Connacht Under-20 Football Final: Roscommon 5-16 (5-2-12) Mayo 2-22 (2-1-20)
The good times keep on rolling for Roscommon as only four days after dumping Mayo out of the Connacht senior championship, their under-20 footballers overcame the Green and Red in one of the most exciting provincial finals imaginable.
Having fought from eight points down to take a 40th-minute lead, five more times Roscommon would have to come from behind before eventually undoing for Mayo in extra-time, the halfway stage of which still had Mayo a point to the good.
Substitutes Ruairi Kilcline and Kevin Hester scored three goals between them for Cian Smith’s side, who also had corner-forwards John Curran and John McGuinness find the back of Conor Meaney’s net.
At the other end, Kobe McDonald needed only three minutes to find the net for the first of Mayo’s two goals, the other arriving in the 20th minute from Tom Lydon. The pair would evenly share 2-12 from play, but Roscommon were able to spread the load that bit more.
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It looked like they were going to get the win in the final seconds of second-half stoppage time until McGuinness’ fisted attempt at a match-winner dropped short into the goalkeeper, and despite Hester’s major, it was Mayo who took a 2-19 to 4-12 lead into the second-half of extra-time.
However, a booming two-pointer from captain Eoghan Carthy was to set the tone for Roscommon, who kicked on from there, with Dean Casey reintroduced off the bench to kick two points either side of Kilcline’s second goal of an incredible game of some 59 points combined.
ROSCOMMON: P Gaynor (0-0-1’45); D O’Higgins, M Gillooly, N Berzins; K Kelly (0-0-1), E Carthy (0-2-0, 1tpf), C Grogan; N Heneghan (0-0-2, 1m), C Enright; C McKeon, D Casey (0-0-3, 1f), E Collins; J Curran (1-0-2), C O’Carroll (0-0-1f), J McGuinness (1-0-1). Subs: C Murray (0-0-1) for Grogan, D Kennedy for McKeon (both h-t), R Kilcline (2-0-0) for Casey (44), D Higgins for Enright (50), K Hester (1-0-0) for Curran (54), S Tighe for O’Carroll, L Finneran for O’Higgins (both f-t), Casey for Collins (73), Enright for Carthy (76), McKeon for McGuinness (78).
MAYO: C Meaney; J Lavelle, T Lambert, A Coggins; C Lynch (0-0-2), R Mortimer, J Moyles (0-0-2); D Staunton, J Holmes; A Quinn, K McDonald (1-1-5, 1’45), D Flynn (0-0-1); D Beirne (0-0-3), O Deane, T Lydon (1-0-6). Subs: C Walsh (0-0-1) for Holmes (44 mins), T Tuffy for Moyles (50), C Jordan for Staunton (55), M Noonan for Mortimer, D Neary for Quinn (both f-t), Y Coghill for Lavelle (67), B Holmes for Lydon (76), J Carey for Flynn (78).
Referee: T Murphy (Galway).
