NUI Galway are top of the class

Date Published: {J}

NUI Galway 0-11

Sligo IT 0-10

Jason Byrne

NUI Galway prevailed in the battle of the colleges at Dangan on Sunday by the most slender of margins in an entertaining FBD League affair.

As two fixtures fell victim to weather conditions, this was lucky to be given the go-ahead as a scheduled ladies football challenge match between NUIG and Galway scheduled to take place in Dangan that morning was postponed.

However the game got the green light, and as both these sides meet in this years’ Sigerson Cup first round on February 17, the game gave both managers an ideal opportunity to prepare their own sides and also run the rule over their Sigerson opponents.

Both John Maughan and John Kent also took the opportunity to make several changes throughout the game in order to give those hoping for a Sigerson start a chance to prove themselves.

The first half was extremely tight, as NUIG looked to Mayo forward Jason Doherty for the scores, and he duly obliged, kicking five of their opening half tally of six points with accuracy from frees. Longford’s Cian Mimnagh looked dangerous in the half-forward line and marked his intent with NUIG’s only score from play in the first half.

The gap between the sides did not widen to more than a point in the majority of the first half; with Donncha Gallagher, two points from Eugene Keating and three fantastic scores from man-of-the-match Gary White completing Sligo’s IT’s first half scoring to ensure the sides were level with six points each at the interval.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.