In the end, it was James Kielt's second-half goal that proved the difference between the sides (with Paddy Bradley, fresh from his winter sojourn Down Under, on as a substitute to provide the assist). The Kilrea man's performance was possibly the most encouraging aspect of the game. He's had an excellent start to the season, and adds a new dimension to the Derry forward unit. Certainly the new Derry boss, speaking after the match, seemed happy with the influence of Derry's younger players:
"They certainly had a big bearing on this performance. It is great they have stepped up to show they have the quality to play at this level. It sends out a message to the other players that they have the hunger and it will increase competition for places."The Bellaghy man had to make a couple of changes to the named fifteen. Sean Lockhart was off on paternity leave, so Joe O'Kane slotted in at full-back, with Barry McGuigan coming on for his NFL debut at centre-back.
Unfortunately for McGuigan, he didn't last until half-time. Referee Maurice Deegan showed him a yellow card which rendered the Slaughtneil man unavailable for the remainder of the match. Brian Óg McAlary and Patsy Bradley followed before the half was out. This is surely a worrying aspect for Derry. Corner-back Ryan Dillon was also booked in the second-half, and there would appear to be discipline problems on the field of play which need to be eradicated.
Such a quantity of personnel changes in the early stages of match can cause disarray, but lucky enough, Derry (playing against the wind) found themselves only one point behind at the break (0-6 to 0-5).
Mayo seemed to collapse in the second half; although Kielt's goal sparked a revival in the Connacht men, and they brought themselves level as the game entered the final 15 minutes. But Derry finished stronger, with Paul Carton and Paul Young pointing to help close out the victory.
A welcome start to the NFL campaign. One that has been firmly billed as a chance to blood new talent and get this panel of Derry players ready for Championship football. It wasn't a flawless performance. There were times during the second-half when it looked as though Derry wanted to endear themselves to their hosts by kicking a litany of wides that any Mayo team would be proud of. And the yellow-card issue will need addressing before Westmeath make the journey to Ballinascreen in a fortnight's time.
DERRY: S McGuckian; B McAlary, B McGuigan, R Dillon; P Cartin (0-1), J O’Kane, C McKaigue; F Doherty (0-1), P Bradley; E Lynn, B McGoldrick (0-3 2 frees), SL McGoldrick; J Kielt (1-2), E Bradley, S Bradley (0-1). Subs: G O’Kane for McGuigan (14 mins, yellow), J Diver for P Bradley (19 mins, yellow), P Young (0-1) for McAlary (37 mins, yellow), B Bradley for S Bradley (42 mins), B Mullan for B McGoldrick (52 mins), D McBride for Dillon (63 mins, yellow)
No comments:
Post a Comment