1950 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final explained

1950 All-Ireland
Senior Football Championship final
Event:1950 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Team1score:2-5
(11)
Team2score:1-6
(9)
Date:24 September 1950
Stadium:Croke Park
City:Dublin
Referee:Simon Deignan (Cavan)
Attendance:76,174
Previous:1949
Next:1951

The 1950 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 63rd All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1950 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland, between Mayo and Louth.The referee for the 1950 final was Simon Deignan, who played for Cavan in the 1947 and 1948 finals.[1]

This was the first of two consecutive All-Ireland football titles won by Mayo.[2] They have not won an All-Ireland football title since 1951.

The attendance of 76,174 was the third highest on record in a final at that time.

Match

Mayo won the toss and elected to play against the wind in the first half. Nicky Roe put Louth ahead within the first minute. Mayo responded through Éamonn Mongey and took the lead when a well-placed shot by forward Peter Solan beat the Louth goalkeeper Thornton.[3]

Mayo were forced into making a substitution with Billy Kenny being withdrawn following a collision with Louth midfielder Frank Reid. They increased their lead however with successive points from Mick Mulderrig and Joe Gilvarry. Nicky Roe then goaled for Louth who raised another white flag with a fisted point from wing-forward Jimmy McDonnell.[3]

Mayo then replaced their starting goalkeeper Durkin with Seán Wynne. Nicky Roe kicked a free and scored the last point of the half on 32 minutes, to leave Louth a point in front at the interval.

Second Half

Roe continued where he had left off by pointing a free early on. Louth corner-forward Mickey Reynolds subsequently had an excellent goal chance but shot over the bar with the Mayo keeper Wynne beaten.

With the wind now more of a factor, Mayo replied with another point from the outstanding Éamonn Mongey.[3] His midfield partner Pádraig Carney spurned two scoreable opportunities before the prolific Nicky Roe restored Louth's two-point lead.

Louth's cause was not helped with Roe having to leave the field due to injuryand with five minutes remaining came the key moment of the match. Mayo snatched a freak goal after Seán Flanagan charged down a Seán Boyle clearance.[4] Mick Flanagan took up possession and fisted to the Louth net after a twenty-yard run.[5]

Mayo, finishing the stronger of the two sides, added on a further point through Mick Mulderrig to lead by two (2-5 to 1–6) as full-time approached and there would be no response from the Wee County men.

Details

Notes and References

  1. News: Seán . Moran . 'GAA Football Gold' is worth its weight in memories . The Irish Times . Irish Times Trust . 30 November 2011 . 30 November 2011 . One aspect of the games in those years is the frequency with which contemporary players act as referees (not in the modern sense but as actual match officials). Simon Deignan plays for Cavan in 1947 and '48 and then referees the 1950 final..
  2. News: Eugene . McGee . First signs that Mayo might be set to turn back the clock . Irish Independent . Independent News & Media . 6 February 2006 . 6 February 2006.
  3. News: Lucky Goal Helped Mayo to All-Ireland win . . Independent News & Media . 25 September 1950.
  4. High Ball magazine, issue #6, 1998.
  5. Web site: Louth will have done a good days work if they can push Kerry to a few points . . Independent News & Media . 28 March 2002.