Galway sides avoid each other in Junior Cup draw

Date Published: 14-Mar-2011

The draw for the last eight of the Connacht Junior Cup has being kind to the three remaining Galway League sides as they avoided one another after a weekend in which they all advanced with various degrees of comfort.

Holders, Athenry were always in command at home to Salthill Devon, while Hibernians had to stage a second half recovery in order to see off East United. Meanwhile Oranmore required a shootout success before eventually seeing off Skyvalley Rovers.

Hibernians 3

East United 1

On a freezing cold Sunday morning in Bohermore there was little to warm those in attendance as a dour contest eventually finished in favour of the home side as they recovered from an interval deficit to see off a committed visitors with a fair degree of comfort.

Highlights were scarce in a first half where little was created and the respective goalkeepers were rendered pretty redundant. However the game was livened up by an East breakthrough on 41 minutes.

A Christian Ryan corner should have been gathered by Arron Connolly, but when the ball slid through his hands, Kevin Curran dived low between all the boots to head it over the line from a yard out for a 1-0 advantage.

Indeed the visitors should have added a second moments later when Gary Mannogue broke through, but he fired badly wide with just Connolly to beat.

The home side threatened just twice and Conor Cleary was guilty of poor finishing on both occasions. On 24 minutes, he had a free header following a David McDonagh delivery and later was through with just Anthony Ryan to beat, but on both occasion’s he failed to hit the target.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.