Inspirational Lavin dedicates win to Red Óg
the last minute of the first-half. Luke Marren set up the score as he recycled a move that looked to have faded after Lee Deignan’s free attempt drifted away from Mayo’s goalmouth.
Sligo’s heroes were many, among them Jack Davitt, Canice Mulligan, Lee Deignan, Joseph Keaney and Jack Lavin. Eoghan Smith, too, came good when the team needed him, with James Donlon and Conor Johnston also doing well.
Sligo just about deserved to be ahead, 2-3 to 0-8, as Mayo spurned a chance to draw level when Jack Fallon’s big effort went wide in time added on. This was Mayo’s seventh wide of that opening period, a litany of misses that would later haunt them. Mayo didn’t know it then but they were up against a different kind of Sligo team. The kind that doesn’t give up.
Player of the Match: Jack Davitt
Sligo: Kyle Davey, Shane Molloy, Marc McGowan, Feidhlim O’Donnell, James Donlon (0-2), Jack Lavin (1-0), Conor Johnston, Canice Mulligan, Joseph Keaney, Matt Henry, Eoghan Smith (1-1, 1f), Dylan Walsh, Luke Marren, Lee Deignan (0-1, 1f), Jack Davitt (2-0)
Subs used: Ciaran O’Reilly (temporary sub), Oisin Flynn, Gavin Duffy, Luke Casserly, Brian Byrne, Oisin Gorman
Subs not used: Cian Kilcoyne (gk), Ciaran McKeon, Dylan McLoughlin, Jim Davis Mayo: Bryan O’Flaherty, Alfie Morrison, Ruairi Keane, Conal Dawson, Fenton
Kelly, Donnacha McHugh, Aiden Cosgrove, Frank Irwin (0-4, 3f), Jack Fallon (0-1),
Tom O’Flaherty (0-1), Dylan Thornton,
Sean Morahan, Rory Morrin (0-2), Paddy Heneghan (1-3), Cian O’Connell
Subs used: Bob Tuohy, Cian MacHale, Niall Treacy, Conor Reid
Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon)
AS BOTH the scorer of the winning goal and the captain of the victorious Sligo team, Jack Lavin was in the spotlight at Markievicz Park following the county’s long-awaited breakthrough in the Eirgid-sponsored Connacht GAA U-20 Football Championship.
But the centre-back from Ballymote GAA Club made a point of dedicating this final’s victory to Red Óg Murphy and the Curry man’s family.
In his trophy acceptance speech he said: “I’d just like to dedicate this to the late Red Óg Murphy and his family, Redmond, Geraldine, Oisin and Daithi – this is for them.”
Lavin was a Sligo U-20 teammate of Red Óg’s for the provincial campaign of 2020. Back then Red Óg was team captain.
The Connacht winner said that Murphy’s untimely passing earlier this month affected the current group, who had known him, played alongside him and looked up to him. “In the last week or two I’ve been thinking a lot about Red Óg Murphy – I played with him two years ago on this team, he was the last captain of this team before me.
“He was an idol to be honest and what happened was very sad, especially for his family. This win is for Red Óg – his passing really brought this group together.”
He continued: “When it happened we tried to keep the heads down and focus on football but it wasn’t easy. “We met for the funeral as a group and that experience galvanised us. It proved that there’s more to life than football – we wanted to enjoy the final instead of being nervous.”
When asked about THAT goal, the score that changed Sligo GAA history, Lavin was matter-of-fact. “I didn’t know if it [the ball] was going over the bar or into the goalkeeper’s hands – somehow it went in! “When we went down to 14 players we had no choice but to push up, put the pressure on and really take the game to Mayo in the last few minutes. “There was no point in hiding, not on our own patch.
“This is a new era for Sligo, we’re not getting bullied on the pitch or off it.
“We stood our ground [in terms of the venue] and we got what we deserved. I’m really looking forward to the All-Ireland semi-final now,” the captain stated.
Lavin maintained that the Dessie Sloyan-managed squad had worked so hard for this title chance.
Four members of the Sligo team that won last year’s Connacht GAA Minor Football Championship,
Kyle Davey, Conor Johnston, Luke Marren and Dylan McLoughlin, have featured at U-20 level in 2022.
Lavin says that last year’s success at Minor level impacted positively as well. “Those last from last year’s Sligo Minor team came into the U-20 set-up with a winners’ mentality and we needed that – it is some achievement for those lads to have won two Connacht titles in a row.” He added: “We’re all so proud to play for Sligo.” Sligo’s All-Ireland semi-final is on the weekend after next.
Members of the Walsh family, Peter, Kathleen, Megan and Ciara, were supporting Dylan Walsh, who was wingforward on the winning Sligo U-20 team against Mayo.
Sligo U-20 player Dylan McLoughlin and his family with the JJ Fahy Cup after Sligo’s memorable defeat of Mayo.