Any thoughts that Roscommon footballers had of reaching a league final were well and truly buried at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar on Sunday when they were blitzed by a Mayo side who showed no mercy throughout and in the end there was an incredible 21 points between the sides Mayo 4-26 Roscommon 2-11.
Roscommon made 9 changes to the team that had defeated Donegal in the previous round and it was Mayo who controlled the proceedings from the off. A well taken goal from Ben O’Carroll in the 19th minute kept Roscommon in touch but Mayo turned the screw after that and pilled away into the distance. Goals from Paul Towey, Jack Carney, Aidan O’Shea and a Ryan O’Donoghue penalty helped Mayo into a 4-11 to 1-5 half time lead.
The margin was just too great to bridge in the second half and although Roscommon did score a second goal in the 48th minute from Eoin Colleran Mayo sauntered to the easiest of wins. Now the focus will turn to the championship and the match against New York on 12th April and it will take a lot of hard work to put this heavy defeat out of the minds of all concerned. Still, Division One status has been secured for 2027 and Roscommon can at least build on that.
