Galway weather the storm to keep winning run going

Galway 1-12

Down 0-9

John McIntyre in Newry

THESE are the type of awkward unglamorous early season fixtures which Galway footballers need to be winning if they are to have serious hopes of being counted in the championship.

A long trek to Newry on a Saturday evening in early February isn’t the most enticing of prospects, but Galway arrived in Esler Park with significant momentum behind them and the pressure was on to keep their good run going.

Having already won the FBD League and putting Meath to the sword in the opening round of Division Two, Galway needed to back up those displays against a Down team struggling for traction under the returning James McCartan.

The fact that the Tribesmen had to survive a difficult third quarter when they failed to score against a strong wind gives added merit to their fourth consecutive victory of 2022. For this was no walk in the park.

Galway had led 1-7 to 0-2 at the break, but when Down reeled off four points on the spin with Barry O’Hagan causing plenty of problems, we wondered would Padraic Joyce’s men even hold on.

Down were building momentum and with the pace of Liam Kerr giving them forward thrust, Galway had to come up with some answers. Their response was heartening on an evening Paul Conroy stood out from the crowd with a masterful midfield exhibition.

The former All-Ireland winning captain had a terrific match, highlighted by a clinically finished goal after just six minutes and two booming points from distance in the space of sixty seconds. Conroy’s work ethic was also exceptional on a grim night weather wise up North.

With former Antrim player Owen Gallagher and Kieran Molloy other stand out Galway performers, it all helped the men in maroon to regain their control of the game down the home stretch, significantly outscoring Down by five points to three.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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