Category: Sport

This Week….
Achill Vs Kilmeena

This was a challenge game which was held just before the Mayo and Dublin game at Davitt Park, Polranny. The crowd had just watched the Mchale College, Achill team defeat St Brendans, Belmullet in the Mayo Vocational Schools U-16 A Football Championship Final. Congratulations Lads! So the crowd was gathering for the big one which was the County game to be played later in the evening. The Kilmeena team arrived on to the pitch first, followed by the Achill Junior team who had just given the Mchale College team a guard of honour coming off the field.

So after all the the team photos were taken, it was down to business. Achill declared their intentions early on with a number of good scores, although the game lacked any real edge in the first half showing it was just typical Challenge match. The Achill team played a lot of their players out of position to see how they would cope for future knowledge. Players were changing positions at regular intervals. At half time Achill were edging the lead by about 2 points.

It was well known also that Kilmeena were fielding a second team. With an important match in the league the following day, a lot of Kilmeena’s players stayed at home. In the second half, Achill began to take advantage of Kilmeena’s second team and Achill’s fitness also showed. The Achill forward line ran Kilmeena ragged at stages and showed it on the score board with a number of points and goals. The game finished with Achill on top and we ended up winning by at least 6 points. But at the end of the day it was all about the depth of the Achill squad and with a number of key first team players missing, Achill still had the quality to play an outstanding match on such an occasion.

This Week….
Due to Overwhelming Pressure from some concerned Ruddy Report Readers I have decided to change my Report somewhat from National News to Local News I feel that it is a good Idea! If you want National News please visit a National Website Thank you!

My first Local Report will be on Currane’s exploits in the Martin Gallagher Cup which was held St Paddy’s and Easter Weekend! Currane had already shared the spoils with Dookinella on the 18th March and forfeited their game against Dooagh due to an Achill GAA game on the same day!

So Currane had now to defeat Dugort/Dooniver/Valley(The Slippy’s) in order to Qualify for the Semi Finals. Currane Lined out a strong side with Micheal Cattigan in goals, Sean Dever, Donnchadh O Malley, Liam Cawley and Cathal Nolan in Defence. Barry Dever, Frankie Sweeney, Declan O’Malley and John Ruddy in Midfield. And John Joe McNamara and Brian Joyce in the Forwards.

Currane began well and got into the game early on with a lot of possession. John Joe McNamara pulled a muscle and was unable to continue which meant the introduction of Kieran O Malley to the fold. The break through came when Frankie Sweeney latched on to a superb through ball a finished superbly to put Currane in the lead.

The Slippy’s began to panic and started to make changes around the field. However Dooniver/Dugort and The Valley eventually got the equaliser througha controversial offside. Currane finished the Second half strongly with Barry Dever and Brian Joyce creating chances.

The second half saw the team being shuffled about Liam Cawley was unable to continue due to injury which meant Brian Joyce switching to Defence. Currane began the Second half as they did the first but began to fade away. A bit of battle began in Midfield with herendous tackles being commited by the Slippy’s. Brian Joyce, Declan O’Malley and John Ruddy to name a few fell victim to the Slippy’s dirty tackles.

The Slippys got a corner mid way through the second half, the corner was whipped in a met by an advancing D/D/V Player. D/D/V 2- 1 Currane.
Currane piled on the pressure with numerous corners and free kicks in the remaining minutes. Kieran O’Malley was unlucky not score from a header, and John Ruddy just let the ball go too far ahead of him after turning on the corner of the box. However it wasn’t to be Currane’s day and that equaliser never came.

However the Currane Players were very upbeat after the match and have staked their intentions to do a lot better next year. The players have the experience now of playing alongside each other something which was lacking in the earlier games.

This Week….
Allianz NFL DIV 1A Galway 1-13 Offaly 0-15; Dublin 0-16 Roscommon 2-12;
Tyrone 2-15 Westmeath 2-8; Donegal 1-12 Cork 0-9;

Allianz NFL DIV 1B Mayo 0-16 Derry 2-8; Fermanagh 2-9 Sligo 0-11; Down 1-10
Kildare 1-17;

Allianz NFL DIV 2A Leitrim 1-16 London 0-8; Antrim 0-13 Wicklow 1-8; Kerry
2-10 Armagh 2-9;

Allianz NFL DIV 2B Longford 1-11 Tipperary 1-12; Carlow 0-12 Waterford 0-11;
Wexford 1-9 Meath 2-7; Monaghan 1-11 Laois 2-16.

Allianz NHL DIV 1A Meath 0-9 Dublin 1-15; Clare 1-12 Kilkenny 3-14;
Waterford 1-16 Galway 0-16;

Allianz NHL DIV 1B Limerick 2-16 Wexford 1-12; Cork 4-17 Offaly 1-10;
Tipperary 5-23 Derry 0-3;

Allianz NHL DIV 2A Roscommon 2-9 Kildare 0-17;

Allianz NHL DIV 2B Laois 0-22 London 1-9; Wicklow 1-8 Kerry 1-13.

ALLIANZ NFL REPORTS

Division 1A

Dublin 0-16 Roscommon 2-12

After a white-knuckle ride at Parnell Park, Tommy Lyons charges came out on
the wrong side of a two point deficit when they deserved, and felt they had
secured, at least a draw. However, just after Darren Magee sent over a long
range equaliser for gutsy Dublin, with the game moving to injury time,
Stephen Lohan capitalised on a flowing attack and goalmouth scramble to punt
to the net and snatch the points for the visitors. There was yet more late
drama when Dublin’s Shane Keogh, lucky to be on the field after a wild lunge
at Fergal O’Donnell, pulled a great save out of Derek Thompson after scoring
a point in the previous play. However, Roscommon held out and are now on the
verge of the semi-finals for the second successive year. That Dublin pushed
their opponents so close deserves great credit. They lead 0-3 to 0-2 early
in the first half, but could then only watch as Roscommon reeled off an
unanswered 0-7, with great scores from Jonathan Dunning, Lohan and Nigel
Dineen. The Dubs closed the gap to five before the break, and then a string
of six points upon the resumption, 0-2 from Alan Brogan and 0-3 from Ray
Cosgrove, tied the scores. Just when it looked like the Dubs were about to
get on top, though, Dunning got in for a goal against the run of play to put
three between them. Brave Dublin weren’t cowed and chipped away at Roscommon
until the scores were level once again, but the last say went to the
impressive Stephen Lohan and Roscommon take the points.

Galway 1-13 Offaly 0-15

Relegation-haunted Offaly showed their battling qualities once again against
Galway, but it didn’t prevent a one-point defeat and they edge nearer to the
trap door. For Galway, the win assures top flight status but results
elsewhere mean they cannot make the playoffs. At one stage in the first half
it was 0-6 to 0-2 to the Sam Maguire holders, but a typical Offaly rally
culminated in a Ciaran McManus equaliser before Alan McNamee shot over for
the lead with half time approaching. However, Padraig Joyce nipped in for a
goal to add to his earlier free to leave it 1-7 to 0-7 at the turn. Spirited
Offaly kept it close in the second half, but two missed goal chances, by
Donie Ryan and Karl Slattery, suggested it wouldn’t be their day. Colm Quinn
dropped a late long range free well short also.

