Flaherty the hero as Galway survive a marathon struggle

GALWAY 1-11

MAYO 0-14

After extra time Galway won 3-2 on penalties

Alan Dooley at MacHale Park

A penalty shoot-out save by Claregalway’s Conor Flaherty finally brought an end to an absorbing Connacht U20 quarter-final at MacHale Park, Castlebar last Saturday, as Galway managed to get the better of Mayo at this age level for the second year running.

Both sides toiled admirably in the extremely difficult weather conditions, with plenty of top-quality scores lighting up a gloomy afternoon in which the floodlights were on even before the throw-in. Storm Ciara brought cold, wind and rain aplenty, which caused the playing surface to deteriorate with every passing minute, making the extra time period even more treacherous and the penalty shoot-out cruel in the extreme.

The manner of the defeat was harsh on a decent Mayo side who were not as clinical in front of the posts as their conquerors, but the haste with which this competition is being run off meant a winner had to be decided on the day. Successful spot kicks by Matthew Tierney, Tony Gill, and Ryan Monaghan put the pressure firmly on the home side, and they could only convert one of their first three attempts.

When MacDara Geraghty was off target, Galway were still in control, but Adam Barrett’s well-struck effort increased the tension somewhat. When ‘keeper Flaherty stepped up to try and win it, his short run up exuded confidence, but another miss gave the home crowd even more hope.

Mayo midfielder Oisín Mullin, like Tierney someone who had very recently made his National League debut with the senior team, was tasked with keeping his side in it, but Flaherty sprung to his right to thwart a low shot with a good save. For the second time in three weeks Galway had beaten Mayo on their home patch in this manner.

Galway had come very close to bowing out in normal time, as they chased down Mayo’s ten-point total but looked like coming up agonisingly short, especially when Tomo Culhane was sent off on a second yellow card with time almost up and two points still between them. For the third time, though, Corofin’s Tony Gill came up trumps with a massive score at a critical time.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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