Mayo advance in poor match

Mayo Advance to Senior Semi-Final

Mayo 0-06 Monaghan 0-01

In what will go down as one of the poorest ever Championship encounters
in history Mayo advanced to face Cork in the last four of the
TG4 All Ireland Senior Championship. This was a game that never
ignited into any sort of action as both sides failed to get going
and in the end it was a game played at challenge match pace. Conditions
were poor and can be used as an excuse in someway for what was
witnessed in St Loman’s.

Yet Mayo did enough against a Monaghan side that never found the
target in the opening thirty minutes. At the interval Mayo had
raised the white flag three times from Christina Heffernan and
Cora Staunton (2).

A first half that saw Monaghan pull back centre half forward Niamh
Lynch as an extra defender along with the excellent Christina
Reilly to cover Staunton. A plan that back fired at the other
end as Claire O’Hara been free as a Mayo defender cleaned all
the Monaghan attacks up with ease. The second half did not offer
much more as we still awaited the game to kick into what we came
to expect.

Monaghan did resort back to six forwards and with it it looked
more promising. Niamh kindlon opened their account with a free
after just three minutes. But that was to be it as from there
they had chances but decided not to attempt many of them at the
posts and elected to pass and with it loose posscession against
a very strong Mayo defence. To their credit the Monaghan defence
also had a fine afternoon and it shows as they kept Mayo to just
six points. Mayo’s three second half points coming from Staunton,
Sarah Tyrell and Diane O’Hora. O’Hora also taking a wonderful
save out of Martina Gray in the Monaghan goal.

Mayo advance but on this showing improvements will be needed against
the NFL champions Cork the next day. For Monaghan it was one of
those days that they will want to put behind them very quickly
and move on as Ulster football begins to slip behind in the senior
grade.

Alan Gunn (PR Committee)