Oscar Traynor Cup run ends
SLIGO/LEITRIM 1
MAYO 2
A blistering counter-attack at the start of the second half brought Sligo/Leitrim’s Oscar Traynor cup run to an end, as Mayo sealed their spot in the final with a 2-1 win on Sunday.
THE Athlone Town Stadium was the venue, and although the sun was shining for the majority of the match, the aftermath of Storm Kathleen meant a strong wind would play its part throughout. MAYO started with the wind at their backs, and a long ball into the box almost got the better of Ronan Callaghan after two minutes. He fumbled the ball under no pressure and was fortunate to concede a corner.
AFTER that, it was Sligo/Leitrim who saw the better of the opening stages. Captain Chris Kelly had a fantastic chance to open the scoring, combining well with his Carbury clubmate, Malachy Spratt, and hit a shot from inside the box straight at Mayo ‘keeper, Gary Cunningham. SLIGO/LEITRIM did manage to get the opening goal, and it was another Carbury combination that gave them the lead. Mark Hannon drilled a low free kick into the box from the left, and centre-half Ryan McManus poked a right boot at it to flick the ball into the top right corner on 15 minutes. DESPITE falling behind, Mayo started to get the ball down and play. Kiltimagh Knock United’s Jack O’Connor was inches away from equalising, only denied by a superb save from Callaghan who had to claw his 25-yard free kick away from the top right corner. BUT Sligo/Leitrim could only keep their neighbours at bay for so long. On 25 minutes, Oran Groarke swung a corner in from the left, and put it straight on to the head of Dylan McKee, with the Ballina Town man nodding home unmarked from six yards.
A cagey end to the first half was followed up by a whirlwind start to the second. Ballyheane’s Ben Edeh won the ball back in the middle of the opposition half and burst through the Sligo/Leitrim midfield to release the impressive Jason Hunt down the right. He drove into the box and fizzed a ball to the back post, where O’Connor was lurking to tap in just a minute into the second half.
A leveller almost came straight away, as Hannon found himself in space on the left of the box, but his well-taken strike with the outside of his left foot just bent around the wrong side of the post.
IT was as good a chance as Sligo/ Leitrim got to equalise, as John Loftus’ men couldn’t capitalise on playing with the strong wind. Substitute Cian Kilcoyne tested Cunningham with a low free-kick from a full 30 yards, after Edeh had almost scored a third for Mayo, getting away from Leo Doherty in the box.
MAYO were able to call on experience from the bench to see the game out, with Castlebar Celtic’s Jordan Loftus and Raffaele Cretaro, who needs no introduction, getting on for the last few minutes. THERE was one last chance for Sligo/Leitrim in the ninth minute of stoppage time, as another Hannon delivery from the left fell kindly for
Kilcoyne in the box. He dragged his shot wide with teammates at the back post, as Mayo sealed their spot in the Oscar Traynor Cup final for the first time since 1981. SLIGO/LEITRIM: Ronan Callaghan, Leo Doherty, Bryan Lynch, Ryan McManus, Mark Hannon, Malachy Spratt, Chris Kelly (C), Eoin Stinchon, Steven Armstrong, Niall Brennan, Keith Nibbs. SUBS used: Bradley Fowley, Jordan Harte, Luke Flynn, Cian Kilcoyne.
MAYO: Gary Cunningham, Cillian McGlade (C), Andrew Shally, Ioseph O’Reilly, Mark Cunningham, Oran Groarke, Jason Hunt, Dylan McKee, Ben Edeh, Darren Browne, Jack O’Connor. SUBS used: Harrison Quinn, Cillian Whyte, Jordan Loftus, Raffaele Cretaro, Jamie Cawley.