Heartbreak for Roscommon

If ever a case could be made for a replay, this was it - following a truly epic Connacht U-21 FC Semi-Final at Fr. O"Hara Park, Charlestown, last Saturday. Okay, Mayo - buoyed by a goal at the end of extra-time which gave them a somewhat flattering 5-point victory and a place in the provincial final v Sligo - will not give the proverbial whit at this stage. But one"s heart certainly went out to a gallant Roscommon outfit who cast aside a dreadful opening half to storm back into the contest, to actually lead by 2-13 to 2-10 in the third minute of added-on time. Mayo weren"t finished as we tensely awaited the long whistle, when the worst fears of the large Roscommon following in the approximate 3,000 attendance were realised. A free from substitute Conor Jordan landed amid a ruck of players in the Roscommon goalmouth, and from nowhere emerged a boot which connected with the ball to dispatch it to the net, resulting in extra-time. With the goalmouth resembling the M50 at rush-hour, it was literally impossible to discern who got that fateful touch. Opinions were divided between an own-goal, midfielder Tom Parsons, and top-scorer Jason Doherty, but skipper Parsons got the nod in the end for saving his side"s four-in-a-row provincial title aspirations. This was truly an amazing game of football, played in exemplary spirit throughout, where Pat Holmes" stalwarts, aided by the influential breeze, looked for the greater portion of the opening moiety, as if they would eventually emerge easy victors of this semi-final. Patrons were treated to a contest which produced six goals, with the eventual winners, who led by 2-5 to 0-4 at the short whistle, hitting the crossbar on three occasions during its entirety. To further whet collective appetites, a spellbinding second half produced a total of 17 scores, with Roscommon enjoying a 2-9 to 1-5 advantage, thereby wiping out Mayo"s earlier ascendancy in spectacular fashion. Factor in some inspired substitutions on both teams, a number of brilliant individual performances and a selection of outstanding scores; the end product made a definitive statement to those calling for the abolition of this grade. With that hard game against Galway clearly standing to them for the visit of the Rossies, Mayo lost no time in asserting their authority in their own backyard. Michael Ryan"s charges lined out as selected on the programme and, with the bulwark of that great minor team who took All-Ireland honours in 2006, hopes were high that the young Primrose and Blue wearers would remain prime contenders for the John Joe Fahy Cup, last annexed in 1999. With team captain Tom Parsons and his midfield colleague Aidan O"Shea establishing definite ascendancy in this sector, Roscommon were put under huge pressure from the off. By the 14th minute, the reigning champions had raced into a 4-point lead, with Cathal Freeman (free), Jason Doherty (2) and Parsons using the breeze effectively and opening up a hesitant Ros" rearguard. Doherty, listed at corner-forward, but moving to the fringe of the square from the off, was giving full-back Neil Collins a torrid time, while the visitors were further handicapped by the enforced early withdrawal of corner-back Peter Domican. Roscommon finally got on the scoresheet with a foul on full-forward Mark McLoughlin, punished by a Donal Shine pointed free (17th minute). Two minutes later, centre-back David Flynn punted forward for Kevin Higgins to split the uprights. The influential Cathal Freemen was a Mayo injury casualty (19th minute), replaced by Brian Gallagher, with goalie Robert Hennelly taking over '45' kicking duty, unsuccessfully at first, but later on target. Unfazed, Mayo kept up the pressure and a Doherty pointed free was followed (26th minute) by a major breakthrough when Charlestown"s Tom Parsons started the move which saw Doherty hit the crossbar, but Neill Douglas was on hand to slam home the rebound. Roscommon replied with Donal Shine"s second pointed free, but Mayo struck again two minutes into injury-time when centre-forward Frank Burke put Jason Doherty through for Goal No. 2. A foul on David O"Gara gave Paul Garvey a tap-over from the resultant free on the 33rd minute, but a half-time scoreline of 2-5 to 0-4 brought little solace to the Roscommon faithful. A 7-point deficit made depressing reflection for the visiting fans at the interval, but help was on the way. Kilbride"s Conor Devaney (why was he