ball out of defence from Burke to Feeney, long ball into Andy who gave a lovely pop pass to Coen who side stepped a lad and hammered it into the top corner from 15 yards…great goal.
Not sure about Boyler at 6. I know he was a successful minor there but I’d nearly have Keegan there instead, with Burke and Boyle either side.
All in all a useful run out. Dillon and Caff were rested. Cillian won’t be fit for Roscommon game and that’s all we should be thinking about. Nevermind Croke Park and August.
Roscommon played Brigids (with their Ros players) and beat them by 8 points in Kiltoom by the way.
This was a good work-out for Mayo, Cavan are a good , smart team and put it up to Mayo in the first half and with a bit of luck, would have got two goals, before the break.
They put out a different team in the second half and Mayo pulled away, scoring almost at will.
It was very good to see Andy Moran starting, he was talking to his team mates and keeping them on their toes, he is always positive , giving encouragement to them.
He scored two goals and made a third, granted his last goal was down to very weak defending , by the corner back and goalie.He is excellent at holding the ball up until the right time to lay it off, opening up defence.He won’t have this freedom in Championship games, but he is a real leader in the forward line and every good team has a few leaders.
Shane Mchale , was solid at full back,consistent as usual , he must be in the running for a starting place.
I was very impressed with Darren Coen, he is a, no nonsence player, he is physically strong , well able to compete for his own ball (high or low) and when he gets it, he turns and scores, no messing.he did the same in Salthill the first ball that came to him after he had came on as a sub, he just won it, going away from goals, turned and kicked it over the bar, for a sweet point.
K. O malley did well in goals apart from two blunders of similar nature in the second half, when in his efforts to give a quick kick out to his defenders, he gave it (twice) to a forward , inside the 21 yard line. He was not punished as the forwards were not strong enough.
He scored a 45, with ease.
All in all it was a good work out and no one got injured.
I would be worried about Roscommon, they will be big and strong and if they get on a roll they will be hard to stop.