We’re here to raise the curtain in Croke Park and witness the future of Tyrone and Mayo do battle for the All-Ireland minor crown.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the match. E-mail sean@thescore.ie, tweet @thescore_ie, post a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.
We hope you’ve topped up the sunscreen and kept some cool liquids in the thermos, because it’s hot in the city today.
We’re in Croke Park awaiting the minor football final decider between Mayo and Tyrone.
Here are the young men chomping at the bit for shot at glory at HQ.
MAYO: Mark Mulligan (Claremorris); Eddie Doran (Achill), Seamus Cunniffe (Ballaghaderreen), David Kenny (Aghamore); Michael Hall (Breaffy), Stephen Coen (Hollymount/Carramore), Sean Conlon (Castlebar Mitchels); Val Roughneen (Balla), Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintubber); Conor Loftus (Crossmolina), Michael Plunkett (Ballintubber), Padraig Prendergast (Louisburgh); Darragh Doherty (Kilmaine), Liam Irwin (Breaffy), Tommy Conroy (Kiltane).
Subs: Matthew Flanagan (Balla), Hugh Cafferty (Crossmolina), Kevin Jordan (Mayo Gaels), Ronan Finn (Claremorris), Brian Walsh (Ballintubber), Matthew Ruane (Breaffy), Fionán Duffy (Crossmolina), James Langan (Knockmore), Conor Byrne (Moy Davitts).
TYRONE: Sean Fox (Ceapach); Colm Byrne (An Eaglais), Rhys Quinn (Cluain Eo), Cillian McCann (Fionntamhnach); Shea Hamill (Domhnach Mor), Christopher Morris (Gallbhaile), Padraig McGirr (Aireagal Chiarain), Ronan Nugent (Gallbhaile), Frank Burns (Cabhan a’Chaotainn), David Mulgrew (Ard Bo), Conor McKenna (An Eaglais), Ruairi McGlone (Achadh Lu), Lee Brennan (Tri Leac) Daire Gallagher (Tri Leac), Stephen McGrath (Doire Lochain).
SUBS: Ronan McGeary (Gallbhaile), Kevin Coney (Ard Bo), Philip Donnelly (Domhnach Mor), Tiarnan Donnelly (Achadh Lu), Sean Fox (An Caislean Glas), Michael Lynn (Ard Bo), Rian mcHugh (Breac an Bhile), Cathal McShane (E R Ui Neill), Che O’Donnell (Breac an Bhile).
There’s still plenty of time before throw-in, so let’s have your predictions, hopes, nightmares for both of today’s games.
We’re minutes away from throw-in at Croke Park. Even Darren Fletcher can’t wait for this one. Let’s get it on.
Enda Kenny is ready to greet his fellow Mayo-men, favourites to claim the minor crown today and bridge a gap to their last in 1985.
THROW IN:
Mayo come away with possession, they’ll attack Hill 16 this half, but they’re quickly dispossessed and Tyrone work a long-range chance for Frank Burns, but it’s high and drifts wide.
Mayo 0 -00 Tyrone 0 -01
Ronan Nugent opens the scoring for the Ulster as they come straight back after a short Mayo kick out.
Mayo battle their way up the right flank and Darragh O’Doherty wins a free, which Liam Irwin converts with ease.
Mayo 0 -01 Tyrone 0 -01
Pretty bad wide from McKenna after Tyrone do well to counter-attack after Frank Burns broke down a Mayo attack with a timely interception.
Again, though, Tyrone follow up a wide with a score as Lee Brennan opens his account with a free.
Mayo 0 -01 Tyrone 0 -02
Ruairi McGlone kicks Tyrone’s third wide of the day after a fluid move down the right, this time Mayo figure an escape route and quickly win a free directly in front of goal at the other end allowing Liam Irwin level matters again.
Mayo 0 -02 Tyrone 0 -02
Frank Burns has dropped into the full-back line and is sweeping to great effect. His latest interception, on his own end-line, kicks off a move which sets up Ronan Nugent for his second of the game, this one a skyscraper of a score into the Davin Stand.
Mayo again hit back straight away through Liam Irwin
Mayo 0 -03 Tyrone 0 -03
15 mins: Darragh Doherty kicks Mayo’s first wide of the day, it just curled wide of the near post and denied the green and red their first from play.
Another fine score from play from Tyrone, this time Mulgrew guiding the ball between the uprights.
Mayo 0 -03 Tyrone 0 -04
Mayo and Doherty are getting closer from play, this time HawkEye is called for, but the umpire is proved right.
GOAL CHANCE!
That’s the opening Mayo were looking for, but it’s another wide after Liam Irwin feeds Tommy ‘goal’ Conroy who blasts the ball straight as he stands left of the target.
23 minutes gone and Tyrone have scored another from play through McGlone after three consecutive Mayo wides.
