Mayo rally to claim two-point win over Roscommon in All-Ireland battle

Of course Kevin McStay’s side are still in the hunt for a place in the quarter-final but that depends on them beating All-Ireland champions Dublin in two weeks’ time.

A pulsating encounter ended in a welter of excitement with the game’s three goals – two from penalties – coming in the closing ten minutes.

As is their wont, Mayo failed to see out the game in comfort despite being six and four points clear late on and were fortunate not to concede a second penalty at the death.

But overall, they were the better side on a day when Aidan O’Shea made his 89th championship appearance to equal Sean Cavanagh’s record for an outfield player.

For Roscommon, their season now hinges on whether they can beat Cavan in the final round of Group 2.

On the back of being relegated from Division 1 after securing three out of a possible 14 points and three successive championship losses, confidence in the camp must be running on fumes.

Donie Smith put Roscommon ahead after 17 seconds but the home side’s goalkeeper Conor Carroll experienced huge problems getting his kick-outs away in the early stages losing three in a row which gave the visitors Dylan McHugh and Matthew Ruane – after an assist from McHugh – opportunities to kick a brace of points.

But when play switched to the other end Mayo too experienced problems with their re-starts and the home side snaffled two points courtesy of a Conor Cox free and a Robbie Dolan point after a brilliant assist from Enda Smith.

Points from Eoghan McLoughlin and a free from Ryan O’Donoghue – after Darren McHale drew a foul after receiving a great pass from Aidan O’Shea – tied up the scores at 0-4 each after 17 minutes as the home side continued to experience problems winning their own kick-outs.

It was end-to-end stuff with Smith and McLoughlin underlining their individual excellence with wonderful points.

Mayo continued to create more chances but their shooting into the wind was erratic – by the 25th minute they had recorded six wides compared to one for Roscommon who retook the lead with a wonderful point from Daire Cregg, whose long-range effort almost caught Colm Reape off his line but it cleared the crossbar.

The two sides continued to exchange points with abandonment. Mayo hit three with Aidan O’Shea winning a close-in free before providing the assist for Ryan O’Donoghue to hit his first from play.

But Roscommon levelled an absorbing contest via a Ciaran Lennon point – who was his side’s seventh scorer in the half and a Cox free after Enda Smith won a free.

But right at the end of the half, Mayo put together the best move of the match with Jack Carney and Donnacha McHugh combining to put Darren McHale through, but from point blank range he blazed wide.

The miss summed up Mayo’s squandermania in the half – they scored eight points from 16 chances while Roscommon’s conversion rate was eight points from 12 shots.

Before an official attendance of 8,597, Cillian O’Connor hit a monster point two minutes into the second-half to give Mayo back the lead; half-time substitute Conor Loftus looked to have doubled their advantage after Jordan Flynn won a huge turnover in defence but Loftus was whistled up for a double hop.

Instead a converted free from Diarmuid Murtagh tied up the game for a eighth time.

The home side dropped a couple of shots short while Darren McHale’s long-range point give the visitors the edge again but really there was nothing separating the sides.

However, Conor Cox’s free dropped short into the hands of Colm Reape and from the resultant turnover, Ryan O’Donoghue hit a monster point which Roscommon keeper Conor Carroll had to fist over the bar.

But they missed a great chance to extend their lead to three points when Matthew Ruane unwisely shot from goal from distance and Carroll saved brilliantly and the home side won a 45 from the resultant attack which the goalkeeper brilliantly converted.

Mayo were prepared to shoot from distance and Jordan Flynn made it a two-point game again with a long-range effort.

With ten minutes to go, the game reached fever pitch.

Firstly a Roscommon move involving Cregg, Ruaidhri Fallon, and Diarmuid split the Mayo defence but the referee waved away half-hearted calls for a penalty for a foul on the latter.

Instead he awarded a free out and Mayo worked the ball up the field before the referee adjudged that Ryan O’Donoghue had been bundled over in the parallelogram and the centre forward confidently stroked the ball past Carroll to give his side a five-point advantage.

But the drama was far from over. Roscommon scored the next two points but a move involving Mayo’s man of the match Eoghan McLaughlin and O’Donoghue created the opening for Donnacha McHugh to palm the ball to the net.

Game over surely, but Roscommon still had a kick and in the 71st minute Conor Cox converted a penalty after a foul on Dylan Ruane.

A Tommy Conroy point looked to have won the game for a third time for Mayo but the visitors were lucky that they didn’t conceded another penalty deep in stoppage time for a foot block on Daire Cregg.

In the event their two late points were merely consolation scores.

In the hectic finish Fergal Boland was red carded – manager boss Kevin McStay said it was a case of mistaken identity while Roscommon’s Enda Smith appeared to pick up a serious injury.

Scorers – Roscommon: C Cox 1-4 (1 pen, 3f , 1M), E Smith 0-1, D Smith 0-2, D Cregg 0-1, D Murtagh 0-2 (2f), R Dolan 0-1, D Carroll 0-1 (1 45), Harney 0-1, C Lennon (0-1), K Doyle (0-1). Mayo: R O’Donoghue 1-4 (1-0 pen, 2f), E McLaughlin 0-3, D McHugh 1-0, M Ruane 0-1, J Flynn 0-2, D McHale 0-2, C O’Connor 0-1, T Conroy 0-1.

Roscommon: C Carroll; D Murray, B Stack, N Higgins; N Daly, R Dolan, E McCormack; E Smith, T O’Rourke; C Hand, D Smith, C Lennon, C Cox, D Cregg, D Murtagh. Subs: K Doyle for Hand (ht), D Ryan for Lennon (44), U Harney for O’Rourke (53), R Fallon for Daly (54), S Cunnane for Dolan (64).

Mayo: C Reape; P O’Hora, D McBrien, S Callinan; S Coen, J Coyne, E McLaughlin; D McHugh M Ruane, J Carney; D McHale, R O’Donoghue, J Flynn; A O’Shea, C O’Connor. Subs: C Loftus for McBrien (ht), T Conroy for O’Connor (53), F Boland for O’Shea (62), E Hession for McHale (69), B Touhy for McLaughlin (70 +2).

Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry).