As injury time winners go, Mayo’s was as satisfying as any of them.
The men from the west launched a stunning late comeback in the junior football championship on Wednesday evening to see off Roscommon who, just minutes earlier, were sitting pretty.
Four points became three, three became two and, with one bullet Ciaran Boylan goal, they ran out from nowhere 2-15 to 1-17 winners.
And, rightly so, all the talk in the aftermath of the game was about the ballsy decision to deploy a fly ‘keeper for the closing stages and just go for it.
Mattie Flanagan was brought on to play outfield and the Mayo goals were left vacated as they went for broke. A risk, sure, but the alternative was to accept a three-point loss or realise that losing by six was just the same and at least, this way, they could go down swinging.
And, by Jesus, swing they did.
They swang so hard that they caught the Rossies flush and demanded a count. Flanagan launched the attack, he drew the tackles, Mayo flooded forward and Boylan struck with venom.
A miracle story and history made as, in one dramatic play, Mayo showed the rest of the country that backing yourself and going for broke can pay off. They showed everyone a new way to use the goalkeeper. If you’re brave enough.
It was all captured by Kieran Tonra.
https://twitter.com/ktonra88/status/991791357671952385?s=19
