Flynn fires Donegal hurlers to win in Mayo

Davin Flynn turned in another top- class display as Donegal eventually disposed of a pretty stubborn Mayo resistance before a small crowd in Ballina.

Mayo 1-13

Donegal. 2-17

This was effectively a dead rubber and the game was played at pretty pedestrian pace throughout on a pitch which was a minefield for good hurling as the sliotar jumped and danced all over the place.

Flynn was the star man finishing with an impressive tally of 1-9 including a vital goal for Tir Chonaill early in the second half.

The goal pit put a somewhat jittery Donegal into a 2-9 to 1-9 after Mickey McCann’s side led by 1-9 to 1-8 at the break.

Mayo could only manage five points in the second half as Donegal gradually took control.

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Mayo talisman Keith Higgins did not take the field until half time after he flew from Dublin Airports to Knock after giving a moving interview of how Motor Neuron Disease was affecting his brother Pearse.

Higgins had an effect and hit three smart points before retiring injured midway through the second half.

And with his departure went any lingering Mayp hopes of victory as Donegal eased to victory through Flynn, Gerard Gilmore and Lafferty.     

Donegal were sharply out of the blocks and Gilmore got them off the mark in the second minute.

It got even better after four minutes when Flynn lofted in a high ball and it fell kindly for Lafferty who first timed the sliotar to the net.

It looked like they were going to ease clear when they led by 1-4 to 0-1 by the 13th minute.

But Mayo hit back strongly for the rest of the half, spurred by a penalty and some well struck points from frees from Mayo’s Sean Kenny from Tooreen, who is now a club-mate of ex Donegal great Joe Boyle who was at the match wearing his Donegal colours.

Donegal looked tentative and gave away eight frees, six of whom were converted by the accurate Kenny.

Flynn and Declan Coulter hoisted over two great efforts just before the break.

The introduction of Higgins sparked Mayo and he hit a smart point a minute into the second half and sprayed some delightful passes which his colleagues did not quite respond to.

Flynn’s rocketed goal spurred Donegal to surge clear as the game progressed.

They will now meet Sligo in the semi-final next weekend and that could be a real cracker as the Yeats County are a fit and feisty outfit and have three top class hurlers from Galway as well.

McCann will have been happy enough to get those two points and it was achieved without Ritchie Ryan (out for the rest of the League), Danny Cullen and Jack O’Loughlin and Declan Coulter went off with a worrying back injury.

McCann will be hoping that O’Loughlin, Cullen and Coulter will all be available for the Sligo match - for they will certainly be needed.

Mayo: Bobby Douglas; Darren Murray, Stephen Coyne, Conor Murray; Gary Nolan, David Kenny, Mark Phillips (0-2); Brian Hunt (0-2), Sean Kenny (1-5f, pen); Eoghan Roe (0-1) Shane Crinnigan Conor Hession; Caolan Hession, Aaron Kitterick, James Gallagher. Subs: Barry Lane for Douglas (half-time), Keith Higgins (0-3,2f) for Kitterick (half-time), Jack Trench for D.Murray (46), Aaron Kittrick for Gallagher (52), James Gallagher for Higgins (60)

Donegal: Luke White, Gavin Browne, Stephen Gillespie, Padraig Doherty; Conor O’Grady (0-1) Michael Donaghue, Sean McVeigh; Conor Gartland; Brian McIntyre, Ronan McDermott, Gerry Gilmore (0-4); Declan Coulter (0-1), Barney Lafferty (1-2) Davin Flynn (1-96f). Subs: Liam McKinney for Hilferty (half-time), Christopher McDermott for Coulter (38), Mark Callaghan for Browne (62) Daire O’Maoileidigh for McDermott (63), Paul Nelson for Lafferty (64)

Referee: B McKeon (Galway)