Mayo secure Division 1 status with win in Derry

Mayo secured their Allianz National Football League Division 1 status with a merited 2-19 to 1-17 victory over Derry in Celtic Park this afternoon.

The margin of victory would have been greater but for some excellent two-point shooting by Derry's Conor Glass, who tried his best to inspire the Oak Leaf men with top flight survival on the line.

Glass couldn't coax enough out of his team-mates, however, and so they go down to Division 2 next year, a fate avoided by Mayo with one game left to play.

The first half offered up exciting fare. Despite the need for league points, both teams played with the shackles off.

The scores came in stages at either end of the field. Mayo opened with an early Ryan O'Donoghue point but Derry had the better of the early exchanges and a goal on four minutes by Patrick McGurk was brilliant in its execution.

Mattie Ruane, who went on to have a big influence on the game, dissected the posts on eight minutes either side of two efforts by Shane McGuigan, leaving the goal between the teams.

However, Mayo scored three in a row, Ruane (two) and O'Donoghue on target, and new Derry 'keeper Neil McNichol – who replaced the injured Odhran Lynch on 15 minutes – should have been picking the ball out of his net but David McBrien miscued in front of the target after a great set-up involving Aidan O'Shea.

Derry responded with four in a row through Shane McGuigan, Patrick McGurk, Neil Loughlin and Padraig McGrogan to put them ahead by three again (1-5 to 0-5).

Once again, however, Mayo responded as Ryan O'Donoghue scored a two-point free, Aidan O'Shea fished a Jordan Flynn delivery over the bar, and O'Donoghue saw an effort creep over.

Glass and McGuigan responded to put the home side ahead again (1-8 to 0-9), but Fenton Kelly and that man Ruane brought Mayo level again, and it looked as though it would remain that way at the break as the hooter sounded with the teams tied at 1-8 to 0-11.

However, Ryan O'Donoghue dispossessed a Derry man around the middle and played in Jordan Flynn, who rifled an effort from 20 yards into the bottom left corner.

That gave Mayo a 1-11 to 1-8 lead, and they never looked back in the second half.

In fact, they were as good as out of sight at the end of the third quarter after adding 1-4 to their tally for the concession of just 0-2, Frank Irwin with the goal following a slick move as the points flowed from O'Donoghue, Ruane, Conor Reid and Irwin himself.

Derry conceded two more early in the the third quarter, leaving them trailing 1-10 to 2-17, but then they started to rally.

The Oak Leaf men scored three two-pointers in a row, Conor Glass with two and Conor Doherty with the third, and they had a goal chance but Shane McGuigan hit the side-netting from a tight angle.

Ryan O'Donoghue stopped the rot with a free but Glass landed another superb two-pointer to leave just four between the sides with three minutes remaining.

Mayo, showing great composure, held on to possession in the closing stages and a late fisted effort by substitute Eoghan McLaughlin put the result beyond all doubt, leaving Mayo 2-19 to 1-17 winners and safe in the knowledge that they will have Division 1 football again next season.

Derry: O. Lynch; D. Baker, E. McEvoy, M. Bradley; C. Doherty, P. McGrogan (0-1), P. McGurk (1-1); C. Glass (0-9, 3 tp), A. Tohill; E. Doherty, N. Toner (0-1), D. Higgins; N. Loughlin (0-1), S. McGuigan (0-4, 1f), P. Cassidy.

Subs used: N. McNichol, B. McCarron, C. Devlin, C. McMonagle.

Mayo: C. Reape; J. Coyne, D. McHugh, E. Hession; S. Callinan, D. McBrien, F. Kelly (0-1); S. Coen, M. Ruane (0-6); C. Reid (0-1), J. Carney, J. Flynn (1-0); A. O'Shea (0-1), F. Irwin (1-1), R. O'Donoghue (0-8, 1 tpf, 2f).

Subs used: S. Morahan, F. Boland, D. Neary, E. McLaughlin (0-1), P. Towey.

Referee: F. Kelly (Longford).