Plenty of new faces in action as Ronaldson sinks Roscommon

With only five of last year's Connacht championship winning outfit on show, it was hardly surprising that Roscommon lost this FBD Connacht League clash against Mayo at Ballyhaunis last Sunday. However, it's worth remembering that it was also a very unfamiliar Mayo side which took the field - with new manager James Horan opting to make fifteen changes from the team which played the previous weekend. It will be fascinating to see how many of the Roscommon footballers, who played a part in this enjoyable work-out last Sunday, will be involved when push comes to shove in the Connacht championship later this summer. In excess of 2,000 people flocked to Ballyhaunis for this latest derby match between Roscommon and Mayo, and the home supporters were pleasantly surprised as an experimental green and red outfit recovered well from a slow start. Mayo kicked on for victory with an impressive second-half display and ran out comfortable winners in the end. Having defeated Leitrim in a low-scoring encounter the previous weekend, Roscommon now have one win and one defeat from their two FBD League games. Roscommon's next outing in the competition is against GMIT in Ballyforan on Sunday (2pm). The game against GMIT was meant to be Roscommon's opening match of the 2011 season, but a frozen pitch put paid to the original fixture. Sunday's match will be Roscommon's last outing before the Allianz National Football League opener against neighbours Longford on February 6th (Pearse Park, 2.30pm) The story of this bright and breezy game at Ballyhaunis is uncomplicated. Roscommon led by three points for much of the first half but the trusty free-taking of Mark Ronaldson kept Mayo in touch and the gap was pared back to the minimum by half-time. The zippy Shrule/Glencorrib forward then scored a sublime goal three minutes into the second half and Mayo never looked back. They outmuscled Roscommon's big men around the middle, snaffled up most of the breaking ball, tied down their forwards, and held the visitors scoreless for over thirty minutes. Mayo debutants like David Killeen, Eoghan Reilly and Andrew Farrell worked hard and did the simple things well while Cathal Freeman, a prodigious minor, was a revelation at centre-half forward. Playing his first game for eighteen months after breaking his leg in a club match, Freeman stood out from the crowd. He was comfortable in possession, used the ball smartly, and his quick hands and two-footed deliveries set up plenty of opportunities for the Mayo marksmen. Keith Higgins (also a noted hurler), Trevor Howley, Barry Moran, Enda Varley and the razor-sharp Mark Ronaldson were the pick of the 'veterans', while Lee Keegan and James Kilcullen put themselves about as you'd expect. Jason Gibbons also caught the eye and nailed a point off the bench. However, it was Mark Ronaldson's nifty footwork and sniper's instinct just after half-time that proved crucial as he dribbled around Roscommon goalkeeper, Eamon McGinley, to score the game-breaking goal in audacious fashion. The diminutive inside forward finished with 1-7 (six points from frees) after a hard day's work as Mayo outscored their tiring visitors by 1-6 to 0-1 during the second half. The visitors had led at the break by 0-7 to 0-6 with Kevin Higgins and Clann na nGael duo Jonathan Dunning and Donie Shine (a couple of frees) all contributing two scores apiece to emphasise Roscommon's intent. But five points from frees from the aforementioned Ronaldson, and a trademark finish from Enda Varley, kept Mayo in the hunt as Roscommon spurned a hat-trick of goal chances around Kenneth O'Malley's goal. When Fintan Cregg galloped through to extend the visitors' lead a minute into the second half, a typically hard-fought, close-run thing looked in prospect. Instead, buoyed up by the only goal of the day, Mayo started to win most of the individual battles and, with Cathal Freeman pulling the strings, points from Andrew Farrell, Enda Varley, Jason Gibbons, Aidan Kilcoyne and Mark Ronaldson (2) closed the game out. MAYO: Kenneth O'Malley; Keith Higgins, David Killeen, Eoghan Reilly; Trevor Howley, Lee Keegan, Ruaidhrí O'Connor; James Kilcullen, Barry Moran; Ian Rowland, Cathal Freeman, Andrew Farrell (0-1); Enda Varley (0-2), Mark Ronaldson (1-7, 0-6 frees), Brian Benson. Subs used: Richie Feeney for Howley; Jason Gibbons (0-1) for Kilcullen; Austin O'Malley for Farrell; Aidan Kilcoyne (0-1) for Benson; Cathal Hallinan for Moran. ROSCOMMON: Eamon McGinley; Seán Purcell, Donal Ward, Seanie McDermott; Conor Beirne, Niall Carty, John Nolan; Michael Finneran, Kevin Higgins (0-2); Fintan Cregg (0-2), James Connaughton, Senan O'Grady; Johnny Dunning (0-2), Donie Shine (0-2, 2 frees), Cathal Cregg. Subs used: Terence Kelly for Connaughton; John Rogers for Shine. REFEREE: Michael Duffy (Sligo).