Page 17 - INTO THE WEST - March-April 2018
P. 17

Galway continue to roll
Galway ..............1-12 Donegal ............0-14
find enough to wrestle control of the game after the break.
By BILL KIELY S MediaWestIreland
Goalkeeper Boyle kept Galway captain damien Comer from a second goal in as many games, and donegal drew level with the McBrearty brothers Patrick and Stephen increasing their influence on proceedings.
HAnE Walsh was the hero for Galway as they kept up their perfect start to the national Football League division 1
ryan McHugh and Ciaran McGinley kept the pressure on but then Armstrong stepped up to secure the points for the visitors.
with their second victory, this time a crucial win over donegal at Letterkenny.
SCORERS – Galway: Shane Walsh 0-6 (4f), Damien Comer 0-3, Eamonn Brannigan 1-0, Paul Conroy, Johnny Heaney, Sean Armstrong 0-1 each. Donegal: Patrick McBrearty 0-9 (6f), Stephen McBrearty 0-2, Paul Brennan, Ryan McHugh, Ciaran McGinley 0-1 each.
GALWAY: R Lavelle; D Kyne, S A Ó Ceallaigh, E Kerin; C Sweeney, G Bradshaw, J Heaney; P Conroy, P Cooke; S Kelly, S Walsh, E Brannigan; P Sweeney, D Comer, A Varley.
Subs: P Cunningham for Varley (50), G O’Donnell for C Sweeney (60), T Flynn for P Sweeney (60), S Armstrong for Cooke (63), J Duane for Ó Ceallaigh (65).
DONEGAL: P Boyle; S McMenamin, C Ward, E Ban Gallagher; R McHugh, P Brennan, T McClenaghan; L McLoone, H McFadden; S McBrearty, O Mac Niallais, C McGonagle; P McBrearty, D O’Connor, M O’Reilly. Subs: E Doherty for McClenaghan (24), N O’Donnell for O’Reilly (half-time), C Thompson for McGonagle (half-time), M McHugh for Doherty (54), C McGinley for S McBrearty (62), K McBrearty for Thompson (black card, 70).
Kevin Walsh’s side were many people’s favourite to be threatened by relegation at the end of the league, but they have already notched big wins over two of the three Ulster teams in the top tier.
Last year’s division 2 champions held a narrow 1-7 to 0-8 lead at half-time after Eamon Brannigan blasted a first half goal. But the teams weren’t separated until veteran Galway forward Sean Armstrong scored late on to seal the win.
The sides were level early on and in the 11th minute Brannigan scored the crucial goal for Galway. declan Kyne made a break from defence and his pass found Brannigan who finished past Peter Boyle in the donegal goal.
Late scores from Stephen McBrearty and
Paul Brennan had donegal right in contention
trailing by two at half-time, but they couldn’t REFEREE: Padraig Hughes (Armagh).
eroics seal victory
score when Cillian O’Connor pointed a free from 20 metres but this was cancelled at the other end when Shane Walsh scored after a good run.
Kevin McLoughlin cut the gap to the minimum with a free after 18 minutes but from the restart Paul Conroy set up Barry McHugh and he raced through to fire home a good goal into the left corner of the net.
Walsh followed up with a free to push Galway into a 1-4 to 0-2 lead after 19 minutes.
But Galway did not score for the remainder of the half and Mayo ate into the lead with Paddy Durcan scoring their first point from play after 20 minutes.
Diarmuid O’Connor found the range and then younger brother Cllian cut the margin to two in stoppage time with a free to leave them 1-4 to 0-5 adrift at the interval.
The third quarter was a much livelier affair with Barry McHugh and Johnny Heaney extending Galway’s lead before Cillian O’Connor hit back for Mayo.
Paul Conroy and Colm Boyle exchanged points but another Conroy effort for Galway and one from Barry Mcugh pushed them five clear.
Another O’Connor free was followed by efforts from McHugh and Eamon Brannigan and Galway never looked like surrendering their lead.
Cilian O’Connor was first to be dismissed when
he got a straight red for a tackle on Eoghan Kerin, then Conroy got a second yellow for Galway before Mayo lost Diarmuid O’Connor to a second yellow card.
SCORERS – Galway: Barry McHugh 1-3 (0-2f), Eamon Brannigan 0-3, Paul Conroy 0-2, Shane Walsh 0-2 (0-1f), Damien Comer 0-2, Johnny Heaney 0-1.
Mayo: Cillian O’Connor 0-5 (0-5f), Kevin McLough- lin 0-1 (f), Paddy Durcan 0-1, Jason Doherty 0-1 (f), Diarmuid O’Connor 0-1, Colm Boyle 0-1, Eoin O’Donoghue 0-1.
GALWAY: R Lavelle; E Kerin, S A O’Ceallaigh, D Kyne; C Sweeney, G Bradshaw, S Kelly; P Conroy, P Cooke; J Heaney, S Walsh, E Brannigan; B McHugh, D Comer, P Sweeney. Subs: S Armstrong for P Sweeney (HT), T Flynn for Cooke (60), A Varley for McHugh (70), G O’Donnell for Kelly (70), J Duane for Bradshaw (70), C D’arcy for Comer (70). MAYO: D Clarke; G Cafferkey, C Crowe, E O’Donoghue; C Boyle, S Coen, P Durcan; A
O’Shea, J Gibbons; J Doherty, M Hall, D O’Con-
nor; K McLoughlin, C O’Connor, C Loftus.
Subs: G McDonagh for Crowe (39-52), D Newcombe for Cafferkey (39-52), A Gallagher for Loftus (57), F Boland for McLoughlin (58), G McDonagh for Gibbons (60), J Stretton for Boyle (63), S Nally for Durcan (70).
REFEREE: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).
ALLIANZ NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
DIVISION 1 ROUND 2
SHARP- SHOOTER: Galway forward Eamon Bran- nigan scores his side’s goal in their win over Donegal at Letterkenny. Photo: Oliver McVeigh / SPORTSFILE
DIVISION 1 ROUND 3
SPEED: May’s Diarmuid O’Connor moves clear of the challenge of Gareth Bradshaw at Pearse Stadium. Photo: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE
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