Matthew Ruane expressed relief at Mayo holding their nerve at the end of a tense Connacht Football final as they ran out one-point victors over rivals Galway on Sunday.
The midfielder, who took Man of the Match honours after contributing two points from play, was doubly delighted that he was among a new generation of Mayo talent who have now got their first taste of provincial glory, with the county's previous Nestor Cup win coming five years ago.
"It was very tight towards the end. We probably didn't finish the way we wanted but look, we got the win and a lot of our lads here, it's their first time in the Connacht final, so it was great to get over the line and win our first Connacht title," he told RTÉ Sport at full-time.
Man of the match Matthew Ruane delighted to get the win, considering so many of the Mayo team were playing in their first Connacht final #rtegaa https://t.co/qPkpYZrnjh pic.twitter.com/HRgGQgFXcR
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) November 15, 2020
Although Mayo had led since the fourth minute, Ruane added that he had fully expected the deficit to be cut as the final wore on.
"Galway with the quality they have - they have some serious talent - they had Comer coming on and Shane Walsh who kicked a few big scores for them, so we always knew they were going to come back," he said.
"It was just important we kept out in front and we just got over the line in the end."
