Derry 0-15

Mayo 1-12

(Derry win 4-3 after penalties)

Mike Finnerty reports from MacHale Park

DERRY DEFENDER CONOR Doherty was the hero of the hour as the Oak Leafers won a nail-biting penalty shoot-out to book their place in next weekend’s All-Ireland senior football championship quarter-finals.

Doherty held his nerve to convert the final spot-kick of a dramatic shoot-out to break Mayo’s hearts as missed efforts from Paul Towey and Ryan O’Donoghue cost the Westerners dearly in Castlebar on Saturday evening in front of a crowd of 13,955.

The prize for Mickey Harte’s men is a ticket to the last eight of the championship at Croke Park, despite the fact that they had already lost three games earlier in the campaign.

Kevin McStay’s Mayo looked set to win in normal time after they fought back from being three points down at the interval to lead by one deep into added-time. But Derry clawed their way back from the brink to carve out an equaliser from veteran defender, Chrissy McKaigue, that sent an absorbing contest to extra-time.

The sides had been deadlocked at 1-8 to 0-11 after more than 75 minutes. Under the MacHale Park floodlights, the Oak Leaf county had the better of the early exchanges in added time with points from the outstanding Brendan Rogers and the influential Ethan Doherty (2) leaving the visitors ahead by 0-14 to 1-9.

But Mayo were never going to roll over and the second half of extra-time was as frantic as it was tense with the homeside coming back from the dead to shoot late scores from substitute Paul Towey and Conor Loftus setting up a grandstand finish.

There was still more time for drama though as Mayo created an equalising chance deep in added time that was finished brilliantly by Jordan Flynn. That meant that the sides were still level when the final whistle sounded so a penalties would be required to find a winner on the night.

Cillian O’Connor, Diarmuid O’Connor and Conor Loftus all scored their penalties for Mayo but both Paul Towey and Ryan O’Donoghue missed. Derry’s Ethan Doherty also saw his effort miss the target, but Shane McGuigan, Conor Glass and Ciaran McFaul all converted before Conor Doherty slotted Derry’s final kick past Colm Reape to settle the argument once and for all.

Scorers for Mayo: Ryan O’Donoghue 1-4 (1-0p, 0-3f), Tommy Conroy 0-2, Jordan Flynn 0-2, Conor Loftus 0-1, Aidan O’Shea 0-1, Paul Towey 0-1, Sam Callinan 0-1.

Scorers for Derry: Lachlan Murray 0-5 (0-1 mark), Shane McGuigan 0-4 (0-2f), Brendan Rogers 0-2, Ethan Doherty 0-2, Chrissy McKaigue 0-1, Gareth McKinless 0-1,

Mayo
1. Colm Reape (Knockmore)

2. Jack Coyne (Ballyhaunis), 3. David McBrien (Ballaghaderreen), 4. Donnacha McHugh (Castlebar Mitchels)

5. Rory Brickenden (Westport), 6. Sam Callinan (Ballina Stephenites), 7. Eoghan McLaughlin (Westport)

8. Stephen Coen (Hollymount/Carramore), 9. Matthew Ruane (Breaffy)

10. Tommy Conroy (The Neale), 11. Darren McHale (Knockmore), 12. Jordan Flynn (Crossmolina)

13. Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy), 14. Jack Carney (Kilmeena), 15. Ryan O’Donoghue (Belmullet)

Subs:

• Conor Loftus (Crossmolina) for McLaughlin (half-time)
• Diarmuid O’Connor (Ballintubber) for McHale (53)
• Enda Hession (Garrymore) for Coyne (58)
• Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber) for Ruane (67)
• Bob Tuohy (Castlebar Mitchels) for O’Shea (70)
• Paul Towey (Charlestown) for Brickenden (80)
• Michael Plunkett (Ballintubber) for Callinan (87).

Derry

1. Odhran Lynch (Magherafelt)

2. Conor McCluskey (Magherafelt), 3. Chrissy McKaigue (Slaughtneil), 4. Diarmuid Baker (Steelstown)

5. Ciaran McFaul (Glen), 6. Eoin McEvoy (Magherafelt), 18. Conor Doherty (Newbridge)

8. Conor Glass (Glen), 9. Brendan Rogers (Slaughtneil)

10. Ethan Doherty (Glen), 11. Emmett Bradley (Glen), 12. Paul Cassidy (Bellaghy)

23. Gareth McKinless (Ballinderry), 14. S McGuigan (Slaughtneil), 15. Lachlan Murray (Desertmartin)

Subs:

• Eunan Mulholland (Glen) for Bradley (44)
• Donnacha Gilmore (Steelstown) for Doherty (67)
• Cormac Murphy (Magherafelt) for Cassidy (67)
• Niall Toner (Lavey) for Murray (70)
• Ruairi Forbes (Ballinderry) for Baker (70)
• Diarmuid Baker for Forbes (70, ET)
• Paul Cassidy for Murphy (70, ET)
• Conor Doherty for Baker (83)

Referee: B Cawley (Kildare)

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