Donegal 1-12 Offaly 0-9

Donegal are now in the playoff reckoning after accounting for Cork at
Ballyshannon, running out six-point winners. Ahead 1-5 to 0-6 at the break,
the home side maintained a gap of three to four points for most of the game
and were seldom troubled. A goal from U-21 star Kevin Rafferty five minutes
before the break, followed quickly by points from Kevin Cassidy and Christy
Toye, set Donegal on their way. Cork shot eight wides after the break, and
were having major problems at the other end as well where Adrian Sweeney and
Brendan Devenney were prominent. Both finished with 0-3 to their credit,
whereas only Fionan Murray, who scored 0-5 for Cork, was on form for the
rebels. The last scores of the afternoon came from Michael Hegarty before
Sweeney capped a fine display with a pointed free.

Tyrone 2-15 Westmeath 2-8

Rampant Tyrone left Westmeath facing the prospect of a hasty return to
Division 2 after an easy win at Pomeroy. A last quarter Westmeath rally left
the scoreboard looking slightly better from their perspective, but the
half-time score of 1-8 to 0-0 tells the real story. There was more of the
same after the break, including vintage scores from Peter Canavan (0-6
scored in total) and a great goal from Kevin Hughes after a slick move
involving Canavan himself. Alan Mangan slipped in for a goal five minutes
later, and it did launch a comeback of sorts from the visitors. JP Casey and
Rory O’Connell added points, before a Martin Flanagan goal and more points
from Casey and David O’Shaughnessy lent respectability to the scoreline.
However, Tyrone had made numerous substitutions at that stage.

Division 1B

Mayo 0-16 Derry 2-8

It was a case of close, but not close enough for Derry after their two point
loss away to table-topping Mayo. The Oak Leafers are now all but relegated
after taking just a single point from their games to date, and although they
competed well in this game, can have no complaints about the outcome. Mayo
were well in control and were maintaining a four point cushion when Gary
Coleman set up Dermot Dougan for a pile-driver goal after the break. This
left just a point in it but Mayo showed their champions mettle to open the
gap once again. Then, a bizarre second Derry goal, after a throw-up and
goalmouth scramble, put the issue back in the melting pot once again.
However Mayo pulled clear as before and deserved the win. Anthony Tohill
returned for the Ulster men, while Conor Mortimer was once again an
impressive performer for Mayo.

Fermanagh 2-9 Sligo 0-11

Sligo slipped up in their playoff bid when going down to a
Gallagher-inspired Fermanagh, and opened the door for Cavan in the process.
A tense meeting between the Breffnimen and Sligo was set up by a brilliant
Fermanagh display in the first half, rounded off when Raymond Gallagher set
up cousin Rory for a goal. Dessie Sloyane pointed twice in reply before Colm
Bradley, Ray Johnston and Ray Gallagher sent the home side in leading 1-6 to
0-5 at the break. Early in the second half, Johnston goaled again after an
unselfish setup from Rory Gallagher before Sligo, now without the injured
Sloyane, battled back to close the gap to three points. However, it was Tom
Brewster and Rory Gallagher who completed the scoring to leave Fermanagh
themselves in with an outside chance of the playoffs.

Down 1-10 Kildare 1-17

Slick Kildare will wish they had played like this in some of their other
games this year after a fine performance eased them to a seven-point win
over Down. The first half was where the ground work was laid for victory.
After the Mournemen’s Brian Burns went off injured, Mickos lads took over at
midfield and when a Martin Lynch goal shot rebounded to John Doyle to set up
a goal, the game swung decisively in Kildare’s way. Tadhg Fennin, Lynch and
Karl O’Dwyer tacked on a quick 0-5 to leave it 1-9 to 0-4 at the interval.
An improved Down amassed 1-6 in the second half, with Aidan O’Prey goaling
10 minutes from time to reduce the gap to six points. However, it wasn’t
enough against a Kildare side that were highly impressive on the day, with
Tadhg Fennin finishing with 0-6 to his credit.

Division 2A

Kerry 2-10 Armagh 2-9

Kerry can now look forward to the playoffs after this win over unbeaten
Armagh, with the Kingdom capitalising on Limerick’s slip against Louth to
sneak home by a point. Armagh made a whirlwind start, though, when Steven
McDonnell sent Patrick McKeever in for a tap-in goal. McDonnell then goaled
himself from distance before Kerry steadied with a Noel Kennelly point. They
were still some way behind approaching the break, but then two goals inside
a minute, from Kennelly and Eoin Brosnan after a 50 yard dribble, left them
leading by two. It was nip and tuck thereafter but the dismissal of Armagh’s
Eoin McNulty swung things Kerry’s way and Dara O’Cinneide and Kennelly then
pointed for some breathing space. Armagh piled on the pressure but a
Diarmaid Marsden free was all they could muster.

ALLIANZ NHL REPORTS

Division 1A

Waterford 1-16 Galway 0-16

Shock of the day in the NHL came from the Desies, who beat Galway having
lost to lowly Dublin in their previous game. At the break, Waterford were
miles in front, leading 1-11 to 0-4 with little resembling a challenge
coming from the westerners. Paul Flynn scored the goal, adding to a 0-3 haul
from the impressive Ken McGrath, and the home side could even afford the
luxury of 8 scoreable wides also. Faced with the huge gap, however, Galway
refused to wilt in the second half and came roaring back. The points began
to flow over, and then with eight minutes to go Declan O’Brien’s score
reduced the arrears to just three points. Then Dave Bennett and Joe Rabbitte
swapped scores, but despite some heavy Galway pressure the home side held
out in a game they should long have had wrapped up.

Division 1B

Limerick 2-16 Wexford 1-12

Limerick and Wexford served up a rip-roaring encounter at the Gaelic Grounds
on Sunday afternoon, but it was the home side who emerged victorious at the
finish after a championship-like encounter. Limerick lead 1-8 to 0-4 at the
break, with all of their scores coming from open play. However, a
rejuvenated Wexford battled back upon the restart and a flurry of points
from Mitch Jordan, Eddie Doyle, Adrian Fenlon and Larry O’Gorman soon closed
the arrears to just a goal. Then O’Gorman replied to a further Limerick
point by blasting to the net, and from there on there was little between the
sides. However, with minutes remaining, Paul O’Grady sent over two points
for the home side, before a goal at the death from Conor Fitzgerald put real
daylight between the protagonists and sealed the win.

Cork 4-17 Offaly 1-10

Eamon Collins was the star in Cork’s cruise to a fourth successive NHL win
at home to Offaly. The 20-year-old poached 3-1, his first two goals coming
in the 17th and 24th minutes of the first half, helping the home side to a
2-9 to 0-7 interval lead. Veteran Johnny Dooley notched 0-5 of the Offaly
total, 0-3 from play. Poor shooting was stopping Cork from extending their
lead further, but when Collins collected a pass from Ben O’Connor to rifle
to the net for his third after 13 minutes of the second half, the game was
as good as over. He added a point soon after, before Rory Hanniffy added a
consolation goal for the Faithful. Last say went to dual star, Diarmaid
O’Sullivan, however, who shot a late penalty on the day Sean Og O’hAilpin
made a long awaited appearance on his home ground.

