Good and bad are on display as Galway finish in blaze of glory

Inside Track with John McIntyre

ANY day a team trails by six points on the brink of-half-time and ends up carrying the day by three goals is a revealing and rewarding afternoon by most standards. That was how Galway’s National Football League fixture against Derry at Tuam Stadium evolved last Sunday, a result which keeps them strongly in contention for promotion.

Having surrendered a winning hand against Meath in their previous outing, the pressure was on Galway to bounce back and, ultimately, that is what they achieved despite a troubled period in the second quarter which saw the hosts concede 1-5 without reply, including a goal from Benny Heron, who finished off the rebound of Rory Lavelle’s fine save from Emmett McGuckian.

Having gone from 1-5 to 0-4 ahead to trailing by 1-9 to 1-5, this was crisis time for the Tribesmen, but the response was heartening with Tom Flynn’s terrific individual goal on the stroke of half-time stopping the hemorrhaging and, more importantly, leaving them just three points adrift for the second half when they would have wind assistance.

The highlight of Galway’s early supremacy had been a Danny Cummins goal after just four minutes. Fellow attacker Michael Daly was quick to the pitch of battle in what was already shaping as an open game of football, particularly for this time of year. Facing the elements, a point from raiding wing back Johnny Heaney put Galway four clear midway through the half and a routine victory appeared on the cards.

That anticipation, however, began to dissipate as Derry thundered into the game and with Barry McHugh also having a penalty saved, Galway were struggling to hang on, especially when Emmett McGuckin found the net in the 35th minute to leave the visitors 2-10 to 1-7 ahead. The crowd in Tuam assumed that would end the first-half scoring until Flynn hit the perfect response in injury-time.

Though Derry went four up early on the resumption when James Kielt pointed, Galway were undaunted. Their attack was starting to bore holes in the opposition defence with the increasingly influential Eamonn Brannigan, Daly (2) and Flynn having the teams on level terms by the 43rd minute. Derry briefly rallied for scores from Kielt and Danny Tallon, but the men in maroon really upped the ante in the final quarter.

Gary O’Donnell and Brannigan lofted over points before Heaney applied the finish for Galway’s third goal in the 59th minute. Another one soon followed when Brannigan made no mistake from the penalty spot after Daly was fouled and Galway already had the points in the bag by the time substitute Shane Walsh raised their fifth green flag near the end.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.