Connacht Under-21 Football Championship semi-final: Mayo 1-11 Galway 0-9 Connacht champions Mayo were forced to dig deep in the second half of an untidy Connacht semi-final before booking their place in the final.

Galway lead 0-8 to 0-4 at half-time, the deadball kicking of Micheál Meehan, along with good work from Paul Geraghty, Paul Lydon and John Devane keeping them well on top. However, with a stiff wind in the second half Mayo rattled off four points in 10 minutes to draw level at 0-9 each.

Galway were rattled when substitute Neil Lydon found the net in the 46th minute to put Mayo ahead for just the second time, Damien Munnelly having put them in front in the third minute.

Galway rallied and were unlucky not to draw level when Darren Mullahy drove wide after bursting through while Meehan was also denied when a Mayo defender got a boot to his attempt to find the net.

The first half was not without controversy as Munnelly was adjudged to have found the target when it appeared well wide.

Mayo upped their work rate in the second, Alan Costello having a big game with Dermot Geraghty, Richard Feeney, Paul Doherty and senior goalkeeper Fintan Ruddy, who landed a point from a free.

MAYO: F Ruddy (0-1); D Geraghty, P Navin, P Lydon; L O'Malley, M Carey, R Feeney; R McNamara (0-1), D McClean; A Moran, P Doherty (0-1), A Kilcoyne; A Costello (0-3), D Munnelly (0-5), M Conroy. Subs: N Lydon (1-0) for McClean, B Kelly for Kilcoyne, C Barrett for Conroy.

GALWAY: B O'Donoghue; G Sice, C Monaghan, A Burke (0-1); D Mullahy, F Hanley, D Burke; P Geraghty, J Boylan (0-1); D Warde (0-1), J Devane (0-1), P Moran; M Meehan (0-5, four frees, one 45); C Bane, N Coleman. Subs: B O'Callarain for Moran, B Cullinane for Boylan, S Armstrong for Warde; A Flaherty for Devane.

Referee: M Duffy (Sligo).