not on from the start?) was introduced, and he would go on to play a huge part in turning the game on its head. Conor drew an early save from Mayo custodian Hennelly, but Mayo"s lead didn"t change as Jason Doherty (Mayo) and Fintan Cregg exchanged points. There was a further swapping of points from Conor Devaney (free) and Mayo wing-back Donal Vaughan. Then came the two spectacular goals which propelled the wholehearted Roscommon lads right back into contention. Inevitably, it was Devaney who had a huge hand in the first strike (40 minutes) when Fintan Cregg brilliantly found the net, and the score was barely registered when Donal Shine drove spectacularly forward for the outstanding David O"Gara, to drill home Goal No. 2. With only a point now between the protagonists, a Mayo team, who earlier looked home and hosed, were now fighting for their collective lives. The hard-grafting Cathal Carolan pointed from play, with goalie Hennelly eventually finding the target at the other end when being third-time-lucky from a '45'. Now three points in front again, Mayo introduced extra-time hero Conor Jordan, but the next 10 minutes would be dominated by a super-charged Roscommon, who would out-score their hosts 0-7 to 0-1, thereby seizing the initiative and shooting into a 3-point lead. Kevin Higgins was in the vanguard of these scores with three brilliantly executed efforts, with Conor Devaney (3, 1 free) and Fintan Cregg completing a whirlwind spell of relentless pressure with scores coming at the speed of light. Mayo did have their second bang off the crossbar in between this salvo, with sub. Sean Prendergast testing the Charlestown timbers, but their solitary response on this scoreboard was a Michael Sweeney point. As the match went into added-on minutes, Roscommon seemed to have weathered the earlier storm as they appeared set for their first final in a decade, but Mayo refused to capitulate, and that earlier described 63rd minute denouement produced the goal that would force extra-time. Mayo enjoyed the better of the opening period of extra-time, with Michael Sweeney, and super-sub Conor Jordan (2) sending over an early trio of points, with Kevin Higgins replying for Roscommon. In between, Roscommon had two efforts, from Higgins and Devaney respectively, stopped on the goal-line. Just on 10 minutes, Mayo, remarkably, hit the crossbar for the third time in the afternoon when Jason Doherty was again denied by the woodwork. And so, it was the Pat Holmes managed outfit who led by two points at the quick change-over, with Conor Jordan converting a free three minutes into the second period. Fintan Cregg again cut the deficit to two points but, try as they did, Roscommon could not get through for the scores that would take them over the line. Ultimately, it was Mayo who ended on a winning note when swift interplay led to a Douglas" second goal, which sealed another final appearance. Roscommon"s tremendous rally atoned for much of their first-half hesitancy, but that late second-half goal led to their eventual downfall. On a day when they were never totally happy in defence, Donal Ward, David Flynn, Donal Shine, Kevin Higgins, David Keenan, David O"Gara, Fintan Cregg and Conor Devaney were best for Roscommon. SCORERS - Mayo: J Doherty 1-4 (0-1f); N Douglas 2-0; C Jordan 0-3 (1f); M Sweeney 0-2; T Parsons, D Vaughan, C Carolan 0-1 each; R Hennelly 0-1 ('45'); C Freeman 0-1f. Roscommon: F Cregg 1-3; K Higgins 0-5; C Devaney 0-4 (2f); D O"Gara 1-0; D Shine 0-2 (2f); Paul Garvey 0-1f. MAYO: Robert Hennelly, Eoghan O"Reilly, Kevin Keane, John Broderick, Donal Vaughan, Lee Keegan, Kevin McLoughlin, Tom Parsons (capt), Aidan O"Shea, Cathal Carolan, Frank Burke, Cathal Freeman, Michael Sweeney, Neill Douglas, Jason Doherty. Subs: Brian Gallagher for Freeman (inj., 10), Seán Prendergast for Broderick (51), Conor Jordan for Gallagher (54), Niall Prenty for Burke (4, e/t 1st period), Colm English for Vaughan (7, e/t 2nd period). ROSCOMMON: Mark Miley, Niall Carty, Neil Collins, Peter Domican, Donal Ward, David Flynn, James McKeague, Donal Shine, David Keenan, Keith Waldron, Paul Garvey, Kevin Higgins, Fintan Cregg, Mark McLoughlin, David O"Gara. Subs: Stephen Ormsby for Domican (inj., 12), Conor Devaney for P Garvey (h/t), Paul Gleeson for Collins (35), Cathal McHugh for McLoughlin (46), Cathal Shine for Waldron (9, e/t 1st period), Colm Garvey for McKeague (4, e/t 2nd period). REFEREE: Ray McBrien (Leitrim).