Possession key as Armagh hold off late Mayo revival

GAELIC GAMES/Armagh 2-10 Mayo 1-10:TRAILING AT one stage by eight points, Mayo reeled Armagh back to a point with eight minutes remaining, but the greater physical presence of the Ulster men saw them return home with two vital points from this invigorating tie played at McHale Park.

In the end a goal separated the sides and Mayo will rue the two they conceded, particularly the first after just 30 seconds, but when the heat was turned up on Armagh in the second half they knew how to respond by holding on to the ball, an area Mayo fell down badly in as Mayo manager James Horan said afterwards.

“We carried the ball into the tackle too often and lost it, but the two goals were disappointing to give away, especially one so early.”

Playing with the help of a gale in the first half Armagh made ample use of the elements with the long ball into a two-man full-forward line and inside a minute they had their opening goal, Brian Mallon finishing from close range.

Andy Moran kicked Mayo’s opening score after just two minutes but the Mayo scores soon dried up as Steven McDonnell hit back-to-back frees. Armagh scored their second goal when wing back Paul Duffy fired a scorcher to the net on 16 minutes.

Kieran Toner and McDonnell, the latter with a magnificent effort from over 50 yards, had Armagh leading by eight points two minutes from the break but just before the half-time whistle Mayo were thrown a lifeline when Jason Doherty squeezed the ball into the net from the tightest of angles despite the attention of his former county man, Billy Joe Padden, who operated effectively in a sweeper role in the second half.

McDonnell finished the half with a tally of five points to leave Armagh 2-6 to 1-3 ahead.

Inside four minutes of the restart Mayo had clipped back two points through Jason Doherty and Aiden Campbell but McDonnell scored another cracking point to steady the Armagh ship.

With eight minutes remaining Mayo had hauled themselves to within a point. But the clinching scores came from Armagh, with substitute John Murtagh and Ciarán McKeever sealing the win.

ARMAGH: P McEvoy; A Mallon, B Donaghy, F Moriarty; K Dyas, C McKeever (0-1), P Duffy (1-0; K Toner (0-1, free), C Vernon (0-1); G Swift, BJ Padden, M Mackin; M O’Rourke, B Mallon (1-0), S McDonnell (0-6, 0-4 frees). Subs: J Lavery for Toner (half-time), J Murtagh (0-1) for O’Rourke (58 mins), R Grugan for Swift (62 mins), C Waters for Mallon (70 mins).

MAYO: K O’Malley: T Cunniffe, C Hallinan, C Barrett; P Gardiner, G Cafferkey, R O’Connor; T Parsons, J Gibbons; A Cambell (0-3, frees), A Dillon (0-2, one free), K McLoughlin; A Kilcoyne (0-1), A Moran (0-3, one free), J Doherty (1-1). Subs: R Feeney for Gardiner (half-time), R McGarrity for Kilcoyne (46 mins), E Varley for Campbell (59 mins), A O’Shea for McLoughlin (68 mins).

Referee: S Doyle (Wexford).