Amidst an intense preliminary quarter-final match of the All-Ireland SFC, Derry seized victory, defeating Mayo 4-3 in penalties after a 1-12 to Derry’s 0-15 draw at full time. The stalemate ceased with Conor Doherty’s decisive penalty barely bouncing off the post despite Mayo goalie, Colm Reape’s best efforts to stop it in the late hours of a rainy June evening in Castlebar. Irrespective of the commanding 13,955-strong home crowd, Mayo were left ruing missed opportunities.
While Mayo wouldn’t have untangled their footfalls on the Hogan Stand, the knowledge that they could have advanced further in the tournament stung with frustration. They were unable to hold their advantage by the end of normal play, echoing similar outcomes in their Connacht final and Dublin games. A pattern of flawed play eventually undid their intentions.
However, Derry deserves applause for their resilient gameplay. They weren’t the invincible ‘Red Rhapsody’ that claimed the league championship in spring nor the unimpressive version seen in the summer. Rather, their performance was a commendable blend of strategic defense and an assertive attack, confounding Mayo at every turn.
Kevin McStay’s squad struggled to decode Derry’s fortitude. Despite playing against the wind in the first half, Mayo could only master a handful of shots. Standout moments included Jack Coyne’s attempt in minute 24, which fell short, followed by Stephen Coen’s missed opportunity after a fumble from Odhran Lynch. Apart from Sam Callinan’s solitary score from open play and Ryan O’Donoghue’s conversion of free kicks, the most thrilling moments for Mayo were few and far between. In contrast, the spotlight shined on Lachlan Murray from Derry with a noteworthy performance.
After a dynamic first score within just eight minutes, Derry’s forward from the corner followed up with two identical efforts on the loop prior to the half-hour mark. He artfully swept past Tommy Conroy at the endline for his fourth contribution in the first half and sent the ball over the bar. No more than half an hour into the game, he was acquitting his third mark. In contrast, Mayo’s performance lacked the same sharpness.
Taking everything into account, it was fair that a lead of three points was the minimum Derry could expect from the first half. They were discernibly dominant from the very start. Despite Mayo having the advantage of the wind later, McStay’s team needed to revitalise their strategies for the second half or face the end of their season.
The second half saw Tommy Conroy out of the changing rooms with a reentrant attitude, scoring a mark and a matter-of fact point from the play within just four minutes. Aidan O’Shea was also gaining momentum, robustly bouncing off Conor Glass to score a point and then rigorously chasing Eoin McEvoy to enforce an overcarry for the lead extending free. It took Mayo merely ten minutes post commencement of the second half to seize the lead with a score of 0-7 to 0-6.
Now, it was becoming a tougher match. Derry realised the need to revamp their game and succeeded in doing so. After Gareth McKinless efficiently scored a point from right of the D, Brendan Rogers followed suit from a narrower centre. Derry gained the lead again but it felt relatively precarious at this point.
Mayo, sensing this vulnerability, promptly pushed for a penalty at the other end. A spectacular play from O’Donoghue saw Darren McHale break clear and as Tommy Conroy manoeuvred deftly for a goal, McKinless intercepted with a block attempt. However, while Brian Fenton had attempted a legitimate block just last week, McKinless did not. The referee, Brendan Cawley, responded with a wide-arm gesture. O’Donoghue made no error as the penalty taker, providing Mayo with a much-needed comfort zone for the first time in the game, as they claimed the lead 1-7 to 0-8.
It should have been foreseeable that they would have completed the task within the standard timeframe without requiring additional time. Even though O’Donoghue managed to score a penalty at the 49th minute marker, Mayo managed to supplement their total by only one more point by the end of the game. Wasted chances, such as an easily converted free kick missed by Colm Reape and a mistimed strike from Callinan, opened up opportunities for Derry to remain afloat.
Murray had an impeccable game further scoring for the fifth time at the 54th minute mark. McGuigan availed a chance around Glass to increase his tally. As the clock was nearing depletion, Chrissy McKaigue delivered an equaliser drawing the game into extra time.
