Mayo work hard to break Leitrim's resistance
Three second-half goals helped Mayo ease to victory over Leitrim in the Connacht GAA Under 17 Football Championship at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park this evening.
The 3-8 to 0-4 win in Castlebar combined with Roscommon's defeat of Sligo confirmed Mayo's place in the Connacht final with one round of group fixtures still to play.
Despite the scoreline, Leitrim gave Mayo a stern enough examination, especially in the first half. The home side only had three points to spare at the break, leading 0-6 to 0-3.
Leitrim's difficulties came in the attacking third of the field, where with the exception of the excellent Jack Kelly, they had few players to trouble the Mayo defence.
After the half-time break, Mayo worked even harder and an opportunistic goal from Oisín Deane in just the second minute of the new half left Leitrim with a mountain to climb.
Kobe McDonald and Evan Walsh added further goals in the final quarter while Leitrim were held to just one chance in front of the posts only to be thwarted by Mayo 'keeper Nathan Roddy, who produced a top class save.
Firmly in the ascendancy, thanks in no small part to the solidity of Tom Hession, Charlie Beale and Mark Noonan in defence, Mayo pushed on in that second half.
The impressive Josh Moyles, Dylan Flynn and Fionn Ó Cinnseala all landed points, while Owen Loughney, introduced after the break, allowed McDonald to play further forward and give the Leitrim rearguard even more headaches.
Luke Braam-Farrell worked hard to try and keep tabs on McDonald, while Kyle Russell and the midfield pair of Bailey McBride, who scored Leitrim's only second-half point, and Cormac Moran got on a lot of ball, but by the end the visitors were fairly well beaten by an impressive Mayo team.
Next up for Mayo is a visit to Sligo for the last game in the round robin stages of the championship. Having already qualified for the final, the management may avail of the opportunity to rotate squad members with one eye on the decider in three weeks' time.