Galway teen scores viral hit with his 74 yard equaliser

By John Ivory

Scoring a vital goal in the dying seconds of a match is every schoolboy’s dream – but one Galway student turned it into a fantasy of epic proportions by hitting the net from all of 74 yards!

Conor McDonagh was playing for the Galway Community College (GCC) Academy’s U-17 side before Christmas when he lined up a last minute free kick against Oughterard in a Connacht B Cup game – and despite trying weather conditions, he managed to guide his shot to the net to salvage a draw.

“It was just a hit and hope really, last minute, last kick of the game and if you don’t put it in the box you have no chance and luckily it went our way.

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“It was a shock for me because I thought someone else would’ve gotten a touch on it. I was delighted with it but I was just happy for the team because the lads had played very well and it was well deserved,” said a reflective Conor this week.

And now Glasgow Celtic legends – Irish hero Packie Bonner and Lisbon Lion John Fallon – are among those to give their seal of approval to the Galway Hibernian man’s goal, something that McDonagh himself believes can only be beneficial to the budding academy.

“It’s really about the academy getting out there and people knowing about what we’re doing. If the academy is successful it can go around the country and more young people will get the chance we have at GCC. It’s a great course, I’m taking on as much as I can from our great coaches and I’m really happy here,” he said.

His remarkable effort has already gone viral with over 26,500 views on YouTube and attracted national media attention.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.