For Mayo, it was quite a disheartening incident, especially because they had met with a similar fate just a week ago. Despite going head-to-head on a Derry kick-out, they enabled their rivals to advance down the pitch, characterised by a combination of both slack and over possible tackling. In an unfortunate turn of events, McKaigue’s equaliser came from virtually the identical position where Cormac Costello had scored for Dublin.
The unexpected equaliser seemed to drain Mayo of energy as extra time kicked off. With O’Shea being substituted towards the end of normal time, Mayo seemed to lack an attack spearhead. They had their strategies thwarted twice in quick succession, giving Derry the scoring passage. Derry made the most of their chances with contributions from Rogers and Ethan Doherty. When Doherty added another point within two minutes, the gap widened to three points.
Jordan Flynn managed to reclaim one point for Mayo just before the extra time interval; however, they were in dire need of more. Paul Towey, a substitute, emerged to nail a left-foot shot. Even though it was evident he was hesitant to kick, he had no other option but to deliver. Fortunately, he managed to split the posts, narrowing the deficit to a single point.
The location was buzzing with energy. Conroy ran through, full of confidence, aiming to grasp an opportunity, but missed his shot completely. Shane McGuigan displayed greater steadiness, succeeding a kick-out that widened the point gap to two. But with Mayo on the brink of season’s end and no room for blunders, Conor Loftus and Jordan Flynn managed to score a duo of gutsy points leading the game to penalties.
Continuing from here, the event took a crude and straightforward turn. Derry managed to net in four goals, as opposed to Mayo’s three. Consequently, Derry advanced, while Mayo shamefully retreated into a winter of reckoning.
Derry’s team constituted Odhran Lynch, Conor McCluskey, Chrissy McKaigue (0-1), Diarmuid Baker, Ciarán McFaul, Eoin McEvoy, Gareth McKinless (0-1), Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers (0-2), Ethan Doherty (0-2), Emmett Bradley, Paul Cassidy, Conor Doherty, Shane McGuigan (0-4, two frees), and Lachlan Murray (0-5, one mark). Also playing were substitutes: Eunan Mulholland for Bradley at 44 minutes, Cormac Murphy for Cassidy at 67 minutes, Donncha Gilmore for C Doherty at 67 minutes, Niall Toner for Murray at 73 minutes, Ruairí Forbes for Baker at 73 minutes, Baker for Forbes in extra time, Cassidy for Murphy in extra time and C Doherty for Baker at 83 minutes.
In terms of penalty shots, McGuigan, Glass, McFaul, and C Doherty scored, while E Doherty was unsuccessful (shot wide).
Colm Reape took the position of Mayo along with David McBrien, Donnacha McHugh, and Jack Coyne. Other players like Rory Brickenden, Eoghan McLaughlin, and Sam Callinan, who scored 0-1, also joined in. The midfielders were Stephen Coen and Mattie Ruane. The forwards included Tommy Conroy, who marked 0-2, Darren McHale, and Jordan Flynn, who also scored 0-2. The rest of the team comprised of Ryan O’Donoghue, Aidan O’Shea, and Jack Carney. O’Donoghue had an impressive score of 1-4, with a penalty and three free kicks included.
Substitute players were Conor Loftus and Diarmuid O’Connor taking over from McLaughlin at half-time and McHale, respectively. Moreover, Enda Hession replaced Coyne after 57 minutes, Cillian O’Connor played in Ruane’s stead at 67 minutes, and Bob Tuohy took over from O’Shea at 73 minutes. Paul Towey, securing a point, substituted Brickenden in the 80th minute, with Michael Plunkett playing for Callinan in the final minutes.
C. O’Connor, D. O’Connor, and Loftus successfully scored penalty goals, while Towey and O’Donoghue missed their attempts, the former hitting the post and the latter’s shot was saved. The game was officiated by Brendan Cawley from Kildare.