Galway beat Sligo in Tourlestrane

TG4 Connacht Senior Championship

Early second half scores Pays dividends for Champions

Galway 0 – 13 Sligo 1 – 7

A flurry of points at the beginning of the second half
was to prove valuable for Galway as they hung on for victory
over a resilient Sligo side in Tourlestrane on Saturday
evening last. A week earlier the Yeats County had for
long periods pushed Mayo to the limit and given that an
interesting spectator that evening was none other than
Galway boss Pat Costello, the defending Champions knew
what to expect on Saturday. In a game that produced a
certain amount of talking points from a questionable penalty
being awarded to a blatant one that wasn’t, the defending
champions never trailed. In fact apart from a brief 4
minute spell towards the end of the first half when the
sides were level, Sligo never managed to edge their noses
in front. Yet Galway never managed to put the game beyond
the reach of their opponents and had them flurry of scores
all from Niamh Fahy right at the start of the second period
not come, the Connacht Championship could very well now
be heading for a three way playoff – Mayo had already
received a walkover from Roscommon – in June.

Galway made a blistering start and had 4 points – all
from play through Edel Concannon (2), Ann-Marie McDonagh,
and Annette Clarke – on the board inside the opening 9
minutes. The scoreline could have been different however
as first Galway keeper Tina Hughes had to be alert to
prevent a Louise Brett dipping shot from entering the
net on 4 minutes and some two minutes later the visitors
goal was under attack again as Noelle Gormley punched
a Brett center the wrong side of the post. The score the
home side required arrived on 11 minutes as a quickly
taken 45 by Bernice Byrne to Louise Brett, the Cloonacool
player quickly laid off to Louise Smith who fired over
from 30 meters out. A converted free by Philomena Flaherty
edged Galway 4 clear again by the 13th minute. 3 minutes
of sustained pressure from the homeside finally was rewarded
in the 16th minute as Marion O’Donnell fired over after
great approach work from several Sligo players. By the
21st minute Galway had edged 5 clear thanks to points
from Flaherty and Mc Donagh, during this period of Visitors
pressure, All Star net minder Katrina Connolly was called
upon to make top class saves as Galway came in search
of a major. That didn’t Materialize for them, instead
when it did arrive in the 22nd minute it was the home
side that profited from the major to narrow the gap back
to 2. Marion O’Donnell was on hand to finish of a pin
point pass from Noelle Gormley to the net -low to the
corner, the ball rolling in past Tina Hughes in the Visitors
goals – to set the home side supporters alight. Points
from Noelle Gormley – a free – and Fiona Maye – following
a one two with Louise Smith – up from corner back had
the sides level by the 28th minute. Deep in injury time
in the first half Patricia Gleeson finished off after
a great run by Niamh Fahy to send Galway to the dressing
rooms for the half time cappa a point to the good.

Into the second half and came that early flurry of points
from Niamh Fahy to edge Galway 4 clear by the 9th minute.
Things could have been worse for Sligo only for Katrina
Connolly to make a point blank top class save from Edel
Concannon in the 5th minute. Noelle Gormley opened Sligo’s
account for the second half in the 15th minute with a
well worked point from play. Some 90 seconds later the
gap was back to 4 as Ann-Marie Mc Donagh converted a free
from almost an impossible angle out on the right wing.
Between the 21st and 24th minutes probably came the most
talking points in the game as a tale of what may have
been and what should have been had arisen. First Katrina
Connolly saved point blank again from Edel Concannon and
from a resulting crowded goalmouth the match official
saw fit to award a penalty to Galway. The resulting spot
kick was sent wide by Niamh Fahy much to the relief of
the homeside. Some 2 minutes later and play had switched
to the other end, Sligo Sub Sandra Rowley is about to
pull the trigger when her arm is caught and subsequently
Rowley is hauled to the ground. Penalty! Surly, NO! The
referee awards a free out as Rowley was adjudged to have
fouled the ball on the ground. True! The player had fouled
the ball on the ground but how they both got there was
a different matter. The conclusion to the matter is only
the man above will ever know how a Penalty wasn’t awarded
to Sligo. A Louise Brett point from play narrowed the
gap back to 3 entering the final 5 minutes, thus setting
up a grand stand finish.

Annette Clarke’s point in the 28th minute all but insured
Galway of a place in the July 1st decider – at a Galway
venue against Mayo – as it left the home side seeking
2 scores to draw level or go in front and with the clock
against them, it appeared unlikely. They did narrow the
gap back to a single score as Therese Marren sent over
in the 3rd minute of injury time. For the Yeats County
they are left to ponder what might have been, while the
Penalty decision that never materialized they still had
engineered enough chances to have sent the Connacht Senior
Championship to a series of playoffs. Instead they will
have to wait until the 15th July for their next Championship
in the new revamped All Ireland Series.

Some consolation for the home side on Saturday evening
was that All Star goalkeeper in 2006 – St Nathy’s – Katrina
Connolly was named as the ECC timber player of the game
for the second week running.

Scorers Sligo: Marion O’Donnell 1 – 1, Noelle Gormley
0 – 2, Louise Smith 0 – 1, Louise Brett 0 – 1, Therese
Marren 0 – 1 and Fiona Maye 0 – 1.

Scorers Galway: Ann Marie Mc Donagh 0 – 3, Niamh Fahy
0 – 3, Annette Clarke 0 – 2, Edel Concannon 0 – 2, Philomena
Flaherty 0 – 2 and Patricia Gleeson 0 – 1.

Sligo: Katrina Connolly, Fiona Maye, Angela Doohan, Martina
Keane, Tracy O’Hara, Cammie Kennedy, Ruth Goodwin, Bernice
Byrne, Louise Smith, Louise Brett, Marion O’Donnell, Karen
Maloney, Imelda McNulty, Noelle Gormley, Therese Marren.
Subs used were Elaine O’Reilly, Sandra Rowley & Ciara
Doyle.

Galway: Tina Hughes, Sarah Noone, Michelle Glynn, Michelle
Burke, Rebecca Mc Philbin, Aoibheann Daly, Carmel Coleman,
Annette Clarke, Lisa Cohill, Ann Marie Mc Donagh, Niamh
Fahy, Geraldine Conneally, Edel Concannon, Patricia Gleeson,
Philomena Flaherty. Sub used was Helen Mc Hugh.

Referee: Mel Kenny (Mayo)