Electric Ireland Connacht MFC Round One results

MAYO 2-17 ROSCOMMON 0-11

GALWAY 1-13 SLIGO 1-9

2022 All-Ireland finalists Galway and Sligo both got their 2023 Connacht Minor Football Championship campaigns out to a fast start tonight as they went on the road and came up with big wins against Sligo and Roscommon respectively.

Galway were out at a windswept Markievicz Park against Sligo where the home side got out to a bright start, with Cian Carty scoring the first of his seven points on the night to get them off the mark with just a few minutes.

Galway’s interplay and speed was in evidence throughout the game and they created several goal chances in the opening half, in many case to be denied by James Cronin, who had an outstanding evening in the Sligo goal.

Eventually Galway started to find their rhythm and five points on the spin pushed them into an 0-6 to 0-3 lead, with Jack Heneghan getting a couple of excellent scores in this spell. However they were rocked back when Aaron Lang struck an equalising goal on 20 minutes before Carty made it 1-4 to 0-6 at half-time. That lead did feel somewhat inadequate however, with Sligo to live to regret six first half wides.

As heavy rainfall fell, underfoot conditions deteriorated, leading to a scrappy second half. A Jack Heneghan crashed off the post and was hoovered up by Daniel Fitzmaurice who fired in a goal, and Galway were never headed from then on.

Charlie Cox and Seán Walsh struck excellent points as Galway extended their lead out to six points, 1-11 to 1-5, and while Carty and Michael Carroll pointed late on for Sligo, it finished 1-13 to 1-9 in favour of the Tribesmen.

Roscommon also made a bright start at Dr. Hyde Park through good points from Ruadhán Henry and John Curran, but Mayo moved through the gears in the second quarter to lead by 0-13 to 0-6 at the interval. The half-forward line of Colm Lynch, Tommy Lydon and Senan Guilfoyle registered five points from play between them, while midfielder Dara Neary chipped in with three outstanding scores from play.

Despite playing some very clever short-range foot passing in the first half, Roscommon lapsed into playing hit-and-hope deliveries into Niall Heneghan and later on, Rúairí Kilcline, hoping for something to come off their big men on the edge of the square. It didn’t work out that way as Mayo hoovered up the breaks and easily kept them at bay, never looking back after Gavin Forry rounded off a breakaway move with the first of his two goals in the 36th minute, beating the Roscommon goalkeeper with a clever low shot. 

His second goal arrived with ten minutes to play, while at the other end of the pitch, Rio Mortimer, Fionán O'Reilly and Eoin McGreal put in very strong defensive displays to give manager Seán Dean further cause for encouragement in advance of their next outing against Galway in a fortnight's time.

Next week's games sees Leitrim make their debut at home to Sligo, while Roscommon will make the short journey across their western frontier to take on All-Ireland champions Galway.