Mayo 1-13
Galway 0-14
Tony Duffy's Mayo minors picked up their second win in as many weeks in the Connacht minor league when they saw off the challenge of Tommy Joyce's next crop of Tribesmen. In what was a very entertaining contest which served as the undercard to the Mayo v Dublin league game, five points from the boot of Eoghan Lavin (son of the former goalkeeper Eugene ) proved vital to Mayo's victory. The Kiltimagh youngster kicked four of his five points from frees and those scores combined with a powerful display from Mayo Gaels, Adam Gallagher in the middle of the park kicked Mayo on to victory.
By the quarter of an hour mark Mayo had pushed themselves into a comfortable three point lead on a score of 0-5 to 0-2. Three points from Lavin along with scores from Gallagher and Stephen Coen were the foundations of Mayo's lead, but the Galwaymen came back strongly and had the game all tied up with ten minutes to go before the break. Garry Kelly who kicked six points over the hour for Galway led the charge for his side kicking three of Galway's opening five points. The other scores came from the boots of Jason Lyons and Sean Hughes. The final ten minutes of the half saw both sides hitting two points each to leave the score 0-7 to 0-7 at the break. Barry McHugh and Ger Gibbons got the visitors points, while Diarmuid O'Connor and Gallagher were Mayo's scorers.
It was the visitors who started the second half the brightest and points from Kelly and McHugh inside the opening four minutes of the half had their side leading 0-9 to 0-7.
But it was to be Mayo who struck the decisive score and on 35 minutes, Gallagher capped a fine performance netting a goal, which Galway goalkeeper Rory Lavelle just wasn't able to keep out. Galway responded with a point from McHugh to level the game up at 1-7 to 0-10, but Mayo kicked back almost instantly with a brace of points from Lavin one from a free and the other from play to put his side two ahead. The game kept swinging from one direction to the next and Joyce's Galway came straight back at Mayo and reeled off three points in the space of five minutes through McHugh, Kelly and Sean Hughes to give their side a one point advantage down the stretch. Mayo sub Shane Hennelly and Stephen Coen both put over points to put Mayo back into the lead but it didn't last long as a free from Kelly had the game level at 1-11 to 0-14 with five minutes left on the clock. When it came to the crunch Mayo had just enough in the tank and Sean Regan hit a very good score from out on the right, before Gallagher finished it off with a fine pointed free from distance. After a poor performance on the opening night of the league against Roscommon, Tony Duffy will have been pleased to see his side overcome Longford and Galway on successive weekends.
Mayo: M Moylette; D Roynane, S Moran, K Lynch; P Durcan, C Burke, P O'Gara; B Mullin, A Gallagher (1-3,1f ); E Lavin (0-5, 4f ), S Coen (0-2 ), D O'Connor (0-1 ); S Regan (0-1 ), R Lenoard, D Duffy. Subs: S Hennelly (0-1 ) for R Leonard (37 mins ), B Walkin for P O'Gara (49 mins ), J Quinn for D Duffy (51 mins )
Galway: R Lavelle; L Silke, J Kennedy, E Wynne; S Leidhin, C Cunningham, C Holmes; S Lawless, M Upton; J Lyons (0-2 ), B McHugh (0-3,1f ), J Heaney; S Hughes (0-2 ), G Kelly (0-6,4f ), G Gibbons (0-1 ). Subs: M Day for S Lawless (14 mins ), M McWalters for G Gibbons (46 mins ), E Stenson for M Upton (58 mins )
