Mayo blitz has Lyons at a loss

Gaelic Games National Football League, Division One A:   Mayo 1-10 Dublin 0-3 Oh-oh. The Montrose technicians better free up extra phone lines for Dessie Cahill tonight. Dublin football, the city's favourite topic of debate, has taken a new twist. Yesterday afternoon, Dublin came to Castlebar and got wasted by a scintillating first-half show from John Maughan's young team.

Afterwards, the genial Mayoman was ultra-cautious in the way he greeted the exhibition. An afternoon of crisp splendour had almost gone too perfectly. February perfection can be illusory but his young team were worth the individual cheers the Mayo faithful showered upon them as they trotted up the tunnel afterwards.

The Pony Express had dispatched the grim details of this expedition long before the Blues made it back to the bright lights. The manner of this loss was the inverse of their working-class win against the All-Ireland champions over a week ago.

In Castlebar, the team disappeared. They scored three points. One of those was from play and it came courtesy of midfielder Darren Homan after 18 minutes. Dublin did not score again.

Ciarán Whelan was withdrawn at half-time with a stomach upset - so you can imagine how Dublin's paying fans felt. His stablemate Homan got sent off after 54 minutes. Of Dublin's four-second half wides, two were from wing back Colin Moran and two from substitutes. John McNally, a late replacement for Senan Connell, did not start the second half.

Ray Cosgrove was a ghost of the boisterous figure that lit the scene two short summers ago and he too was retired early. The decision was understandable but Dublin need Cosgrove to rediscover the confidence of 2002 and thus he needs to keep playing through this personal maelstrom.

Similarly, Tomás Quinn suffered an afternoon of hardship in his place-kicking duties. He hit the bar, hit the post, slipped. Nothing went right. Dublin looked lost. It all made the lone splendour of Paddy Christie seem more poignant. The man was born for Dublin football but about 30 years too late.

So what does it all give Tommy Lyons to muse over? Everything and nothing.

As John Maughan asked rhetorically afterwards, "What's this, February 8th? Look, it will still be no surprise if Dublin finish with more points than us. I'm pleased but let's keep it in perspective."

Still, there was a striking difference between the teams. Mayo made Gaelic football look simple and attractive here. Dublin made it appear a riddle.

The home team's full-back line set a standard of excellence early on and did not let it dip. The flying Liam O'Malley was forced off after 18 minutes - but Dermot Geraghty made a flawless replacement. Full back Gary Ruane was magnificent. James Nallen was also indomitable and Gary Mullins saw off Brian Cullen.

But it was the new boys that caught the eye of the discerning Mayo crowd. Ronan McGarritty made an elegant midfield debut alongside Brian Ruane. And Louisburgh's Austin O'Malley, currently sitting in the reserves for Sligo IT, nailed seven points and didn't seem to care which foot he used. He kicked like a natural.

And it was O'Malley's fight for possession that created the game-breaking goal. He won James Nallen's long clearance on 31 minutes and offloaded to Declan Sweeney, who burst through and fed Trevor Mortimer.

The full forward was having a poor day but though his shot was semi-blocked by Cluxton and rapped off the post, he dived and got a fist to it. Up 1-4 to 0-3, Mayo closed the half on the rampage, with two more O'Malley scores.

If there was disappointment for Mayo, it was the 20 scoreless minutes after the break. Dublin, however, could cut no mustard during that grace time. Jason Sherlock was a frustrated man, constantly showing for ball but unable to create when he did get possession. There was one notable vignette, when Quinn laboriously set the ball for a free kick as Sherlock screamed for a tapped pass. By the time his team-mate noticed, the moment had passed and Jayo could but shake his head.

It was Quinn who competed for the high ball with Ruane that earned Dublin a penalty - though it looked as if the Mayoman had been fouled.

Still, with ten minutes to go and the score still at 1-07 to 0-3, it was an important kick that might have done untold good for Quinn. He delivered it with ferocious conviction but the shot thundered off the crossbar and Mayo cleared to howls of delirium. Late on, Quinn tried a lovely, swerving shot to which young John Healy somehow got fingertips. What on other days would have been consolation for the visitors ended as another act of heroic defiance from the home team.

Tommy Lyons looked tired when he leaned against the bare walls outside the changing rooms later. "I'm not great after that," he admitted quietly. "Mayo were up for the game and we seemed to be very slow across the ground. No excuses. We didn't get going at all. I can't explain it."

He knows of course, it will be explained in painstaking detail across the inky pages and airwaves these next few days.

John Maughan, meanwhile, can prepare for a testing assignment against Cork, in a contented frame of mind. That is as much as a manager can hope for at this point of the season.

MAYO: J Healy; J Nallen, G Ruane, L O'Malley; F Costello, G Mullins, C Moran; B Ruane, R McGarritty; A O'Malley (0-7, 4 frees), BJ Padden, D Sweeney; K Malone (0-1), T Mortimer (1-0), D Munnelly (0-2, free). Subs: D Geraghty for L O'Malley (21 mins inj); A Moran for Sweeney (42 mins inj); J Keane for Malone (44 mins); R McNamara for Padden (55 mins); A Costello for Mortimer (67 mins).

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; D Henry, P Christie, P Griffin; S Ryan, D Magee, C Moran; C Whelan, D Homan (0-1); C Keaney (0-1, free), B Cullen, J McNally; T Quinn, R Cosgrove, J Sherlock. Subs: C Goggins for McNally, D Lally for Whelan (both half-time); B Kennedy for Cosgrove (45 mins); T Mulligan for Cullen (50 mins).

Referee: B Crowe (Cavan).