Castlegar juniors pay price for sluggish start in replay

An Spidéal 0-13

Castlegar 0-10

AN Spidéal are through to their second consecutive Junior A hurling final after a three point victory over Castlegar last Sunday afternoon. Thanks to a drawn game and two postponements, this was a match-up that took four weeks to conclude but with the weather finally playing ball and the sun shining over Kenny Park, it was An Spidéal who did enough to justify their place in this year’s final.

The heavy pitch did influence proceedings, however, and had this game taken place earlier in the year, Castlegar may well have had a priceless first-half goal. Trailing 0-3 to 0-1 after 11 minutes, they were gifted a golden opportunity when a mix-up in the An Spidéal full-back line allowed Brian Fahy to race through on goal. Fahy looked to bounce his shot off the ground but the wet turf took almost all of the pace out of his effort and goalkeeper Mike Dunne was able to clear his lines.

An Spidéal had a half-chance of a goal moments beforehand when Cillín Ó hEochaidh did well to fetch a long pass only to blaze his shot over the bar. The full-forward also hit An Spidéal’s opening two scores, one from play and one from a ‘65, with a sixth minute James Concannon free being Castlegar’s sole response.

The Connemara side were well on top during the opening third as they refused to let Castlegar settle into the game, applying huge pressure when not in possession. Two good scores from Fintan Ó Cuanaigh and Finian Ó Laoi put An Spidéal 0-5 to 0-1 ahead and they went five points up in the 20th minutes thanks to a superbly worked point on the left wing, with possession transferring patiently between five or six players before Cillín Ó hEochaidh was given the space to fire over.

Castlegar were coming out second best in most of the individual match-ups to this point but they started to turn things around in the final ten minutes of the half. With the forward line finally finding some possession, two James Concannon frees narrowed the gap before Damien O’Brien, Evan Tummon and James Sheridan combined well, allowing Sheridan to grab his side’s first point from play in first half stoppage time.

There was still enough time for Cillín Ó hEochaidh to convert his third placed ball of the game leaving An Spidéal 0-7 to 0-4 ahead at the break. For the effort they put in during the first 30 minutes, An Spidéal might have felt they should have been further ahead at the break but for a bout of profligacy, with four wides and a further three efforts dropping short, to hold them back.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.