Galway top the table after trouncing Tyrone in Tuam

Galway                 4-15

Tyrone                  1-6

DESPITE the shock of conceding a first minute goal to Tyrone, Galway maintained their unbeaten start to Division 1 of the Ladies National Football League on Sunday with another eye-catching display at Tuam Stadium. Edel Concannon ended as top scorer, accumulating 2-4 from play in a win which leaves Kevin Reidy’s side as table toppers following surprise defeats for both Dublin and Cork.

Once more this was an accomplished display from the home side, who played stylish, accurate football to negate the stiff wind they faced in the opening period. Pin-point foot passing allied to support runners taking hand passes at pace is a brand of football that will always be tough to overcome, and once Galway had regrouped after the early setback it became clear that they would have too much guile for this Tyrone side.

Tracey Leonard was again a focal point for the attack at full forward and was involved in six of her side’s opening seven scores. Once Concannon had equalised with her first goal, further majors followed from Sinead Burke and Louise Ward before the end of the first quarter as Galway’s intricate play exposed holes in the Tyrone attack time and again.

The sides were level at 1-1 apiece after five blistering minutes of action in which Gemma Begley had volleyed to the net within 15 seconds of the throw-in for the visitors. Galway struck back in some style in the third minute as Eilis Gannon, Leonard and Ward were all involved before Concannon popped up to fire home left-footed from close range.

Joline Donnelly then clipped over a free for Tyrone which was quickly cancelled out by a similar effort from Leonard, before Galway showed their superior class to open up an eight point gap prior to Tyrone scoring again. Sinead Burke started the onslaught with a goal that owed a lot to her own endeavour as she won a ball at midfield before powering forward to be in the right place to force home the rebound after Concannon’s initial effort was well saved.

Tyrone ‘keeper Shannon Lynch then made the first of a number of heroic point blank saves to deny Galway on nine minutes as Leonard was thwarted after a one-two with Concannon. Annette Clarke and Maria Hoey were covering the ground to provide the solid foundations at midfield, as Lisa Gannon and captain Geraldine Conneally registered fine points.

Full report in this week’s Connacht Tribune