Mayo strolled to a facile win over feeble Derry in the Allianz National Football League at Charlestown yesterday. The visitors did little to enhance their reputation by fielding a "shadow" team.
Perhaps the attitude of the defending league champions to the current campaign truly reflects the downgrading of this once cherished competition. This was a sad day for Derry.
Weather conditions were very poor, but Mayo played some superb football which warmed the hearts of their supporters who formed almost all of the 1,800 who turned up to watch.
With brothers Noel and Ray Connelly in magnificent form in defence and David Brady towering over all at centrefield, Mayo were buzzing from the outset.
They beat Derry in almost all sectors of the field. They already had five points on the scoreboard when David Nestor first timed to the Derry net.
The game was beyond redemption for Derry when Mayo extended their lead to 1-9 to 0-0 after 30 minutes. Derry got their first score - a point from a free by Paddy Bradley - in the 33rd minute and they trailed by 1-11 to 0-2 at the interval.
Mayo could afford to ease back somewhat in the second half, but they still put together some fine end-to-end attacks and were unlucky not to have registered at least three further goals.
Mayo: F Kelly, R Connelly, K Cahill, A Higgins; F Costello, A Roche, N Connelly; C McManamon (0-1), David Brady (0-1); M McNicholas (0-3), D McDonagh (0-1), J Gill (0-2); R Loftus (0-3), T Mortimer (0-1), D Nestor (1-3). Subs: S Carolan (0-1) for T Mortimer, J Nallen (0-1) for R Loftus, R Hannick for R Connelly (inj), M Sheridan for D Nestor, M Coleman for D Brady.
Derry: O McCloskey; J Convery, K McCloy, A Heaney; E McKeever, P McFlynn, P Kelly; P O'Kane (0-1), T Conway; C Gilligan (0-2), P Murphy (0-1), D Boylan; P Bradley (0-2), R Rocks (1-1), G Conwell. Sub: F Crossan for K McCloy.
Referee: P Lyons (Kerry).
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