Monaghan progress to All-Ireland MFC semis with comprehensive win over Mayo
INTO THE SEMI: Monaghan's Tommy Mallen impressed again. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Cathal McOscar
Beaten Ulster finalists Monaghan bounced back to book a ticket to the All-Ireland minor football championship semi-final with a comprehensive win over a disappointing Mayo at Pairc Seán MacDiarmada Avant Money on Saturday.
The Connacht champions never got going and, apart from a brief spell in the first quarter, they were always playing catch-up against the impressive winners.
Mayo’s woes were compounded when James Lavelle was sent off in the 53rd minute.
Dermot Malone’s well-drilled Monaghan team led at the interval by five points and they kept their opponents at a safe distance throughout the second half with Tommy Mallen, Max McGinnity and Matthew Finn playing starring roles in their success.
Monaghan were also full value for their half-time lead of 1-9 to 1-4.
They dominated around the middle of the field and Mayo found it hard to cope with the power and pace of the Farney men’s runners as they built up a lead.
The Monaghan defence also frustrated Mayo’s highly-rated attack in that opening half with the Westerners failing to score for one 17-minute spell.
Dermot Malone’s Monaghan team went ahead early on after scores from Matthew Finn (‘45) and Seán Óg McElwain, but Mayo hit the front on nine minutes when full-forward Josh Carey broke through to score a goal from close-range.
Scores quickly followed from Darragh Beirne and Colm Lynch to push Mayo into a 1-3 to 0-3 lead on 12 minutes.
But that was as good as it got for Mayo in the opening half and they were outscored by 1-6 to 0-1 over the next 19 minutes.
Monaghan’s platform was built on midfield superiority with Max McGinnity, Conor Jones and Matthew Finn also playing major roles in the attack.
A brilliant goal from Jones after he powered through the Mayo defence got levelled the game on 13 minutes and a string of points followed as Monaghan took control all over the field.
Two frees from the aforementioned McGinnity eased the Ulster side ahead and centre-half back Tommy Mallen also got forward to clip a couple of lovely scores from play in the 26th and 27th minutes to extend the advantage.
Temporary substitute Seán O’Connell and Matthew Finn also hit the target as Monaghan’s purple patch continued and they pulled six points clear.
Mayo were struggling to make any headway in their attack but Darragh Beirne’s effort on 30 minutes finally ended their long barren spell.
But Monaghan kept the pressure on in the third quarter and they tacked on five points from their dynamic duo of Matthew Finn (2) and Max McGinnity (3, including a free and a mark) to increase their lead.
Mayo’s replies came from Tom Lydon (free) and Dara Neary as their challenge faded out.
The winner's only score in the final fifteen minutes came from their outstanding centre-half back Tom Mallen to put a gloss on the final scoreline, with Darragh Beirne’s score for Mayo in added time proving too little, too late.
Monaghan will now meet Munster champions Kerry in the last four.
M McGinnity 0-6 (3fs, 1 mark), M Finn 0-4 (1 ‘45), C Jones 1-0, S Óg McElwain, T Mallen 0-2 each, S O'Connell 0-1.
J Carey 1-0, D Beirne 0-3, C Lynch 0-2, T Lydon 0-2 (2fs), D Neary 0-1.
J Mooney; S Óg McElwain, C Greenan, C Meehan; A Stuart, T Mallen, J Lynch; M Carolan, C Murphy; D Connolly, M McGinnity, C Jones; T Quinn, M Finn, L McKenna.
S O’Connell for McGinnity (27, temp), M McGinnity for O’Connell (HT), S O’Connell for McElwain (45), E McCaffrey for Meehan (52), J Wright for Murphy (56), M Maguire for McKenna (60), C Clerkin for Stuart (61).
C Meaney; J Lavelle, E McGreal, Y Coghill; J Clarke, R Mortimer, F O’Reilly; T Egan, S Cunningham; C Lynch, T Lydon, G Forry; D Beirne, J Carey, S Guilfoyle.
T Tuffy for Guilfoyle (34), D Neary for Carey (38), S Walsh for O’Reilly (42), F Burke for Forry (46), C Ryder for Lynch (55).
E McFeely (Donegal).
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