Goals the difference as Galway hold off battling Leitrim

Goals win games is a cliche as old as gaelic football itself and for good reason as Galway’s pair of net bursters just before halftime proved the difference against an energetic and excellent if somewhat wasteful Leitrim and victory in Wednesday’s Dalata Hotels Connacht U20 Championship clash at the Connacht Centre of Excellence.

With the game moved to Bekan after Cloone was ruled unplayable early on Wednesday, Leitrim took the game to a Galway team who already had a victory under their belt against Roscommon but it was the Tribesmen’s killer finishing when goal chances presented themselves that proved the difference in the end.

Leitrim put in a stirring second half display but the Tribesmen were always able to hold them at arms length, even when a man down for a black card offence midway through the second half, in a game where the strong crossfield wind made kicking somewhat of a lottery at times.

Leitrim had a great goal chance of their own, a wonderful break from defence that ended with Ruairi O’Rourke being played in over the top but a last gasp challenge from a Galway defender was just enough to put the Fenagh St Caillins man off, the Galway keeper making an early stop.

That chance came 14 minutes into the game as Letirim led 0-3 to 0-2 and who knows what might have happened had it gone in but in fairness, the Tribesmen displayed a clinical edge that Leitrim just couldn’t match, an edge that ultimately decided the match thanks to the two goals.

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But there was plenty to admire about the Leitrim performance - even with limited time with their Senior team contingent, they took the battle to Galway and a trio of players just out of the minor grade in Cormac Moran, Ronan Fox and Frankie McManus helped give Leitrim an edge in the midfield battle.

Even up against Galway Senior panelists Shay McGlinchey and Ciaran Mulhern, Leitrim showed incredible hunger and determination to win the breaking ball and it put Galway very much on the backfoot for long periods but inaccuracy and handling errors in attack often cost Leitrim at inopportune times.

For all that, and particularly after a rough weekend last weekend, this was an encouraging display with Oran Foley, Dara Greenan and Ronan Fox outstanding in defence, Fox in the running for Man of the match, while Eanna McNamara, Cormac Moran and Frankie McManus gave Leitrim an edge in midfield that was continued by subs Colm McLoughlin and Gavin Gallagher.

Upfront, Jack Kelly and Paul Honeyman fought hard but Galway had their homework done, dropping players back to clog up the line and Leitrim’s attack never got going with the verve we expect from them.

Next up for Leitrim is a trip to Tubbercurry next Wednesday to take on a Sligo team who have yet to win a game from their two outings but who have faced Galway and Roscommon.

After a wide from each team, Leitrim opened the scoring with a nice Adam Gethins point from a tight angle. Cormac Moran tried to judge the wind with a shot but left his effort short but great work from Mikey Mulryan in holding off and then beating intensive Leitrim pressure resulted in a point for Maitiu O Domhnaill on six minutes.

Galway went in front when Ross Coen burst through for a score on eight minutes before Galway midfielder Patrick Keaney was booked for a challenge on Eanna McNamara, Paul Honeyman sending an audacious 45 yard two point free into the wind, trying to curl it back between the posts but the wind didn’t carry it enough.

However, that attempt allowed Honeyman find his range and he knocked over a two point free, from the more favourable side of the field, a minute later. Leitrim almost then broke through for a goal, turning over a Galway attack with Jack Kelly’s ball over the top releasing Ruairi O’Rourke but tackled as he was pulling the trigger, the ball fell easily for the Galway keeper.

Galway went back in front after two Mikey Mulryan frees, the second a harsh call for a pick-up, but Leitrim levelled when Ronan Fox hit a high 35 yard effort over the bar on 20 minutes. Leitrim had a lucky escape when a clear three-man breach wasn’t spotted, one of several not picked up by the officials.

Leitrim went two clear when Honeyman hit another successful two point free, the referee awarding the score rather than the umpire but just as Leitrim were looking good, Galway went long to Matthew Collins who gathered well, went round his man and produced a rocket of a shot to the roof of the net on 25 minutes.

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Dara Greenan’s attempt to pull back a point saw his fisted effort go wide before Killian Joyce fired over but it got much worse for Leitrim as Ciaran Mulhern showed blistering pace to out-run the Leitrim defence, playing a one-two before palming the ball to the Leitrim net for a 2-5 to 0-6 halftime lead for Galway.

Ross Coen hit a long range point for Galway just 40 seconds into the second half, Jack Kelly pointing two minutes in after Leitrim forced a turnover. Both teams swapped wides but Galway looked in the ascendancy as they added points from Mulhern and Collins to go seven clear five minutes into the second half.

The game then went cold, in terms of scoring, in the already baltic conditions and Leitrim got a major boost when Vincent Gill received a black card for a foul on Ronan Fox. Yet for the early stages of the ten minute sin-bin period, it was Galway who created chances but had two wides.

Jack Kelly converted a free right on the midway point of the half while subs Colm McLoughlin and Gavin Gallagher helped solidify growing Leitrim dominance around the middle of the park. Ronan Fox got a second lovely point from distance as he finished off a good move but Galway always seemed to have an answer.

Maitiu O Domhnaill and sub Eoinin O Cualain both landed points in a three minute spell, Eanna McNamara responding with a long range effort on 55 minutes. O Cualain stretched Galway’s lead back out to seven but even with a black card for Paul Honeyman, Leitrim finished with a third point for Jack Kelly to bring the game to a close.

LEITRIM

Scorers: Paul Honeyman 0-4, 2 tpf; Jack Kelly 0-3, 1f; Ronan Fox 0-2; Adam Gethins & Eanna McNamara 0-1 each

Team: Scott Kerr; Niall Torsney, Oran Foley, Darragh Gardiner; Ronan Fox, Dara Greenan, Luke Braam Farrell; Eanna McNamara, Cormac Moran; Ruairi O’Rourke, Jack Kelly, Frankie McManus; Joey McBrien, Paul Honeyman, Adam Gethins. Subs: Colm McLaughlin for McManus (39), Gavin Gallagher for O’Rourke (48), Nathan Cox & Conor Reynolds for McBrien & Gethins (52), Ronan Connolly for Torsney (57)

GALWAY

Scorers: M Collins and C Mulhern 1-1 each; M Mulryan (2f), R Coen, M Ó Domhnaill &E Ó Cualáin 0-2 each; K Joyce 0-1

Team: C Walsh; D Hughes, O Kelly, V Gill; C Rafferty, R McGrath, C Mitchell; S McGlinchey, P Keaney; C Mulhern, R Coen, M Ó Domhnaill; K Joyce, M Mulryan, M Collins. Subs: H Keady for Keaney (39), B O’Malley for Mitchell (50), E Ó Cualáin for Coen (50), C O’Donnell for McGlinchey (56), N de Paor for Joyce (56).

Referee: J Donohue (Roscommon)