This Week….
Mondays Football Results
ALLIANZ NFL DIV 1A Cork 1-11 Offaly 2-11 Roscommon 0-16 Westmeath 0-12

Cork 1-11 Offaly 2-11
Offaly finally got their first win of their NFL campaign after a surprise defeat of Cork at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Monday. However, Offaly didn’t lead
until five minutes into the second half when Pascal Kelleghan pointed. Cork started strongly with Brendan Ger O&Mac226;Sullivan firing home a goal in the third minute, putting them ahead 1-1 to 0-1. Offaly responded with two points, but scores from Clifford, Colin Crowley, Fionan Murray and defender Paudie Kissane pushed Cork further in front and by the break they led 1-5 to 0-6.
The second half saw Offaly surge forward on a scoring spree and when Alan McNamee got a second goal in the final quarter it ended the game as a contest. Cork were relying on frees to stay in touch and couldn’t break the Offaly defence down to get the goal they needed to turn the game in their favour.
The match was not without its controversies. Both sides ended the game with 14 players. Twelve minutes from the end, Offaly midfielder James Grennan got a second yellow card, while Philip Clifford, who reacted aggressively to Grennan’s second offence, was given a straight red card for retaliation.

Roscommon 0-16 Westmeath 0-12
Roscommon completed a valuable weekend double by adding a victory over Westmeath on Monday to their draw with Galway two days earlier. The three points gathered this weekend moves Roscommon to second in the Division 1A table, and puts their inclusion in the semi-finals of the league well within their grasp.
However, Roscommon were made to earn their win and in the first half only edged ahead late on with points from Stephen Lohan, Paul Noone and Nigel Dineen. Only two points separated the sides, 0-8 to 0-6.
It was the accuracy of Dineen and Lohan that ensured the team ran out winners as Westmeath’s attacking form receded – though Vinny Gavin and David O’Shaughnessy did register some points before the full-time whistle. Westmeath are now bottom of the table, facing a relegation battle.

Mondays Hurling Results
ALLIANZ NHL DIV 1A Galway 1-17 Clare 1-16 Dublin 1-19 Waterford 1-14 Kilkenny 2-22 Meath 0-9

ALLIANZ NHL DIV 1B Wexford 3-13 Tipperary 1-10 Offaly 2-10 Limerick 1-18

ALLIANZ NHL DIV 2A Westmeath 1-14 Roscommon 1-10

ALLIANZ NHL DIV 2B Kerry 0-13 Laois 0-14

Galway 1-17 Clare 1-16
Galway held on to a slim one-point advantage for the last minutes of their NHL Div 1A clash with Clare at Ballinasloe on Monday. The home side looked to be on their way to defeat when Ollie Fahy struck for a goal with just two minutes of normal time remaining.
That score gave Galway a 1-17 to 1-16 lead and with the clock ticking Clare pushed forward for an equaliser. Their best chance came with the last puck of the game, when some staunch defending from the Galway full back line resulted in a 65. Seanie McMahon took the free shot, but the sliothar sailed just wide of the upright. Galway had started the game the stronger and it was only a Tony Carmody goal in the 16th minute that gave Clare the boost they needed and a 1-2 to 0-3 lead.
From then on Galway were chasing the Banner, but a string of scores from Eugene Cloonan (3 frees), Fahy and Richie Murray helped them back into the game after points from Ollie Baker, Jamesie O’Connor and David Forde stretched Clare’s lead. At the break, the sides were level 0-9 to 1-6. Galway re-took the lead in the second half with points from Cloonan (3), David Tierney and Rory Gantley and by the 48th minute had a 0-14 to 1-8 advantage.
Clare came back with points from O’Connor, Carmody (2) and Niall Gilligan, and with two minutes left had built a two-point lead. But Fahy’s goal snatched victory for the Tribesmen, who move to second in the Division 1A table, below Clare with a smaller scoring average.

Wexford 3-13 Tipperary 1-10
Defending NHL champions Tipperary fell to Wexford after an inspired performance from the home side at Wexford Park. The Model County’s 3-13 to 1-10 victory was thoroughly deserved, with Larry O’Gorman leading by example in the unfamiliar role of full forward. He scored 1-4 in all as his marker Phil Maher struggled.
O’Gorman and David O’Brien helped Wexford into an early 0-2 to no score lead, before Eoin Kelly pointed a free to open Tipperary’s account in the fifth minute. Wexford’s first goal came when O’Brien’s sideline cut deceived Tipp ‘keeper Darragh Rabbitte and went into the corner of the net. On 18 minutes, O’Gorman scored Wexford’s second goal and the home side led 2-3 to 0-1. At the break, they led 2-7 to 0-4, with Tipp having already hit 14 wides.
David O’Connor, Daragh Ryan and newcomer Malachy Travers comprised Wexford’s inspired full back line as Tipperary’s efforts to find the net and close the gap were frustrated again and again. They did find it though, in the 45th minute, through John O’Brien, but Wexford finished strongly with Mitch Jordan accounting for the third goal in injury time.

Dublin 1-19 Waterford 1-14
Dublin surprised the pundits by disposing of Waterford with an impressive display at Parnell Park on Monday. Their five-point victory was their first win of the campaign after they were beaten by the same margin by Clare last time out.
Kevin Fennelly’s boys accomplished the result with style. In the 29th minute, Kevin Ryan diverted Paul Flynn’s penalty onto the post and away, lifting the home side. Shane Ryan was in top form, scoring three points from play in the opening half while David Curtin and Conal Keaney scored two more points each to leave Dublin 0-7 to 0-5 in front at the break. Waterford struggled to find the target, hitting 10 wides in the first half and adding seven more by the final whistle.
In the meantime, Dublin took their chances with Shane Martin scoring five more points from play. Ger Ennis killed off Waterford’s chances with 1-1 in a two-minute period in the second half. Waterford’s Ken McGrath registered a personal tally of 1-5, with the goal only coming in full-time.

Saturday Hurling Results
ALLIANZ NHL Div 1B Derry 1-12 Cork 1-24

ALLIANZ NHL Div 2A Kildare 1-15 Down 2-13

ALLIANZ NHL Div 2B London 2-3 Carlow 3-11

ALLIANZ NHL Div 3 Armagh 2-10 Sligo 2-4 Longford 1-12 Donegal 0-10 Louth 3-14 Fermanagh 0-8

ALLIANZ NHL Div 4 Mayo 1-16 Leitrim 0-3 Cavan 1-7 Monaghan 2-10

As expected, Cork accounted for Derry with relative ease in Saturday’s Allianz NHL clash against the Oakleafers in Swatragh. Their 1-24 to 1-12 victory, however, is slightly flattering as the home side were still in touch of the Munster giants until Joe Deane took advantage of a rare error from his marker, Emmett McKeever, to rifle a shot into the net in the 47th minute.
That score gave Cork a 1-16 to 1-9 lead and proved to be enough to beat off Derry’s challenge, despite the arrival of Geoffrey McGonigle. Derry had offered a stern test until then, with Dermot Doherty’s 34th minute goal and Ollie Collins’ five points ensuring they were just three points behind the Munster side at half time, 1-7 to 0-13. The victory strengthens Cork’s position at the top of the Div 1B table.

Saturday Football Results
ALLIANZ NFL Div 1A Roscommon 3-11 Galway 3-11

LEINSTER U21 FC Dublin 0-13 Longford 0-6 Meath 0-6 Kildare 0-12 Westmeath 1-5 Wicklow 1-8

MUNSTER MFC Tipperary 0-13 Cork 0-13 Waterford 1-6 Clare 0-9 Kerry 2-13 Limerick 1-14

Roscommon came from behind in the dying minutes of their Allianz NFL match with Galway to earn a share of the spoils, but it could easily have been a victory. The Connacht champions provided the All-Ireland champions with their sternest test since the provincial final last year and it wasn’t until midway through the second half have the Tribesmen managed to build any real lead.
Sean Hanley rattled the Galway net in the first half to thrust Roscommon into a 1-5 to 0-5 lead, but a goal soon afterwards from Derek Savage levelled the sides at the break. Not long after the restart, Jonathan Dunning scored a second goal to give the home side a five-point lead, only to see Savage once again respond within a few minutes to close the gap to two points, 2-9 to 2-7.
Padraig Joyce arrived as a sub to help Galway into a 2-10 to 2-9 lead within 10 minutes of the final whistle, while his goal thrust them into a four-point lead. But Dunning found the Galway net once more and at the game’s death Gary Cox scored an equalising point.

