Galway produce a knock-out blow

Date Published: 08-Apr-2008

MAYBE not grand larceny but certainly a case of petty thievery as Galway pilfered two precious league points straight from the enemy’s den at MacHale Park last Sunday.

Galway’s conscience though won’t be troubling them too much this week as encounters between the two great forces in Connacht football have frequently been decided by thebreak of the ball or a second’s loss in concentration . . . last Sunday was no different.

It mightn’t have been the classic encounter that some pundits expected — big games between Galway and Mayo are often too tight and tense for open play to flourish. A whistle prone referee and a wicked second half arctic shower were no help either.

In all probability, this was a Spring preview of what to expect in a mid-July Connacht final when Galway and Mayo should be having a repeat performance at the same venue — then the stakes will be massively higher and instead of 7,000 spectators, 35,000 will be cramming into MacHale Park.

As usual, Galway fans were inthe minority last Sunday and while those maroon supporters leaving the venue took a quiet satisfaction in snatching a late victory, almost all would acknowledge that the second coming in mid-summer between the sides will be the tightest of games to call.

Galway did put together a series of attacking moves which threatened to unhinge the Mayo defence with most of the creativity stemming from the quick fire kicked passes of Padraic Joyce, but Mayo dominated key passages of this match and should have secured a better reward on the scoreboard for the amount of possession they secured.

John O’Mahony has brought in some new players over the course of the league campaign and while a couple of tight games haven’t gone theirway on the scoreboard, he has assembled quite a promising side with a good mix of mobility and sheer heart.

When the pressure came on in the second half last Sunday, after Galway had scored their second goal and Mayo faced into the second half blizzard, time after time the home side won the hard scraps for possession.

It was more than a gentle reminder to Galway of their second half demise against Sligo in last year’s Connacht final when the pressure came on to win the hard ball in tight situations. This time though Galway bounced backwith a knock-out finish.

Admittedly, last Sunday there were ………………………