Mayo 0 -03 Tyrone 0 -05
Yellow Card: McGlone goes in the referee’s book a second time, this time a yellow for talking back to referee Conor Lane.
Mayo 0 -04 Tyrone 0 -05
Approaching half time and Mayo are still in touch despite not having managed a score from play.
Just as we repeat Mayo’s lack of open play scores, Tommy Conroy comes up and fires a rasping shot on target.
Sean Fox should have kept it out. Despite getting two hands to the shot he could only push it into the corner of the net.
Tyrone respond through Conor McKenna with another brilliant move at the other end just before half time.
HALF TIME: Mayo 1 -04 Tyrone 0-06
This just in from the northside of Dublin: a man who looks like he’s made this trip in that suit for each and every one of those 62 years.
Throw-in:
We’re under way again and Mayo hit three quick-fire scores, the last two come from play through Doherty and Conroy.
Mayo 1 -07 Tyrone 0-06
That scoring burst has turned Tyrone’s gameplan on its head. After a tight first half where every inch was valuable, the Red Hand now trail by four points as Conor McKenna lines up a 45, but he’s thumped it wide.
Mayo 1 -07 Tyrone 0-06
From a tight angle, Doherty guides a beauty of a score over the bar with a deft touch of his left boot. That’s four in a row for the Connacht men.
Mayo 1 -08 Tyrone 0-06
Tyrone need a big moment. They almost get it, but the ball comes back off the bar.
Mayo take the ball up the other end and exploit the space by moving the ball quickly from right to left where Doherty is the goal-poacher awaiting his chance and he drills it home.
Mayo 2 -04 Tyrone 0-06
Mayo double their half time score in nine short minutes after the break, that’s why they were favourites, folks. A hige ask for Tyrone to come back into this game in sapping conditions.
Lee Brennan starts the trek up the mountain with a free.
Mayo 2 -08 Tyrone 0-07
Lee Brennan leans to right and bends over the score of the game with the outside of his left boot from under the Hogan Stand. Stunning score.
And it comes between scores from Gallagher and Donnelly to put Tyrone right back in this game..
Mayo 2 -08 Tyrone 0-10
Conor Loftus pops up at the other end to give Mayo some breathing space again, this could get tasty in the last 13 minutes.
Mayo 2 -09 Tyrone 0-10
Tyrone sub Cathal McShane exploits a massive gap in front of goal and hits another from Tyrone before Brennan compliments it with anotherclose-range free.
Mayo 2- 09 Tyrone 0- 12
Daire Gallagher edges Tyrone closer still. Credit the Ulster side for coming back into this game, but that life-long wait for a Mayo minor title will be feeling longer and longer for their players.
Mayo 2- 09 Tyrone 0- 12
Irwin misses a free, but hits the post and Conroy shows the kind of instinct and reaction that will mark him out as a senior to watch next year, he punces on the rebound and blasts over the bar.
Mayo 2- 10 Tyrone 0- 12
Conor Loftus has been sensational in this half, another score from his right boot comes with four minutes on the clock and it keeps Mayo a length clear.
Mayo 2- 11 Tyrone 0- 12
David Kenny is the TV3 man-of-the-match.
Conor McKenna rifles over the lates Tyrone effort, their first in over 10 minutes.
Conor Byrne and Tommy Conroy each hit lovely late scores from distance. Mayo are finishing with a flourish here.
Mayo 2- 13 Tyrone 0- 13
GOAL
Mayo 2- 10 Tyrone 1- 12
Conor McKenna gives Tyrone hope. Hold on to your hat, Mayo fans.
Mayo are the All-Ireland minor football champions.
That’s one long wait over, but you didn’t think a Myo side would cruise home without making you sweat a little, did you?
Way to go Troy. And sond plonker on here a while ago said the Dutch league is the worst it’s been in generations…. on the contrary it seems at its best in a while
@robert kelly: it’s more a case of the other leagues regressing rather the Dutch league on the up. Psv is decent. Feynoord had a good result against the worst AC Milan team I can ever remember. Ajax are pale shadow of the club they used to be. Indeed, they were very to go through having lost at home to Royal Union. Twente was knocked out by the mighty Bodo. Dutch league itself is a goal fest every week. Entertaining perhaps but not a great standard overall.
@Ray Ridge: yea it’s probably a bit of both Ray. The last i seen it looked like Twente were going thru I didn’t realise they collapsed until after I posted so my bad and yea Ajax are a shadow of themselves but PSV and Feyenoord progressing in the champions and AZ in the europa, but it was actually more in relation to someone saying Parrot was at best a championship level player but I think the Dutch legue deserves more respect and Troy is showing his talent on arguably a much bigger stage and fair play to him. Hope Alkmaar go deep in it and they’re doing well in the league as well