This Week….

Limerick defeated Tipperary and Galway had a good win over Kilkenny in the Allianz National Hurling League while, in football, Cork and Tyrone had good victories.

NHL Division 1B:
Tipperary 1-12 Limerick 2-13
Tipperary’s long unbeaten record is gone as Limerick took a well deserved 2-13 to 1-12 victory over the All-Ireland and League Champions at Semple Stadium in Thurles. Limerick were sharper in every area of the field and deservedly drew first blood when Mark Keane scored the opening goal after 25 minutes to give the Shannonsiders a 1-6 to 0-6 lead. The goal woke Tipperary up and Owen O’Kelly scored two quick points to narrow the gap to one point before Tipperary scoredtheir opening goal. It was a catastrophe for Limerick as a mix-up between Joe Quaid and his defenders allowed Eugene O’Neill in to exert maximum punishment. Another couple of points before half-time meant that Tipp went into the break leading 1-10 to 1-6. Playing with a strong wind in the second half, Limerick constantly tried their luck from long range, and more often than not, this resulted in no scores. Keane grabbed another couple of points to level the match at1-10 apiece in the 48th minute. The game became scrappy as both sides fought doggedly for control of the match before Keane got his second goal of the match after 62 minutes. Both sides continued to attack each other and in the dying minutes, two points from Keane and another score from Stephen Lucey gave Eamonn Cregan’s men the victory.

NHL Division 1A:
Galway 0-15 Kilkenny 0-9
Galway beat Kilkenny 0-15 to 0-9 in Ballinasloe thanks to a gritty second-half performance. The Tribesmen played with a strong wind at their back in the first half, yet could only manage a 0-6 to 0-5 lead at the break. It was expected, Kilkenny would control the second half, but the Cats were never on their game. They only scored two points from open play during the match, a hugely disappointing statistic for Brian Cody. John Hoyne was sent-off early in the second half and from that moment onwards the result was never in doubt.

NFL Division 1A:
Cork 1-13 Dublin 0-10 A superb performance by Cork saw them beat Dublin by 1-13 to 0-10 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Larry Tompkins men made light work of the difficult windy conditions with Phillip Clifford (with four points) and Diarmuid O’Sullivan in outstanding form. The Rebels were 0-8 to 0-4 ahead at half-time with Clifford and O’Sullivan always threatening. Ciaran Whelan bagged a couple of points for Dublin, to keep the gap small, but in the second a half, two early points by Clifford put the Rebels out of reach. The goal came after 63 minutes when a high ball into the square was caught by Diarmuid O’Sullivan. He quickly passed it to Brendan Ger O’Sullivan to hammer into the roof of the net.

Offaly 1-4 Tyrone 1-11
Tyrone ran out 1-11 to 1-4 winners over Offaly in Tullamore on Sunday. The Ulster champions were the better side throughout, with Peter Canavan in outstanding form. The game was evenly balanced in the first half. Vinny Claffey scored a goal for Offaly but four points from Canavan, two from frees, meant that at half-time the score was 0-8 to 1-2 in Tyrone’s favour. Almost straight after the restart, Tyrone were awarded a penalty, but Canavan missed. Minutes later, Claffey was sent-off for kicking an opponent on the ground, before Canavan eventually got a goal to secure the result.

Division 1B:
Sligo 3-7 Clare 1-9
A superb second performance by Sligo helped them to a3-7 to 1-9 victory over Clare on Sunday afternoon. At half-time the scores were level: 0-7 to 1-4. Clare were the better side, and in the 35 minutes were never behind. Paul O’Hehir scored the Clare goal, but Sligo never gave up and by half-time it was all-square. However, the second half was completely different. Playing with a strong wind at their backs, Sligo took control, Dessie Sloyan scoring two goals during the second half to wrap up a convincing victory.

Derry 0-9 Fermanagh 0-9
The wind was the only victor at Celtic Park as Derry and Fermanagh played out a draw. In the first half, Derry were dominant as they played with the wind at their back. After the opening exchanges when Fermanagh twice drew level, Derry notched up seven scores in quick succession to lead 0-9 to 0-2 at half-time. However, the second half was completely different, as Fermanagh took control. Anthony Tohill made a substitutes appearance for Derry, but he was unable to get a grip on the game as Rory Gallagher hit three points while Tom Brewster scored two points to level the scores.

Sunday’s results in full
NFL Division 1A
Cork 1-13 Dublin 0-10
Roscommon P-P Galway
Offaly 1-4 Tyrone 1-11
Westmeath 0-7 Donegal 1-6

Division 1B
Kildare 0-7 Mayo 4-5
Sligo 3-7 Clare 1-9
Cavan 0-14 Down 1-8
Derry 0-9 Fermanagh 0-9

Division 2A
Armagh 2-16 Limerick 2-5
London 0-4 Kerry 4-13
Louth 1-9 Antrim 1-10
Wicklow 0-9 Leitrim 2-5

Division 2B
Tipperary 0-3 Wexford 3-10
Meath 2-14 Carlow 0-6
Laois 1-14 Longford 1-11
Waterford 0-8 Monaghan 0-8

NHL Division 1A
Clare 0-18 Dublin 2-5
Galway 0-15 Kilkenny 0-9

Division 1B
Tipperary 1-12 Limerick 2-13

Division 2A
Down 2-18 Westmeath 1-7

Division 2B Carlow 2-11 Kerry 2-8

This Week….
AIB Club Championship Semi Final
Colin Corkery fired Nemo Rangers into the final of the AIB Club football championship. The Corkmen defeated Charlestown of Mayo by nine points to seven in a poor match at Nenagh on Saturday afternoon. An early burst of scoring by the Mayomen saw them race into a three points to nil lead. Sean Higgins and Mark Caffrey were on target for Charlestown in the opening two minutes, but Corkery was accurate in the early stages for the Cork side, both from the ground and in open play. Midway through the first half, the game fell into a trough of missed opportunities and bookings. David Tiernan was the first into the referee’s notebook for a high tackle. He was quickly followed by Niall Geary of Nemo, but Sean Higgins was wide with the resulting free. Paul Mulligan (Charlestown) and Maurice McCarthy (Nemo) were also cautioned by the referee during a scrappy first half, the latter for an off-the-ball shoulder charge on a Mayo player. Charlestown were guilty of wasting several good scoring opportunities, with Richard Haran and Padraig Horkan shooting wide from very scoreable positions. However, they did go in at half time with a two-point lead, thanks to a Paul Mulligan brace on 27 and 28 minutes. Corkery reduced the deficit to just one point minutes into the second half with another free and both sides exchanged points before Nemo finally got back on level terms. It came from their number 14 Corkery again. Enda Casey received a yellow card, while JP O’Neill shot against the Charlestown keeper’s legs when through on goal. O’Neill was wide minutes later, but Corkery hauled his side into the lead for the first time with a point on 49 minutes. Mulligan restored parity on 51 minutes, but Charlestown were dealt a blow when full-back Enda Casey was dismissed one minute later for persistent fouling. Nemo Rangers took advantage of their numerical supremacy to score two more points, both from Corkery, to progress to the final.

