Mayo to face strong galway side in under 21 semifinal

The Mayo Under 21 footballers will have to show a marked improvement from their quarterfinal meeting with Leitrim if they hope to come out on top in the semi-final against arch rivals Galway on Saturday evening (5 p.m., Elverys MacHale Park, Castlebar), writes Aiden Henry.

While the fact that Mayo already have a game under their belt, and one played in MacHale Park, will be an advantage over Galway, they will certainly have to make more of their scoring chances if they are to come out on top.

It was an average performance by Mayo against Leitrim last week. However, I expect this semi-final meeting with Galway will be a much different affair in that I think the Tribesmen will play a more direct game, unlike the blanket defence tactics employed by Leitrim. This in itself should mean we will have a much different encounter and, indeed, a much more entertaining clash.

There was a lot to like about Mayo in many ways against Leitrim. There was plenty of evidence that the side contains many top class footballers. For instance, goalkeeper Matthew Flanagan showed he is a very good stopper and a player who seems to be playing with a lot of confidence. Michael Hall was just brilliant. His lightening speed was a delight to watch. Patrick Durcan is no stranger to producing good displays and he again showed, especially in the second half, what a great future he has.

Diarmuid O’Connor had a magnificent game in the middle of the field and was just touched off by Michael Hall for man of the match. Val Roughneen and Adam Gallagher worked tirelessly throughout. I feel that Gallagher is still a bit short in confidence and maybe should take on the shot much sooner rather than trying to walk the ball into the net. James Durcan also looked lively throughout.

I was very impressed by Matthew Ruane when he was introduced in the second half. I am sure he will be very much in the selectors’ minds they go to pick the team for Galway.

But, overall, a team can do very well if they can convert most of their scoring chances. Mayo did not do that against Leitrim. They will need to do so against Galway.

As for Galway, they will be very hard to beat. I am sure team manager Alan Flynn, who was in MacHale Park last Wednesday evening, will have identified the pros and cons of the Mayo performance and know where they can expose Mayo.

As was evident in the recent Hastings Cup tournament, where they reached the final before being beaten by Roscommon, they are a decent side and have plenty of very good players, including the likes of Michael Daly, Gerry Kelly, Conor Farragher, Johnny Heaney, Enda Tierney and Corofin’s Silke, Wall and Burke, who were part of the team that won the All-Ireland club final yesterday (St. Patrick’s Day).

All in all it has the ingredients for a top class encounter. But if Mayo can make the most of their scoring chances they have every chance of progressing to the decider. I give them the nod to win.