Paddy Durcan returns to inspire Mayo to a victory that keeps their dreams alive
Mayo 2-0-17 (23)
Tyrone 1-2-9 (16)
IN A WEEK when they lost their manager and a fortnight since what was expected to be their 'gimme' win of their group 1 round robin, Mayo reached deep into themselves to revive hopes they would go deeper into the All-Ireland race by comprehensively dominating Tyrone.
They jumped into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead in the first dozen minutes; two Ryan O'Donoghue frees, a debut point for Conal Dawson and one of two first half points from Rory Brickenden.
Tyrone looked to be going through the hangover horrors of the Ballybofey win. After half an hour they had just two points. Defensively they fell for all the traps Mayo set, allowing Peter Teague to carry the ball out of defence, only to strip him with a pincer movement.
From Niall Morgan's 13 kickouts, they lost six. Without Brian Kennedy in the middle they were struggling to find options.
Mayo brought the best version of themselves. When Tyrone were attacking, they threw up a heavy cordon of bodies and invited them on. That left one on one duels inside, but again they backed themselves with Sean Morahan handling Mark Bradley and Enda Hession on Darren McCurry, neither of whom scored in the first half.
Stephen Rochford speaks to the Mayo team. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Gaining so much possession meant Mayo were rampant. In a couple of minutes they had two goal chances; Jack Carney producing a backdoor cut that invited Aidan O'Shea to hoke a ground shot wide, while O'Shea returned the compliment to Carney who was blocked down by a retreating Seanie O'Donnell, bringing a converted 45 from goalkeeper Colm Reape.
Having gone 0-9 to 0-2 down, Darragh Canavan attempted to fashion a Tyrone comeback with a free worked with a give-go and then shot from play, followed by him converting his own free after being fouled by Jack Coyne.
As the half wore down, Mayo held the ball for the last two minutes. Eventually Bob Tuohy floated in what appeared a rash shot after all that effort, but it was spilled by Niall Morgan into the arms of Darren McHale to plant to the net at the maximum emotional effect.
Tyrone staged a comeback that brought a sumptuous goal from Darragh Canavan and came to within two points. It was noticeable how their biggest performers were being leaned on heavily. For all the talk of a conveyor belt in Tyrone with another U20 All-Ireland, a lot of this game showed up how you need your seasoned men.
Darren McCurry grabbed himself two points before Niall Morgan lamped a two-point free over. Two in it. But that merely got Mayo going again.
They reeled off an unanswered 1-4. The win was sealed a successful Ryan O'Donoghue penalty, burying some ghosts of his miss against the same opposition in the 2021 final.
This result means that Mayo's championship season lives, but there is still some work left to do.
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Scorers for Mayo: Ryan O'Donoghue 1-6 (1-0 pen, 0-5 frees), Paddy Durcan 0-3, Darren McHale 1-0, Conal Dawson 0-2, Rory Brickenden 0-2, Aidan O'Shea, Jack Carney, Jack Coyne 0-1 each, Colm Reape 0-1 (1 x 45)
Scorers for Tyrone: Darragh Canavan 1-3 (0-2 frees), Niall Morgan 0-4 (2 x 2point frees), Darren McCurry 0-2 (0-1 free), Michael McKernan, Kieran McGeary, Ben McDonnell, Mattie Donnelly 0-1 each
Mayo
1. Colm Reape (Knockmore)
2. Jack Coyne (Ballyhaunis) 16. Seán Morahan (Castlebar Mitchells) 4. Rory Brickenden (Westport)
5. Stephen Coen (Hollymount Carramore) 6. David McBrien (Ballaghadereen) 7. Enda Hession (Garrymore)
23. Paddy Durcan (Castlebar Mitchels) 9. Matthew Ruane (Breaffy)
10. Jack Carney (Kilmeena) 11. Darren McHale (Knockmore) 17. Bob Tuohy (Castlebar Mitchels)
13. Aidan O'Shea (Breaffy) 18. Conal Dawson (Westport) 15. Ryan O'Donoghue (Belmullet)
Subs:
12. Jordan Flynn (Crossmolina) for Tuohy (52 mins)
14. Davitt Neary (Breaffy) for McHale (52 mins)
20. Fenton Kelly (Davitts) for Dawson (55 mins)
21. Fergal Boland (Aghamore) for Ruane (64 mins)
25. Sam Callinan (Ballina) for Durcan (68 mins)
Tyrone
1. Niall Morgan (Edendork)
2. Cormac Quinn (Errigal Ciaran) 3. Peter Teague (Dromore) 4. Niall Devlin (Coalisland)
5. Michael McKernan (Coalisland) 6. Rory Brennan (Trillick) 7. Kieran McGeary (Pomeroy)
8. Brian Kennedy (Derrylaughan) 9. Conn Kilpatrick (Edendork)
10. Seanie O'Donnell (Trillick) 11. Mattie Donnelly (Trillick) 12. Ciarán Daly (Trillick)
13. Darren McCurry (Edendork) 14. Mark Bradley (Killyclogher) 15. Darragh Canavan (Errigal Ciaran)
Subs:
20. Shea O'Hare (Ardboe) for Brennan (HT)
26. Liam Gray (Trillick) for O'Donnell (HT)
24. Peter Harte (Errigal Ciaran) for Bradley (47 mins)
25. Ruairí Canavan (Errigal Ciaran) for Daly (47 mins)
22. Aodhan Donaghy (Loughmacrory) for McDonnell (62 mins)
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)
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The 42
36 minutes ago
- The 42