National Football League Results and Round up
Division 1A Dublin 3-13 Westmeath 1-16 Galway 1-8 Cork 1-11 Roscommon 1-15 Offaly 2-11 Donegal 1-10 Tyrone 0-11 res
Division 1B Mayo 2-14 Cavan 2-12 Fermanagh 1-13 Kildare 1-9 Derry 1-10 Sligo 0-14 2.00: Down 2-11 Clare 0-9
Division 2A Antrim 1-11 Armagh 3-12 Leitrim 0-13 Louth 1-10 Wicklow 2-21 London 1-1 Limerick 2-12 Kerry 0-16
Division 2B Longford 1-12 Monaghan 0-11 Meath 3-11 Waterford 0-6 Carlow 0-12 Tipperary 1-11 Wexford 2-19 Laois 2-12
Walsh Cup SH Wexford 1-13 Kilkenny 1-12
Kehoe Cup SH Westmeath 0-8 Wicklow 1-13
Hastings Cup U-21 football final (played Sat) Kildare 1-16 Fermanagh 3-7 (aet)

Allianz NFL Division 1A
Donegal 1-10 Tyrone 0-11
High flying Tyrone were brought down to earth with a bump in this derby match, going down by two points to unfancied Donegal. In what was a close-fought encounter all the way through, Tyrone had 0-3 on the board inside 15 minutes, two from Stephen O’Neill and one from Jarlath Quinn. Donegal had replied with 0-3 of their own though, Brendan Devenney levelling the scores with his first of the game. Daylight was put between the sides when minor star, Christy Toye sent to the net and the home side lead 1-5 to 0-5 at the break. In the second half, Ryan McMenamin completed a Tyrone comeback to leave it 0-8 to 1-5, but Adrian Sweeney and Devenney replied before the visitors battled back once again. But the last say went to Colm McFadden for Donegal to seal a great win by two points.
Dublin 3-13 Westmeath 1-16
Dublin’s revival under Tommy Lyons continued with a solid three-point win over Westmeath. Playing their now trademark direct football, Dublin had three goals by the interval, two from Shane Ryan and a penalty from John McNally. Westmeath were struggling to stem the waves of attacks but kept in touch with some solid place kicking from JP Casey and Joe Fallon. It was 3-5 to 0-10 at the break. After the interval, Westmeath upped the ante with a goal from Paul Conway, and kept chipping away until the scores were level. However, Dublin finally got to grips with their opponents and a string of scores, including efforts from McNally and Senan Connell, put them back in control. Unlucky Westmeath then spurned two good goalscoring chances, JP Casey and David O’Shaughnessy being the guilty parties.
Galway 1-8 Cork 1-11
Cork caused a minor shock by putting their bad league start behind them to beat Galway on their home patch by three points. The Rebels were under the cosh in the first half and were lucky to still be in touch at the break after missing some good chances. Two from Philip Clifford and two from play from Brendan Ger O’Sullivan were the highlights. However it was all change after the break as the Galway midfield faded from the exchanges and the Cork full back line excelled. Matt Clancy goaled after 11 minutes but then a rapid-fire burst of 1-2 from the previously quiet Diarmaid O’Sullivan got Cork level. BG O’Sullivan then put Cork ahead by 1-8 to 1-7 and they tacked on three more against a converted free from sub Michael Donnellan. A deserved win for Cork and a halt to the Galway gallop.
Roscommon 1-15 Offaly 2-11
Yet another thrilling advert for the new-look Allianz NFL saw Roscommon snatch a brace of league points from Offaly after a rollercoaster encounter. The sides combined to notch 2-5 in a frenetic last ten minutes, with the winner eventually coming five minutes into time added on from Nigel Dineen. It was hard luck on Offaly who would have been full value for a draw if not a win after playing the better football for most of the match. Alan McNamee got their first goal on nine minutes and when Donie Ryan grabbed a second for a five point lead, Offaly looked to be cruising. However, a goal from John Hanly and two more Roscommon points set up the thrilling finish, where Dineen had the final say to send a Hyde Park crowd into raptures after another last-gasp win.

Allianz NFL Division 1B
Mayo 2-14 Cavan 2-12
Mayo hopes for two in a row league titles are on track after another narrow win, this time over Cavan at home. Larry Reilly had the visitors 1-1 up inside the first minute, but dithering in the Breffni defence allowed Conor Mortimer to send to the net minutes later. Noel Connelly came up for a point to level the scores but then Cavan poacher Jason Reilly goaled to leave it 2-2 to 1-2. The Breffnimen continued to play well but missed some good chances and lead by just 2-5 to 1-5 at the break. Then, Mayo began like a train on the restart and were soon four ahead after a fisted goal from Stephen Carolan. That proved to be the decisive score, although Cavan closed the gap to just a point nearing the finish through Larry and Peter Reilly, before Mortimer grabbed a late point from a free.
Fermanagh 1-13 Kildare 1-9
Just as Kildare looked to be building up a head of steam in the league, the wheels have come off after a four-point loss to unfancied Fermanagh. Kildare had quickly found themselves 1-2 down in their previous game with Cavan and the same happened in this match when Raymond Gallagher goaled, while Colm Bradley and cousin Rory added points. Tadhg Fennin then missed a good goal chance before David Jordan finally netted for Kildare, only for Fermanagh to put their shoulder to the wheel once again with points from Karl Donnelly and Rory Gallagher to leave it 1-8 to 1-4. Leonard Dolan and Killian Brennan closed the gap for Kildare once more but a combined 0-3 scoring effort from the Gallagher duo yet again restored the Fermanagh advantage and they didn’t relinquish it thereafter.
Derry 1-10 Sligo 0-14
Derry’s miserable start to the NFL has continued after they fell to a fourth successive defeat at home to league specialists Sligo. Dessie Sloyane was the key forward on view for the visitors in the first half, notching 0-4 from frees and play which helped the Yeats men to a 0-7 to 0-6 lead at the break. Derry are continuing to struggle without their Ballinderry contingent, but grabbed a lifeline when Geoffrey McGonigle fisted a goal to put them in front. He added two more points, but missed a few other good chances, allowing Gerry McGowan to bring Sligo back into the game. McGowan shot 0-5 in the second half, the most important of which was the disputed ’45 metre kick that he landed in injury time. That was the score that won the game and kept Derry rooted to the bottom of the table.
Down 2-11 Clare 0-9
Down have secured their second win of the campaign with a comfortable victory over a wasteful Clare side at Newry. The visitors gave Pete McGrath’s men a little more to do than the scoreline suggests, but their efforts were undone by a toothless attacking unit in which only two of the starting players registered scores over the 70 minutes. In contrast, all of the Down attackers got on the scoresheet, with star centre-forward Aidan O’Prey nabbing a goal in each half. It was as good as over at the break with the scores at 1-7 to 0-2, although Clare did make a host of changes and rallied towards the finish, with Paul Hehir and Denis Russell each scoring 0-2 as the game came to an end. It was a satisfactory result for Down without their Mayobridge contingent.

