GAA: New York assaulted by Mayo at Gaelic Park

Mayo 7-12 New York 2-8

In a rematch of last year’s FBD championship, the result was not the same but worse for New York.

While the locals started well and had the lead by two points after eight minutes, things went dramatically south in the last 10 minutes of the first half when Mayo drilled four goals in succession past Alan Hearty.

To his defense it is very hard to stop shots when the forward is seven yards from you. It was more of the same in the second half when Aiden O’Shea added a brace of goals in the further onslaught.

New York had few lights that shone, with Jason Kelly, Kevin Walsh, Brendan McGourty and Hearty the few who won individual battles.

Mayo cruised as the game went on -- indeed it was akin to a training session as they moved the ball easily through the field to create scoring chances.

New York had a very good opening to the game as they had the first two points from Kelly and Peter Hatzer with a tremendous free doing the kicking.

Mayo calmly came back into the game, though, and over the next 15 minutes they put five unanswered points on the board with frees from Enda Varley (two) along two good points from Seamus O’Shea, who was wide open for his second which was an ominous sign of things to come.

New York’s best chance in this period was after Steven Sheridan hit the upright 23 minutes in. The ball dropped into the waiting Walsh, but his rasping shot was buried in the net in the wrong side of the post.

What happened in the last seven minutes of the first half was both clinical and thorough. Four goals in quick succession from a Mayo team that was brilliant as it drove forward.

It began with Cillian O’Connor after he took quite a few steps before dispatching to the net. He followed it by blasting wide when Alan Freeman did a lot of work before O’Connor added his second major.

Freeman and Varley had further goals as the halftime whistle arrived. It could not come soon enough for New York at this point.

Kelly again had the first point of the half when the final 30 opened. The locals also had a clear cut goal chance when Lonan Maguire hit a thunderbolt that careened back of the upright.

Mayo replied with a Freeman towering score. New York then had their most productive period of the game as they as they outscored their opponents 1-3 to 0-3 over the next eight minutes.

McGourty had a brilliant point from the right side before Adrian O’Connor cancelled out an Aiden O’Shea goal with one of his own. It came at the end of a very good passing movement and he finished it expertly.

Walsh and McGourty added New York scores, but it still left a huge gap between the sides as Mayo were now ahead 5-6 to 1-7 with the last quarter still remaining.

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