Glasgow will sense opportunity against a Leinster team in need of a lift
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The 42
36 minutes ago
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'People saw a gentle giant. They had no idea behind closed doors what that Jekyll and Hyde was capable of doing'
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Better instead to regulate their more negative effects, as he managed to do say when the Glasgow game became a tapestry of provocations. Ireland nonetheless qualified for Euro 2016. Given was included in the squad, but Forde was not, as he was among the wider squad players cut from the final selection after a friendly against Belarus at Turner's Cross. Forde hung back after learning of the news, signing autographs outside the ground as an Irish international, knowing inside that international career was over. Forde says he stayed back out of respect for supporters, but that he did so at his lowest moment was the sign that the full-time whistle had been blown on his inner game. Realising he had to get a handle on his anger, Forde studied psychology, read philosophy, practised meditation techniques and probed inward. 'We all have a shadow and we all have a light,' says Forde. 'The biggest problem is everybody wants to be seen in their light. Nobody wants to see their shadow.' 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Managers, coaches, peers, players, fans, press, media, television: everybody making judgments. 'My journey was to actually understand what I was actually dealing with, and what I was trying to break free from.' In the book, Forde delves into his relationship with his late father, who did not provide him with direct and positive judgements. Forde writes he was 'emotionally neglected', missing his father's approval. 'My father was my hero. He left me lonely,' writes Forde. While Forde's father didn't tell him directly of his pride, he could tell others of that pride in the local pub. Forde remembers getting slaps on the back from men around home, exclaiming, 'Jaysus, your father was delighted with ya!' 'During my career, yeah, if I do something great and I do something successful, that pat on the back might actually come,' says Forde. 'He probably did me a favour by not doing it! I'm only joking. It definitely played its part, in terms of, if I do well in my sport, I'll impress him.' Seeking the approval of surrogates in the realm of football was thus always going to be a thwarted exercise, and so certain criticisms were perceived as rejections, and were loaded with more meaning for Forde than was ever intended. Forde's inner game was to realise all of this. 'When I started to see that, I started to realise that my Dad was an amazing man,' says Forde. 'He did the best with what he had.' He recounts his final meeting with his father, as he lay in a hospital bed on St Enda's ward in Galway hospital. 'I said, 'Look Dad, when the light comes and the ancestors come, don't be afraid. You go. I want to thank you for everything you have done for me. You did your best.' He couldn't talk to me at the time, so he gave me a thumbs up. 'That moment allowed me [to have] no regret or remorse because I got to say what I had to say to my Dad. That's why I did this book, and why I began to change and transform. I didn't want to pass that down to my children. I can't protect them from everything, but I can give them a better start by communicating and being more open and transparent. 'I never heard my father say he was proud of me, but I am proud of him.' ********** Forde in action for West Ham in a pre-season friendly against Dagenham in 2003. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo In his book, Forde remembers a 2003 FA Cup tie with West Ham away to Manchester United. Forde was an unused substitute in a brutal 6-0 defeat, after which Gary Breen, who started at centre-half, stood up in the dressing room and said, 'I've no right to be in this team. I don't think I'm good enough to play at this level.' Breen had played and scored at a World Cup seven months earlier. Forde includes the moment as it was a rare moment of open vulnerability in a dressing room. 'It was true bravery in front of your peers,' writes Forde, as Breen 'held no shame that day.' This is not the typical stuff of dressing rooms, where each individual player is taught to believe they are a lion tamer, and the moment they show even the hint of weakness, they'll be eaten. This is a long-established environment, but not an especially healthy one. We turn back to the scene of Keane berating Forde from the sideline at Celtic Park. Forde made a mistake. Mistakes happen, and he didn't set out to make it. But in that moment, Forde perceived Keane's reaction not as a confrontational challenge not to repeat that mistake, but as a threat to his whole identity. It's an insight into the personal insecurity on which so much football is built. Forde had fought his whole career to play for Ireland, and now he feared it could be taken away. He saw threats everywhere. He was playing instead of Shay Given, but Given had recently started working with Keane at Aston Villa. Given is arguably Ireland's greatest goalkeeper, where Forde is 'only' playing at Millwall. Keane's maybe our greatest-ever player. Forde was named to start and did so, but before the game, the goalkeeper coach had taken the unusual step of warming up one of the reserve goalkeepers rather than the number one, as was custom. 