Allianz NFL Division 2A
Limerick 2-12 Kerry 0-16
It was truly an historic day at the Gaelic Grounds as Limerick secured their first win over Kerry, in competitive senior football, since 1898. They did so on the back of a very strong first half showing. With John Quane dominant in the centre of the field, they lead 2-10 to 0-7 at the break, the goals coming from Jason Stokes and Pat Aherne. As expected, Paidi O’Se reshuffled at the break, moving Seamus Moynihan to midfield, and Kerry dominated totally. Noel Kennelly, Eoin Brosnan, Moynihan and Aodan MacGearailt all got on the scoresheet, but the elusive goal would not come. Limerick only got two points in the second half, one from Jason Stokes again, but it proved to be enough as Kerry found the half time deficit of nine points to large to reel in all the way.

National Football League
Tyrone survived a second-half comeback from Dublin, while Galway, Cavan, Mayo, Kerry and Armagh enjoyed comfortable wins in their league encounters.

Division 1A Tyrone 0-18 Dublin 2-10
Tommy Lyons travelled to Dungannon with his squad of Dublin players high with confidence after his debut victory over Donegal but was quickly brought down to earth. Tyrone established an early lead and held a clear 0-9 to 0-5 at the break. But after the restart, Dublin came back to life and reduced the deficit to three points, 0-9 to 0-12, before Ray Cosgrove scored their first goal to level the scores. Tyrone had shown remarkable accuracy from play, and by the end of the match had scored 0-16 of their total from play. They didn’t lose their composure and four points in quick succession put them back in front. However, Dublin had cut the deficit to three points once more before Peader Andrews has a chance to sew the match up with a goal three minutes before the end, but his effort was straight at the goalkeeper. At the other end, veteran attacker Peter Canavan finally broke the deadlock in injury time, and when Gerard Cavlan hit a further injury-time point victory for Tyrone was safe.

Offaly 0-13 Donegal 0-16
Donegal finally got their first win of the campaign and after the disappointment of defeat to Dublin a week ago, it is no surprise that the Ulster county was only too happy to work hard to get it. In Tullamore, it looked as thought he home side would cruise to victory after establishing an early lead and, at the break, Offaly held a 0-10 to 0-8. With much work to do, Donegal emerged from the dressing rooms focused and set about taking the lead. That they achieved, outscoring their hosts 0-8 to 0-3 in the second half, with three of those points coming in the final minutes.

Cork 0-10 Roscommon 1-9
Roscommon were not considered likely victors when they arrived at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, but by the final whistle they had impressed enough – albeit against a off-colour Cork side – enough to claim both league points. The Connacht side led at the break 1-2 to 0-4, with John Hanley’s 15th minute goal the opening score of the afternoon. Brendan Ger O’Sullivan and Fionan Murray did their bit to try and bring Cork back into the game in the second half, but a strong display from Roscommon’s forwards saw them add seven more points to their tally while a Cork could only manage six more points.

Galway 3-12 Westmeath 0-13
Galway made league football look like a doddle when they took on Westmeath at home. The All-Ireland champions were 2-7 to 0-5 in front by half time, with Tommy Joyce and Matthew Clancy the goal scorers. Westmeath simply couldn’t compete and in the second half, although their tally rose considerably, they couldn’t halt Galway’s scoring machine. Paul Clancy lobbed the Westmeath goalkeeper to add the third goal. Jarlath Fallon was the real hero however, scoring six points from play in a Man of the Match performance.

Division 1B Kildare 1-15 Derry 1-11
Then scoreline suggest that Kildare had a good win over Derry at Newbridge, but the game was a tight affair which either could have claimed. At the break, Kildare held a 1-5 to 0-4 lead with John Doyle’s goal giving the home side the boost they needed to hold onto the lead. Despite some good scored from the Derry players, including Paddy O’Neill’s goal, Kildare had enough composure to hold Derry off and secure a hard-earned win.

Clare 1-6 Mayo 2-19
The defending league champions showed they can be a scoring force when they put 2-19 past a pedestrian Clare side in Ennis. However, Mayo only led by 0-7 to 0-5 at the half time, and it wasn’t until the second half that Clare’s challenge collapsed. Marty McNichols got both of Mayo’s goals early in the second period to bring the scores to 2-9 to 0-5. The game looked to be over by then, but Mayo continued on their scoring spree. Cathal Mortimer ended the day with six points to his credit.

Sligo 0-11 Down 0-10
Sligo secure both league points on offer when they hosts Down, but they can count themselves lucky that the referee was in such a generous mood – generous with red cards that is. The Connacht side offered Down a stern test, but when Sean Ward was sent off near the end of the first half, it put Down at a distinct disadvantage for the second period. Sligo only led by two points at the break, 0-6 to 0-4, so the visitors felt sure they might still get something out of the fixture. However, when Gregory McCartan was dismissed nine minutes after the restart – followed quickly by Sligo’s Gerry McGowan – there seemed little chance of their sneaking a win. That proved not to be the case, however, and Down fought their way back to level the game at 0-9 to 0-9 with seven minutes remaining. It was only when Ronan Murtagh was sent off, reducing Down’s number to 12, that the challenge eventually ended.

Cavan 0-16 Fermanagh 0-14
Cavan had to fight their way back from six points down at half time to record their second victory of the NFL. The Breffni men produced a first-half performance they are proud to forget to be 0-9 to 0-3 down at the break. Both teams had been reduced to 14 men by that stage, with Paul Brewster sent off for elbowing a Cavan player midway through the half, while Larry Reilly was given a second yellow card. Cavan were a much different side in the second half however, and began to play the style of football that has proven effective in recent championship campaigns. They clawed their way back into contention and with three minutes remaining just one points separated the side, 0-14 to 0-13, but thee points in the final minutes secure victory over the Breffni men.

Division 2A Results
Kerry 0-14 0-7 Antrim Armagh 3-16 0-9 Leitrim Louth 2-18 0-12 Wicklow London 0-10 3-22 Limerick

Division 2B Results
Laois 2-16 1-11 Carlow Monaghan 1-6 1-8 Wexford Waterford 1-12 4-13 Longford Meath 0-14 1-7 Tipperary

National Football League
Tyrone, Dublin and Cavan were the big winners in Division 1 of the NFL.
Match reports are here.

Division 1A
Dublin 2-10 Donegal 0-14
All-new Dublin have got the Tommy Lyons era off to a winning start at Parnell Park, playing well on their way to a two point win over Donegal. The Ulster side looked the more settled team on paper, but Dublin’s rookies set about their task with relish and held a 0-5 to 0-4 lead at the break. Paul Casey opened the scoring for the home side inside a minute, and another newcomer, Alan Brogan, got on the scoresheet as well. At the other end, Brendan Devenney was proving a slippery customer in the damp conditions, the Eunan’s man firing all his side’s first half scores. In the second half, Brogan nipped in for a goal after a great move, as Dublin, playing mostly positive, direct football with a notable absence of hand-passing, got on top of Donegal. Ray Cosgrove tacked on another point soon after to leave it 1-8 to 0-6, suddenly putting the first real daylight between the sides. In the 55th minute, Johnny Magee nipped in for another goal to delight the large attendance, who had anxiously watched Donegal score 0-4 and close to within two points. Pick of these was a superb effort from Brendan Devenney. However, Dublin fought back with the goal, followed by a great score of their own from Coman Goggins. Alan Brogan had the last say to seal a deserved two-point win and finish with 1-3 to his credit.

