4th Time Lucky for Galway Ladies

4th Time Lucky for Galway ladies

Galway
took 4 matches of heart stopping action to finally see off
a brave Mayo’s title ambitions at Dr Hyde Park last night,
eventually booking their place in next month’s All-Ireland
ladies football final.

From start to finish this replay had it all with 1-1 in the
opening minutes of normal time and a wondergoal from Cora
Staunton in the last minute of extra-time. Galway were the
ones with the broad smiles, however, as they braved the storm
and dashed Mayo’s hopes of a three-in-a-row of All-Ireland
titles with Niamh Duggan the heroine. She hit 2-3 on the evening
and not even that late, late 89th minute goal from Staunton
could save Mayo who went down by a solitary point.

No one could have foreseen such excitement after a dull first-half
that ended 1-1 apiece but the game soon came alive. Fiona
McHale rifled home a goal straight after the restart for Mayo
and they moved into a 2-5 to 1-4 lead with just 15 minutes
to go. But, true to character, Galway regrouped and an unanswered
1-3 eventually left Mayo needing a converted Stauton free-kick
to force extra-time.

It turned out to be a straight head to head between Staunton
and Duggan in extra-time with 1-2 and 1-1 for them respectively.
But Galway had rich reserves and points elsewhere from Niamh
Fahy and Patricia Gleeson saw them through by the narrowest
of margins to the October 3 final against Dublin.

SCORERS
–

Galway: N Duggan 2-3 (3f), G Conneally 1-0, l Joyce
0-2, AM McDonagh, E Flaherty, N Fahy, E Concannon, P Gleeson
0-1 each.
Mayo: C Staunton 1-6 (0-1f), C F McHale 1-1, E Mullin
1-0, C McDermott 0-2.

MAYO – L Connolly; N O’Shea, H Lohan, MT Garvey; C O’Hara,
Y Byrne, E Reilly; C Egan, C Heffernan; K Colleran, F McHale,
T McNicholas; C McDermott, M Heffernan, C Staunton.
Subs: E Mullin for McNicholas (27), E Biggins for
Egan (42), Egan for Heffernan (49), C McGing for O’Hara
(56), M Carter for McDermott (68), N Tierney for Byrne (74).

GALWAY – U Carroll; AM McDonagh, R Stephens, F Wynne;
A Daly, A Gilmore, E Flaherty; L Cohill, A Clarke; G Joyce,
N Fahy, E Concannon; P Gleeson, N Duggan, L Joyce.
Subs: M Delaney for G Joyce (23), G Conneally for
Delaney (46), E O’Malley for Gilmore (53), G Egan for Cohill
(80), Delaney for Gleeson (83), Cohill for Delaney (89).
REF – B Gallagher (Tyrone).