MONAGHAN FEELS PRESSURE

Mayo 3-19
Monaghan 1-12
By JOHN GRAHAM

THERE was to be no fairytale ending for Monaghan, as a place in the final of the All Ireland Minor Football Championship proved a bridge too far against a rampant Mayo team in what turned out to be a very one-sided encounter in Croke Park on Sunday last.

Mayo won with 13 points to spare and while Monaghan might have fared a little better they really were out played, outclassed, out thought and out fought by a very well drilled Mayo side who played with precision, passion and panache and in the second-half showed that they were operating on a different level as they put Monaghan ruthlessly to the sword.

Monaghan, for their part, did make a contest of this game for most of the first half but they were struggling in too many positions, were over turned too often and a number of positional changes prior to the start did not have the desired effect and they were effectively chasing the game throughout.

The best that Monaghan achieved was to be level twice in the first half at two points each after seven minutes and at 1-4 to 0-7 after …