Galway League make it three wins from three in Inter-League pool

Galway League 2

Limerick League 1

Already guarantee qualification from their group following wins over Clare and the Combined Counties, all the Tribesmen required from this contest was a point to secure top spot. They achieved the ultimate goal of victory, even if it was achieved in a rather laboured manner.

Without question Galway were worthy of their win, but the game produced a game of contrasting fortunes for the home side, in a contest played in very testing conditions.

Against a Limerick team who had nothing to play for after a poor campaign, the home side pretty much dominated the opening half, but a two-goal margin was a slender reward for a side who created so many chances.

However, the game took a different course from the hour mark as the visitors pulled one back and from there to the finish traded on equal terms with the home side.

All the highlights of the game were provided by the respective goalkeepers, with Stephen O’Connell enjoying the proverbial blinder for the visitors; but when called into action in the closing stages, Galway net minder Kevin Horgan produced two brilliant saves to maintain the home side’s slender margin, when under pressure late on.

Striker Padraig Cunningham has a fair record as a goal scorer, but his ratio of goals to chances created could certainly be improved upon. A glaring miss from six yards on nine minutes did little for a smart Antoine O’Laoi delivery early on, before the front man made it 1-0 after 17 minutes, when he latched on to a Peter Walsh pass to lob the advancing O’Connell for a 1-0 lead.

Cunningham was central to the home side’s best chances for the remainder of the half and on three occasions he was frustrated by smart O’Connell saves. The custodian also produced two excellent stops to thwart Ryan Manning and O’Laoi.

The home side eventually made it 2-0 on 44 minutes, when Andrew Connolly headed in an O’Laoi corner from close range and they continued to set the pace in the early second half exchanges, as smart O’Connell saves denied Walsh and Cunningham.

Limerick pulled one back on 61 minutes the run of play when Wesley O’Sullivan headed home a Jamie Bromwell free kick from out wide to reduce the arrears to 2-1. The goal kicked some life into the visitors and for the first time in the game, the home defence were under pressure.

Some sloppy distribution by the back four didn’t help their cause, as they put themselves under undue pressure at times. Horgan was now seeing some direct action and after keeping out an O’Sullivan drive, he produced a superb save when going full length to tip a Bromwell free-kick on to the crossbar.

Chances were going a-begging at the other end as Cunningham lobbed wide of an open goal, before the striker, Walsh and O’Laoi were denied by smart O’Connell saves. Deep in injury time, another Horgan dive pushed away a Bromwell snap shot for a fruitless corner, as Galway help on for a merited win and secured their place in the last eight at the knockout stage.