Awesome Mayo brush aside outclassed Leitrim in Dalata Hotels Connacht U20 FC

An impressive Mayo ended Leitrim’s slim hopes of making the playoff stages of this year’s Dalata Hotels Connacht U20 Championship as the visitors steamrolled their way past a Green & Gold side who had no answer to their intensity and sheer hunger in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada.

As much as Mayo are regarded as a team of exceptional talents, what really caught the eye was their voracious workrate and hounding of the home side on Wednesday evening, forcing turnovers time and time again and the visitors had the forwards to punish any lapses or errors in defence.

Leitrim actually managed their highest score of their three outings so far in the Provincial U20 competition but the problem was that Mayo’s awesome firepower meant they were never truly troubled, a tigerish and physical defence that never gave Leitrim any real room, backing up their star studded attack.

Enda Lyons’ team were without mercurial forward Jack Kelly and Adam Gethins but they did have Senior players Eanna McNamara, Paul Honeyman, Ruairi O’Rourke and a returned Colm McLoughlin to call upon but it made little difference against a fast moving and clinical Mayo who look the real deal.

With so much attention on Kobe McDonald, it was others who shone - McDonald produced an array of passes reminiscent of his father Ciaran but Tom Lydon and Colm Lynch really stood out, the Mayo captain landing two huge two-pointers as he raided from defence while Lydon looks a real prospect at corner-forward.

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Incredibly, Mayo registered not one score from a placed ball, a startling statistic given there were a few challenges that could have been punished but it underlines the sheer scoring power of the visitors.

Mayo led by 13 points at halftime, a margin they only increased by two by the time the final whistle sounded but it was a chastening evening for the Green & Gold who had taken so much from the tough losses to Galway and Sligo in their first two outings.

Leitrim are not mathematically gone from the battle for third place - a win over Roscommon next Wednesday in King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park would leave them level with Roscommon and Sligo on two points each but scoring difference is very much against the Green & Gold with the 15 point loss to Mayo doing huge damage.

Mayo were quick off the mark, Kobe McDonald racing through to point after just 10 seconds. A Paul Honeyman free, for a foul on himself, tied the scores a minute later but after Ruairi O’Rourke was penalised for steps, McDonald went long to Oisin Deane who fed Darragh Beirne for a good point.

The Leitrim team that was defeated by Mayo on Wednesday evening Picture: Willie Donnellan

Leitrim levelled again, more a reward for quick thinking as Colm McLoughlin charged forward after winning a mark, colliding with a Mayo player and seeing the ball brought forward 50 metres for Honeyman to take over a free.

But whatever early positivity there was, it was quickly and cruelly crushed - Darragh Beirne cut in from the corner on five minutes and found an unmarked Dylan Flynn ahead of him, his precise finish gave Scott Kerr no chance. A minute later, a Leitrim player was caught in possession, the ball transferred at incredible speed with McDonald blasting home from close range.

A three man breach led to another McDonald point before a breakdown in a Leitrim attack ended up with wing-back Colm Lynch thumping over a two pointer. Tom Lydon did the same after he collected a spectacular McDonald long pass, fielding and firing over in one motion for a two pointer.

Lydon added another from play after a turnover before Lynch hit his second two pointer and suddenly, Leitrim were 14 points down.

Ronan Fox broke a tackle to score a good point on 21 minutes and Paul Honeyman got one from play and a free, another 50 metre bonus earned by the quick thinking McLoughlin, but two from Lydon either side of the scores left Mayo with a commanding 2-12 to 0-5 halftime lead.

Colm McLoughlin fires the ball to the Mayo net Picture: Willie Donnellan

Leitrim had the wind in the second half but it was Mayo who again scored straight from the throw-in, Rio Mortimer this time before Beirne hit a fine point from the corner. Halftime sub Bailey McBride, another returning Senior panelist, hit a huge two pointer but Mayo pulled further ahead with points from Oisin Deane and Lynch.

Mayo were in full control, Beirne had a shot saved by Kerr before Honeyman fired over a free but scores from Lydon (2), McDonald and a goal from Darragh Beirne, sub Conor Jordan providing the final pass for an easy finish left Mayo 3-19 to 0-8 ahead 46 minutes into the game.

Credit Leitrim for refusing to lie down - Colm McLoughlin had a shot saved by keeper Conor Meaney, preventing a certain goal but he did find the net, the route one approach working again as the Fenagh man fielded well and applied a great finish.

Ronan Fox and a Honeyman two pointer got the gap back down 14 points but Mayo’s sub Nathan Roddy and Rio Mortimer added late points to confirm a comfortable win for the visitors.

LEITRIM

Scorers: Paul Honeyman 0-8, 1 50, tp; 4f; Colm McLoughlin 1-0; Bailey McBride (tp) & Ronan Fox 0-2 each

Team: Scott Kerr; Aaron Gardiner, Darragh Gardiner, Oran Foley, Dara Greenan, Luke Braam Farrell; Niall Torsney, Luke Braam Farrell, Cormac Moran; Ruairi O’Rourke, Eanna McNamara, Frankie McManus; Ronan Fox, Ruairi O’Rourke, Paul Honeyman, Colm McLoughlin. Subs: Bailey McBride for Molloy (HT); Hugh Bracken for A Gardiner (36); Gavin Gallagher for Torsney (44); Ronan Connolly & Nathan Cox for D Gardiner & McManus (52)

MAYO

Scorers: Tom Lydon 0-7, tp; Kobe McDonald 1-3; Colm Lynch 0-5, 2 tp; Darragh Beirne 1-2; Dylan Flynn 1-0; Rio Mortimer 0-2; Oisin Deane & Nathan Roddy 0-1 each

Team: Conor Meaney, James Lavelle, Tom Lambert, Aaron Coggins, Colm Lynch, Rio Mortimer, Josh Moyles, Darragh Staunton, Joey Holmes, Andrew Quinn, Kobe McDonald, Dylan Flynn, Darragh Beirne, Oisin Deane, Tom Lydon. Subs: Thomas Tuffy for Lambert (HT); Conor Jordan for Holmes (45); Dara Neary for Flynn (50); Nathan Roddy for Beirne (53); Yousif Coghill for Coggins (57)

REFEREE: Dermot Lyons (Roscommon)