Mayo wobble again as Red Hands show greater heart
HAVING looked nailed-on League finalists for weeks, a second narrow defeat in seven days has left Mayo with work still to do to reach this year’s Allianz League Division 1 decider.
They will be waiting on results elsewhere, particularly Armagh’s home game with Kerry this afternoon, before a final game next week against Kildare which will determine whether they make it or not.
Last night’s game in Omagh was a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final and champions Tyrone’s need was the greater. This was a victory borne out of perspiration rather than inspiration but it was badly needed all the same by Tyrone, who have now given themselves a shot at staying in the top flight.
After a poor display at home last week against Dublin, there was more bite about Tyrone and with their backs to the wall and only three League points on the board, they came out fighting to secure a vital win.
They will await the results of today’s games between Dublin and Donegal, Monaghan and Kildare to see exactly where this narrow win leaves them in the relegation shakeup.
They made plenty of mistakes but the urgency was there and Tyrone did most of the work in the first half, leading 0-8 to 0-3 at the break in Healy Park having had the wind.
Mayo did not play with a lot of purpose in the first half but were much improved after the break, scoring five points in a row in an 11-minute spell to close to within a point of Tyrone.
Darragh Canavan spun around to score a point off his left in the 67th minute to give them a crucial twopoint cushion. Mayo floated a long ball into the square which Jack Carney drilled goalwards but it hit off Jordan Flynn and went wide, inflicting a second loss on Mayo in a row.
Their loss in Kerry last weekend left Mayo — who finished with 14 players after Kevin McLoughlin’s late black card — still with work to do to make the League final but in the first half they delivered a disinterested, lethargic display.
Sixteen minutes elapsed before Mayo had a first shot at the posts — by which stage Tyrone were five points up — and no forward scored from play in the opening period with Jordan Flynn registering their sole point from play.
Tyrone’s need was definitely the greater after a really poor first half in Omagh last weekend left them chasing the game against Dublin, the defeat leaving them perilously close to relegation. They at least started with energy and purpose with Peter Harte the star turn with 0-3 from play. Himself and Conor Meyler were the key transition players with Meyler also helping himself to a brace from play.
Cathal McShane was again rusty while Oisín Mullin and Lee Keegan took turns in shackling Darren McCurry, leaving Darragh Canavan’s mark as the only score from the full-forward line.
Aidan O’Shea was curiously stationed as a sweeper around the halfback line and the game too often passed him by while team-mates got turned over too often.
Missing a number of players, Mayo could ill-afford to lose any more but Fionn McDonagh limped off injured before half time.
Tyrone finished the half strongly with Harte cutting in from the right flank onto his favoured left foot to score his third just before the break. They led 0-8 to 0-3 at the interval but Mayo would have the wind in the second half.
The Donnelly brothers came on at the break and combined for Mattie to stretch the lead out to six but Mayo enjoyed their best spell then, with Ryan O’Donoghue, Jack Carney, Jordan Flynn and Matthew Ruane all scoring.
It was a tense, error-strewn final quarter but Tyrone’s need was the greater and they fell over the line for just a second win of the season.