Galway 0-9 Tyrone 1-8
The Ulster champions have come to the home of the Sam Maguire holders and sneaked off with a brace of league points, after an entertaining game in difficult conditions. It was nip and tuck most of the way through, despite Stephen O’Neill giving the Ulstermen a clear advantage with an early goal. Kieran Comer and Gerard Cavlan swapped scores as a low-scoring half wore on, with Galway having a good goal effort from Derek Savage saved by Peter Ward, who blocked the rebound that fell to Tommy Joyce as well. Galway made a good start to the second half, levelling from a Comer free before the same player registered from play to secure a one-point lead. Stephen O’Neill pointed at the other end to level the scores, though and Brian Dooher scored a good point as time ticked away. Stephen O’Neill had another goal effort touched onto the crossbar, and although Galway piled on the pressure in the closing stages, they couldn’t find the scores to force at least a draw. Kevin Walsh was introduced and played well, providing a good platform.

Division 1B
Kildare 0-12 Sligo 0-12
Kildare failed to gain a measure of revenge for last year’s qualifier defeat at Croke Park when they were nabbed by a late equaliser at Newbridge. In an open, sporting encounter, Tadhg Fennin, as scorer and creator, and Gerry McGowan were the most impressive attackers. Kildare were 0-6 to 0-2 up at one stage, and Sligo looked in real bother, but McGowan rifled over three points in seven minutes to bring the Yeats men back into it. Sligo actually moved one ahead 26 minutes into the second half, but then they didn’t score for another 13 minutes allowing Colm O’Reilly and Derek McCormack to put Kildare 0-12 to 0-11 up. Three good chances were spurned in this period, but finally, Gerry McGowan slotted over a free three minutes into injury time. He then missed a chance to nick a winner.

Derry 1-10 Cavan 1-15
Cavan have finally laid their Derry bogey to rest, getting a monkey of their backs, that was rapidly growing into a gorilla, by securing their first victory over the Oak Leafers since 1997. The Breffnimen were 1-6 to 1-3 up at half-time, a statistic made all the more impressive as the blues were playing against the breeze. David O’Neill had sneaked in for the Derry goal after Barry McCrudden had given the visitors the lead, but Jason Reilly proved to be the Cavan talisman once again when he immediately sent to the net at the other end after a pass from Paul Galligan. Mickey Graham pulled a good save out of the Derry goalie, as Cavan continued to play the better football in their first competitive game under Mattie Kerrigan. Debutantes, Eamon Reilly and Colm Hannon were playing soundly in defence while the blues were on top at midfield also. In the second half, Cavan made good use of the breeze and supplied a lot of ball to their forwards. Mickey Graham finished with 0-3 to his credit in what was a very encouraging performance for the blues overall. Anthony Forde gave a man-of-the-match performance at centre-back, while Pearse McKenna and Cathal Collins controlled midfield.

Mayo 0-10 Down 0-5
Down failed to add to last weekend’s win over Fermanagh when they ran aground against the league champions, Mayo. A grim first half was followed by a much brighter second, and many more quality scores. Down were well in the game until Kevin McGrath was sent off, but seemed to lack penetration up front after his departure. Shane King, star of last week, was kept very quiet by the Mayo defence. At the other end of the field, Conor Mortimer impressed with some long range points, as did Marty McNicholas and James Gill. Mayo were full value for their win after a dominant second half-display allowed them to pull clear from their previously dogged opponents.

Fermanagh 1-14 Clare 1-8
Clare battled well and briefly threatened an upset in this game, but the introduction of hot-shot forward, Raymond Gallagher, proved too much for the Bannermen to handle. Clare were two points up when Dominic Corrigan introduced a raft of second-half subs, Gallagher among them. His influence on the game was dramatic as he fired over four superb points from distance and a variety of angles. The ace attacker missed last season with injury and was sorely missed, and this game underlined why. The Brewster brothers also chipped in with good performances in what was a slightly nervy display overall at a boggy Enniskillen venue. First league points will be welcomed, whatever the performance, however.

Division 2 round-up
Elsewhere in the league, Louth strolled to a 2-19 to 0-1 win over London at Castlebellingham in a one-sided affair. A Mark Stanfield penalty and another JP Rooney goal inside the first ten minutes set Louth on their way.

Meanwhile, Tipp’s hurling goalie, Brendan Cummins, showed his prowess with the big ball by shooting 0-9, 0-3 from play, in the 1-17 to 1-10 win over Waterford. The Deise were winning by a point at half-time.

At Dr. Cullen Park, a late Carlow rally just fell short of reward when they went down by a point to Monaghan, 1-7 to 0-11. A goal from sub Gavin Walker with ten minutes left sparked the home challenge.

In nearby Wexford, John Hegarty broke Longford hearts with a goal three minutes from time to set up a 2-10 to 2-9 win. Paul Barden and Liam Keenan were sent off for Longford, while Pat Forde was dismissed for Wexford.

Elsewhere, Armagh and Kerry kept their promotion hopes on track with wins in Leitrim and Wicklow. Kerry had just a one point lead at half-time against the Ridge county, but pulled away to win 2-12 to 0-9 by the finish. Armagh were 2-7 to 0-5 up at the break in Wicklow, but were reeled in during the second half and it finished 0-13 to 2-10. Finally, Meath were beaten 0-12 to 0-9 at home to Laois.

Full results:
Division 1A Cork v Offaly postponed Dublin 2-10 Donegal 0-14 2.00 Galway 0-9 Tyrone 1-8 Roscommon v Westmeath postponed

Division 1B Derry 1-10 Cavan 1-15 1.00 Fermanagh 1-14 Clare 1-8 Mayo 0-10 Down 0-5 Kildare 0-12 Sligo 0-12

Division 2A Louth 2-19 London 0-1 Antrim 1-11 Limerick 2-11 Leitrim 0-9 Kerry 2-12 Wicklow 0-13 Armagh 2-10

Division 2B Tipperary 1-17 Waterford 1-10 Wexford 2-10 Longford 2-9 Carlow 1-7 Monaghan 0-11 Meath 0-9 Laois 0-12

Mayo Senior Football Match Report
So January Football has begun with the commencement of the FBD Connaght League and Mayo had a bumper weekend. By meeting Sligo in Kent Park on Saturday and Roscommon on the Sunday at Ballyhaunis.

