Galway League trounce Mayo hosts in Oscar Traynor Cup

Featuring just three players from last season's title winning side, one would never have thought that eight debutants could play such a part in obliterating a home side who struggled to have any impact on the game. While Colaiste Bhaile Chlair schoolboy McLoughlin might have made the strongest impact, his colleagues were very willing to play a supporting role as they dominated proceedings.

Mayo did have their only shot of the game on target after eight minutes when Mark Greaney batted away a Kevin Ketterick effort, but thereafter their main function was a defensive one as Oisin Duffy, Alex Byrne and Oisin Coyne played a central role in keeping the visitors on the front foot.

Galway struck for the opener on 14 minutes when a Ben Costello blocked shot fell into the path of McLoughlin outside the box and after taking a touch, he drilled a low effort across Stefan Hester. For the remainder of the half, the visitors continued to pour forward as Costello on the right and Calum Browne on the left stretched the home rearguard and certainly asked questions of central defenders Coyne and Redmond who couldn’t cope with McLoughlin or Tom Daly.

Chances were spurned as Browne had a shot that rebounded off Hester with no one following up to finish, while McLoughlin displayed great footwork to get around a covering defender before firing over. Right full Eddie Silke had an opportunity to add to the visitors’ tally, but a weak header did not reward a Mark Ludden well delivered free kick.

The closing minutes of the half saw Galway really kick on as they were rewarded with two more goals. On 41 minutes, Tom Daly dispossessed Redmond outside the area and slipped a pass to McLoughlin and he absolutely hammered home number two. If McLoughlin was provided with assists for his opening brace, he did all the work himself for the third, as he outpaced two defenders on a powerful run in from the left flank and, once more, his finish was unerring as he blasted past Hester to make it 3-0.

At the break, Galway lost defenders Nathan Ward and Eddie Silke to injury and they were replaced by Conor Keady and Dara McGrath, but the transition was seamless as the visitors continued where they left off while Mayo were left floundering, as Duffy and Coyne maintained their midfield influence. Shots by Costello and Duffy were kept out by the custodian, before he was eventually beaten again on 61 minutes when a Ludden cross from the right was finished to The home side’s punishment was not over as Galway made it 5-0 on 66 minutes when Duffy was the provider and Browne the finisher as Mayo again paid the price for slack defending. Though the tempo of the game slacked off somewhat thereafter, Brendan O'Connor's charges have a proud defensive record to defend as they were keeping a clean sheet for the fifth game in succession. In the closing quarter, substitutes Leon Daly, Adam O'Halloran and Alex Murphy got some game time.

​Galway League: Greaney, Silke (inj. Keady 46), Ludden, Ward (inj. McGrath 42), Byrne (O'Halloran 76), Coyne, Duffy, Costello (Murphy 70), McLoughlin (Daly 56), Daly, Browne.

Mayo League: Hester, Cunningham, Halpin, Coyne, Redmond (Rochford 46mins), Kelly (Fahy 67mins), Ketterick, Reynolds, Cocozza (Ajenipa 67), Cawley (Casey 77), O'Malley (Gilmartin 46).

Referee: Damien MacGraith (Mayo).