Round-up: Electric Ireland Connacht Minor Football Championship
The Galway minor footballers.
Electric Ireland Connacht MFC
MAYO 1-12 (1-1-10) GALWAY 2-10 (2-1-8)
LEITRIM 0-11 (0-1-9) SLIGO 3-19 (3-3-13)
An injury-time goal from a Conor Hoban penalty wasn’t quite enough to prevent Mayo from becoming the high profile casualty of the round robin stage of the Electric Ireland Connacht MFC tonight, with Galway and Sligo advancing to a semi-final clash to see who will get the chance to dethrone reigning provincial champions Roscommon next month.
Leitrim were still mathematically in the hunt to reach the knockout stages as well, but they needed a Galway win and to pick up at least a five-point victory themselves at Heartland Credit Union Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada.
Éanna Giblin sent in a wonderful ball for Ryan Lang to kick the opening score for Sligo after just 80 seconds to kick off yet another freescoring night for the St. Molaise Gaels full forward.
With the breeze at their backs Leitrim dug in well and a two-pointer from Seán Keaney briefly put them 0-7 to 0-3 to the good. It could have been even more as Colm McLoughlin hit a shot inches over the crossbar when put through by a sublime Senan Kelly pass.
Jack Kelly kicked a point for Sligo to help shift the game’s momentum and the visitors struck a killer blow shortly before half-time when Pól Arnold’s deflected shot looped over Elvis Shehaj, making it 1-7 to 0-8 at the interval.
It took just 20 seconds for Lang to curl over a shot to increase the lead after half-time and Sligo didn’t take long to take care of business. Lang (twice) and Kelly hit doubles with Ryan Healy and Danny Feeney on the mark with goals to ensure that Sligo march on with the wind in their sails.
That result still wouldn’t have been enough for Sligo if Mayo had beaten Galway, but the Tribesmen, who just needed to avoid a defeat of eight points or more to be sure of progression, prevailed thanks to two Shane Heneghan goals in the third quarter.
Mayo needed to build up a lead before half-time with the breeze at their backs but mustered up a mere two point advantage, 0-8 to 0-6. Aidan Brogan was superb for the home team, getting out of the traps with a good point to cancel out a Joey Cullinane score, while Conor Hoban stirred the orange flag with a fine kick from range, but they couldn’t quite shake Galway off.
Tiernan Mitchell’s point before the break was ominous and once Shane Heneghan rattled the roof of the net with a blasted finish from close range two minutes into the second half, Galway were in trouble. Heneghan got his second goal thanks to a fingertip touch on Oisín Ó Neachtain’s long ball and while Mayo fought tigerishly into the breeze, Hoban’s penalty came too late to give them a real chance to snatch the win they needed.