'What does somebody do when their ego gets challenged, and their sense of identity?They go into fight mode,' says Forde. 'I didn't see it as a challenge. I saw that fundamentally as a threat. 'I am battling for my position, for my family, for a roof over my head, and I felt it being pulled away from me, brick-by-brick. It was a build-up, it was happening over time. 'I never felt that security. Maybe that was their style and fundamentally their style was not my style.' Forde also says his own ego prevented him from seeing it from Keane's side: he was under pressure to win, even moreso at Celtic Park as a former Celtic player and assistant to a former Celtic manager. Forde works as a performance coach now, and his clients include young footballers. He also spent some time on Stephen Kenny's staff with Ireland for emotional support. He says the modern game is changing now. After a 20-year revolution in physical preparation – led by the likes of Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson – he says the next 20 years will see a revolution in the mental side of the game. 'We are stepping into the next 20 years of the mind, and of understanding how the mind affects players and how they are affected by how coaches and managers and players are communicating, how they like to be motivated. 'I grew up in that generation that was motivated by fear. Now I look at my own children and the generation that's coming, they do not tolerate that. The generation now want to be inspired and motivated, that's what gives them momentum. They don't appreciate people who come to them with that aggressive approach. 'Going from being passive-aggressive to passive-assertive: that's really what a man is. Someone who will assertive themselves. There are many way to show bravery and courage on a football pitch. 'It's not about breaking legs and being a fucking tough man. They are the men who are afraid. It's those who can impose themselves on a game. Go and win a header, win a tackle, dive at someone's feet. It takes courage too to stand up and not tackle. It is all perception, and the perception of how the game is being played is being transformed.' Forde admits that writing a book was opening up to further judgement, but he has more than learned to deal with it. 'I'm secure physically. I'm secure mentally. I'm secure emotionally. I'm secure intellectually. What I believe about myself is true now. And what others think about me, is none of my business. That's called freedom.' Being the One by David Forde is published by Pathfinder Books and is available now For updates on book signing events, follow David Forde
Irish Times
39 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Woman (24) who died after Cork City Marathon event named
Tributes have been paid to Ellen Cassidy (24), who died in hospital yesterday after becoming unwell at the finish line of the Cork City Marathon. Ms Cassidy, of Old Mallow Road in Cork City, became ill at about 1pm yesterday after she had finished the half marathon in Cork City centre. She was tended to at the scene by medics before being transferred to Cork University Hospital by ambulance. She was pronounced dead a short time later. Ms Cassidy was a graduate of University College Cork and a former student of St Angela's College on Patrick's Hill in the city. READ MORE She was a champion swimmer who participated in competitions over the years in Ireland and overseas. She joined Dolphin Swimming Club on the northside of Cork City at the age of nine and competed with distinction for her club, Munster and Ireland. She also broke a large number of club records for Dolphin where she was a former 'Swimmer of the Year' and team captain. In a post on Facebook, the club said Ms Cassidy made a tremendous impression on everyone she met. 'Ellen swam through life with grace, strength and passion ... Your smile and your drive will never be forgotten,' the club said. Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork and Green Party councillor Honore Kamegni posted on X that he learned with 'deep sadness' of the passing of the runner. 'She became unwell at the finish line on Patrick Street. Immediate medical attention was provided to her. My heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones,' he said. Cork County Council said on Sunday it was 'deeply saddened' to confirm a participant in the Cork City Marathon died. 'The person was attended to immediately by the emergency services on the scene. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the deceased.'
