A seven-point lead can be tenuous when a player of the calibre of Cora Staunton is in the opposing attack. Tyrone found this to their cost on Saturday at Croke Park in a fast-moving women's All-Ireland semi-final.
The match featured plenty of good football and caught the imagination of the early arrivals for the men's semi-final replay.
Staunton herself admitted that her first goal after only 40 seconds was a lucky score: her 40-yard free found its way to the net as a result of a deplorable defensive error.
The full forward was to score three goals and six points in an inspirational performance, but that early goal was Mayo's only score for 20 minutes, by which
time Tyrone took over and snatched 1-7. Tyrone were dominating in general play, and central attackers Lynette Hughes and Eilis Gormley were the most menacing to the Mayo defence; they accounted for 1-11 of the Ulster champions' total.
The northern side were adapting better to the wide open spaces of Croke Park, while Mayo had began to look like poor challengers rather than the reigning champions.
The westerners, however, regained their momentum through the combined drive of the Heffernan sisters, midfielder Marcella and right wing forward Christina, along with Diane O'Hora and Staunton, who was to prove the match winner.
Staunton was not hugely involved at the beginning of the Mayo recovery but as the revival gained pace she struck the post for the first of three times. Her pointed free in the closing stages of the first half left only a point between the sides. That first half had featured 32 frees.
Tyrone's Lisa McGirr and Gormley had points just before the break to remind Mayo that their team was not contemplating giving in.
But nine minutes after the restart Staunton took on the whole Tyrone cover on her own before planting the ball in the net to give the champions a one-point lead, 3-5 to 1-10.
Lynette Hughes sent a daisy cutter of a penalty into the right corner of the net and added a point to restore Tyrone's lead before the end of the third quarter. But O'Hora replied with a great goal.
From that point on it was a one-woman show with Staunton scoring another fine goal to cap a superb performance.
Mayo: D Horan; A Bohan, H Lohan, N Lally; R Barrett, N O'Shea, Y Byrne; M Heffernan, M Staunton; C Heffernan (0-1), M O'Malley (0-1), C Egan (0-1); D O'Hora (2-1), C Staunton (3-6, 1-3 frees), S Baily. Subs: D McDonagh for O'Malley (40 mins); M Corcoran for Baily (45 mins).
Tyrone: H Boyle; M Doyle, M Kelly, A McCloskey; C McGarvey, S McGarvey, L Donnelly; C Fox, L McGirr; C Strain, L Hughes (1-2 goal from pen), S McGirr (1-1); C Kelly, E Gormley (0-9, 0-7 frees), M Doherty. Subs: D Hughes for M Doherty (50 mins); K Murphy for Strain (50 mins); T Donnelly for McGarvey (59 mins); N McGarvey for McGirr (59 mins).
Referee: J Hayes (Clare).
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