Impressive city boys hit the goal trail in dismissing Moycullen’s challenge

Salthill-Knocknacarra 5-10

Moycullen 1-11

A brace of goals in quick succession by David Connaughton and Shane Kelly just before the break was the turning point of the West Board Minor Final at Rosmuc on Saturday as Salthill-Knocknacarra eventually pulled away for a comfortable success.

All that came after Moycullen had enjoyed an advantage throughout the opening half, but the late scores rapidly turned a one point deficit into a commanding advantage and changed the course of the game.

Though it was the losers who required a quick response to get them back on track on the restart, the opposite happened as another Salthill goal within a minute killed the game as a contest, as the City side pulled away with the authority of a decent outfit,

The defending champions enjoyed a physical advantage and their quick movement and teamwork in possession was something the losers could not match. In midfield, John Maher and Fiachra Lally were the general masters and their fast and accurate distribution saw their side enjoy a productive scoring rate – once they finally got the upper hand.

However, for a spell in the opening half, they had to play second fiddle to the impressive Moycullen duo of Max Brennan and Michael Reilly as they picked up much of the breaking, while the free taking of Dessie Conneely was also helping to keep the Connemara side’s noses in front.

But Moycullen were over reliant on the excellent Galway minor captain and with the half forward line continuously dropping deep for possession, they struggled for scores as just one point from play in the opening half confirmed their difficulties.

Without a doubt the most competitive part of the match was the opening half as the strong favourites were tested in full by a Moycullen side who made the maximum of the opportunities that came their way. While a Fiachra Kelly point inside a minute put Salthill-Knocknacarra ahead, they were playing catch up for the remainder of the half as three Conneely close range frees, allied to a neat point by Reilly had Moycullen 0-4 to 0-1 ahead on 10 minutes.

For more, read this week’s Galway CityTribune.