Claregalway pass exam set by students

Date Published: 18-Jun-2009

MOST teams will struggle to win a game if their forwards fail to produce a score in the final 20 minutes of a contest but, thankfully for Claregalway, match-winners emerged from further out the field as Adrian Faherty and Steven Cunniffe produced the vital scores for their side in a tense finale to an absorbing Senior Football Championship qualifier against NUI Galway in Pearse Stadium on Sunday.

Trailing by three at the break, Claregalway had Danny Cummins to thank for a stunning goal which brought them right back into contention and gave them the belief to go on and win the game after NUIG had largely dominated the opening half. With Oranmore-Maree’s Mark Gottsche providing the pin-point ammunition, the students’ forward line looked sharp and inventive and they should really have been more than a goal to the good at the break.

But the eventual winners stuck with them gamely and when they upped the intensity of their defensive effort in the second half, NUIG lacked a physical presence up front to win 50-50 ball which, combined with the steadily rising influence of the returning Barry Cullinane as the second half wore on, paved the way for Pat McCartan’s men to eke out a narrow victory.

Claregalway did have to…