Brilliant Bearna flying high after stunning Salthill rivals

Bearna 0-13

Salthill-Knocknacarra 0-11

Pádraic Ó Ciardha  at Pearse Stadium

AFTER five years without a group win in the Galway senior football championship, Bearna now have two in two games in 2020 after they pulled off a shock win against Salthill-Knocknacarra last Friday. Let there be no doubt about it either, Seán Conlon’s side fully deserved the victory after a brilliant performance at Pearse Stadium.

For all the talent in the Salthill-Knocknacarra side, and of that there is plenty, they struggled massively to break down a superbly-organised Bearna rearguard. Time and again, Salthill-Knocknacarra were able to take the ball as far as the opposition 45m line and no further as Bearna first held them up and then broke them down.

Strong defensive play is a great foundation but a team also needs scores to win a game and Bearna were clinical in the extreme at the other end. They let a five point lead slip when these sides met in last year’s championship but crucial scores from the likes of Dónal Ó Cualáin, Tom Curran and Oisín Gormally kept them ticking over in the second half and added to Salthill’s sense of exasperation.

The shock result certainly didn’t look on the cards after the opening exchanges as Salthill-Knocknacarra made a blistering start which saw them hit three points in the opening three minutes. Seán Armstrong, Gearóid Armstrong and Robert Finnerty all got off the mark and it looked as if they could have been out of sight had Mikey Culhane not snatched at a great goal chance soon after.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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