Rangers repel Mayo rally

By Sean O’Reilly

Scoreline:

Rangers 1-15

Mayo 2-10

Mayo and Rangers served up another classic encounter to round out the senior “B” division on a high Sunday at Gaelic Park. This game had everything: great scores, individual brilliance and some brave-heart defending.

Favorites Rangers led from start to finish and, with more scoring options in attack than Mayo, they are deserving of the senior “A” status for next season. Mayo gave great value for money. Their attack was slow to start but once it gathered steam they bulldozed with all their might to the finish. The finish line, however, arrived too soon for the Westerners.

For this encounter, Rangers had Dublin seniors Mick O’Keefe and Jonathon McGee on board, while Mayo went with Kildare’s John Doyle and Down’s John Lavery.

The Irish-American outfit burst out of the traps and kicked nine great points in the opening half. The Kilmacud Crokes quintet of Mick O’Keefe, Kevin O’Cearuil, Liam Og O’hEineachain, Jonathon McGee and Brian McGrath were all to the fore. O’Keefe kicked four points from frees, while Liam Og and O’Cearuil landed the others.

Mayo worked to the bone in every department. Their defense was well marshaled by Tommy Gallagher, Pete McGinley, Pierce O’Reilly and Damien Hendy, while Lavery and Dave Colleran worked tirelessly around the middle. It was in attack that Mayo struggled. One man will never win a game, and while John Doyle did everything right, he plowed a lone furrow for the entire hour. Indeed, center forward Mark Culhane and powerful Paddy Reddington failed to ignite the otherwise inert attack. The Allenwood club man hit 1-4 for Mayo in the opening half, while Culhane and substitute Liam McDonald landed the other two.

The Mayo goal was a well-worked move. Lavery burst from the middle and passed to Doyle, who coolly slotted home from outside the small square.

It was the perfect halftime tonic for the Mayo men, who only trailed by a solidarity point at the changeover, 1-6 to 0-9.

The second half produced end-to-end football. Rangers were first off the mark, with Mick O’Keefe pointing from an early free before Stuart Barry put them three in front. Amazingly, the Mayo defense lost all it’s composure when Mick O’Keefe was moved away from the edge of the small square. The sharpshooter was nullified when close to goal, but he created havoc once on the 40, pointing twice and setting up three other scores.

The killer blow for Mayo was self-inflicted. Reliable defender Damien Hendy misjudged his pass out of defense, allowing his marker, Liam Og O’hEineachain, to collect and send a pile-driver past Kevin Tuohy in the Mayo goal. Mayo never recovered. Doyle (2) and Culhane pointed for the Westerners, but the other quarters were shooting blanks.

Rampant Rangers continued to torment the Mayo rearguard. O’Cearuil, O’Keefe and Mike Sheridan all scored to put them 1-14 to 1-9 in front. In the dramatic final fling, Mayo’s Eamon McEvoy goaled, after a mighty move from the back. O’Keefe and Culhane swapped points to leave two between the sides, but time ran out on Mayo.

Mayo: Kevin Tuohy, Peter McGinley, Pierce O’Reilly, Tommy Gallagher, Eamon McEvoy 1-0, Damien Hendy, Keith McMahon, Dave Colleran, John Lavery, Niall McMahon, Mark Culhane 0-2, Noel Faherty, John Browne, John Doyle 1-7, Paddy Reddington. Subs: Liam McDonald 0-1, Shane Haughey.

Rangers: Justin Williams, Mike Rennicks, Nathan Keane, Tom Birmingham, Brian McGrath, Jonathon McGee, Fintan O’Shea, Mike Bishop, Dave Phelan, Dermot Lowry, Liam Og O’hEineachain, 1-3, Mike Sheridan 0-1, Stuart Barry 0-1, Mick O’Keefe 0-6, Kevin O’Cearuil 0-3. Sub: Sean Concannon.