Sligo 1-14 Mayo 2-10
Mayo got off to a flying start in the opening seconds when full-back Neil Carew stepped over his own goal with the ball under pressure from the Mayo forwards following a cross from Michael Mullins. But for the following 30 minutes they were forced to concentrate on defensive measures in an attempt to stem the flow of score from Sligo’s eager forwards.
With the help of a biting wind the home side built up a tally of eight points without response until Conor Mortimer had Mayo’s first point in the 31st minute. The wind was certainly a help to Sligo, but they were also well organised and patient, and while they used the wings to the benefit of the speed Gerry McGowan and Mark Breheny with some degree of success, a lot of danger came also from their urges through the centre of the Mayo defence. When the Mayo defence did actually close down Sligo’s main access route, their scoring became more intermittent and Mayo were only four points behind at the interval (0-10 to 1-3) even though Sligo had much more of the play. Noel Connelly was the outstanding back in that half. His experience stood out, his intervention and attacking instincts drew positive responses from the rest of the defence, especially Pat Coyne, having a fine game at left corner back and to some degree Tom Nallen and Kenneth Mortimer making a return to the side a little slower yet, but steady and Gary Ruane anxious as ever.
At midfield Shane Fitzmaurice was given a deserved trial alongside Michael Moyles. What the Crossmolina man did, he did well, and Fitzmaurice showed especially in the final ten minutes when his punching of the ball pressurised the Sligo defence that he has the potential to win his place in the central area. Moyles injured an ankle in the second half and was taken off by stretcher, but the injury is not as bad as first thought he ought to be back in action in a few weeks.
The Mayo defence came under renewed pressure in the opening minutes of the second half when Sligo scored 1-1 in five minutes. Their goal came from corner forward Mark Breheny. Their goal came from corner forward Mark Breheny after linking up with John Partland and Gerry McGowan. It put Sligo eight points ahead and they were to reach a lead of nine before Mayo embarked on Recovery. Noel Connelly was the driving force of their come-back, and Conor Mortimer, Stephen Carolan and David Nestor the gleanors of some fine points. But it was Mortimer’s opportunism that set the final minutes alight. Another player might have been content to offer no challenge for a ball that seemed to be going wide from Noel Connelly’s centre after Fitzmaurice was fouled. The Shrule man contested it with a couple of backs. His fisted effort shot across the face of the goal deceiving everyone, and the ball glanced off the far upright of the net. Fortuitous maybe, but full marks to Mortimer for his zeal. That score left just three points between them. Stephen Carolan cut that to two. Dara McGinty increased it by one again and Micheal Mullins and David McDonagh reduced it to a single point in the dying seconds.
Both sides were of course experimenting, and the outcome served only to confirm the thin line dividing all teams in the province with the exception of perhaps of Leitrim.
Scorers for Mayo: C. Mortimer(1-4); S. Carolan(0-2); N. Connelly, D McDonagh, M. Mullins and D. Nester(0-1). Mayo: D. Clarke; K. Mortimer, T Nallen, P. Coyne, G. Ruane, J. Nallen, N. Connelly,S. Fitzmaurice, M. Moyles, J. Gill, D. McDonagh, M. Mullins, C. Mortimer, D. Nester, S. Carolan. Subs David Heaney for Moyles. M. McNicholas for Gill.

Other results and news
In the Mayo-Roscommon game the Result was: Mayo 1-15 Roscommon 1-11 Scorers for Mayo: D. Higgins (0-1), J. Gill(0-2), S. Carolan (0-1), D. Nestor(0-1), J. Horan(1-2), C. Mortimer(0-8).

Mulvey Park Mayo have commenced training on their new grounds adjacent to the Castlebar Mitchels Complex. Named Mulvey Park after former Secretary Johnny Mulvey, who is still thankfully a prominent member of the county board, the pitch will be used for preparation of all county teams. In other years Mayo depended on the generosity of the Parkes and the Tourmakeadys to prepare their teams for the various competitions, and owe a deep debt of gratitude to the clubs for obliging them. Now they have there own ground, provided at a cost in excess of £200,000. It will be the home of their teams from now, where plans will be formulated for the various competitions and, perhaps, a winning strategy for the long awaited Senior All- Ireland.

Kieran McDonald
Kieran McDonald is unable to give his Commitment to the Mayo Panel for the time being. Kieran is working in Galway at the moment and is hoping that he will be able to give a commitment soon in the New Year maybe in time for the Championship.

David McDonagh
I was speaking to David McDonagh(scored a point for Mayo at the weekend) recently and he suggested to me that following last years Interview that he would bare all for Charity on currane.net.

2002 Mayo GAA Preview
So here it is. I am going to give you my opinion of what Mayo GAA fans can expect in 2002. Well, last year, on the football side of things was probably an O.K year. To start off, Crossmolina won the club championships, a big boost for the County, and then, Pat Holmes brought home the NFL championship, our first major trophy in over 30 years. We did see disappointments in the championship when a side with a lot of expectation flopped!! Losing the Connaght championship by a late goal and then being out-played by West Meath in the quarter finals. Back to the drawing board for Mr Holmes.
The U21&Mac226;s did very well winning the Hastings Cup and reaching the All Ireland Final only to be outclassed by Tyrone – although it was a very poor performance by Mayo. In my Opinion Mayo are the biggest underachievers in Gaelic Football. The talent is in the County for everyone to see. Mayo Minors have been reaching All Ireland Finals continually for the last 5-10 years. In the Club Championships Mayo Club teams have been reaching All Ireland Finals year after year. Yes, so have other Counties, but out of Ulster, only one team made an impact over the last few years, Crossmaglen. From Munster it was Nemo Rangers and from Leinster it was Eire Og and now Na Fianna. But in Mayo there have been a number of teams; Crossmolina, Ballina Stephenites, Knockmore, Castlebar Mitchels and Garrymore have all reached the final. I believe a decent Manager and Mayo could do the business and I believe they only have to win it once and then the Sleeping Giant will be no-more.
I believe however, that Mayo this year will reach the quarter finals of the NFL And, depending on their form they may reach the semi finals. I do not think they will win it but I hope Mr Holmes has learned his lesson from last year. Too much emphasis on the League led to a severe slump in the Championship. With the FBD Connaght League starting this weekend; Sligo on Saturday and Roscommon on Sunday, Mayo will have chance to test out new players. I wont even predict how Mayo will do in that, with that competition anyone can win it maybe even New York. With the Return of James Horan and Kenneth Mortimer to the side and the departure of Kevin Cahill, Mayo are a different team this year and I’ll stick my nose out and say they will win the Connaght Championship by side stepping Roscommon/Sligo/Leitrim and edging past Galway. And after that anything can happen – I wont go as far as saying they’ll win the All- Ireland because they wont. Kerry Will. I believe Kerry will beat before them and after them this year after last years humiliation. I can also see Dublin having a slight impact in there somewhere.
As for the club championships all I can say is, all the best to Charlestown who are in the semi finals. I don’t know how they’ll do to be honest – I hope they will make the final.
In the Mayo club scene, I believe Garrymore will win the Senior Title. They reached the league final and were beaten by Hollymount. In the Championship they were edged out in the semi final by the eventual winners Charlestown so I can see them being under Dogs for the title.
As for Achill, well, I would like to see a good year from them this year, and hopefully we will after a very poor year last year.
So that’s my round up for 2002. Hopefully, I won’t be too far out.

Rejuvenated Dublin
It may be early January when no major prizes are being handed out, but hope springs eternal for the Dublin football team.
After a few lean seasons, the weekend charity game against a ‘Blue Stars’ selection showed that some of the young talent waiting in the wings is ready to make an impact. After Lyons men engineered an impressive 2-16 to 1-14 win, the name on everyone’s lips was that of Eoin Bennis, after his scoring contribution of 2-1. Not that Lyons is getting carried away, however.
Lyons said in a recent interview “We’ll be bringing him along nice and steady to see how he improves over the league, He does things naturally, but he’s light and he’s small and needs to do a lot of work on his body. But you never know, he might be there in June.”
After a championship season when the failings of the Dublin forwards were well talked about, most of the attention is focusing on whether or not Lyons can unearth some scoring gems to bring in the league. At the Thomas Davis venue in Tallaght, Dublin certainly shot some impressive scores, although the manager is keen to stress that success-hungry fans shouldn’t read too much into it.
“Sure it’s early January,” he remarked. “It’s nice to get out and play football because that’s what it’s all about. But kicking the ball over the bar at this time of year is a different thing from doing it in the championship.
“Still, it was nice to see the players kicking a little bit better and believing they could score. We were after having three defeats and were almost on the crest of a slump.”
Ray Cosgrove and James O’Connor were other players who impressed in the scoring stakes, while established faces, Ciaran Whelan and Colin Moran, also turned in effective displays.