Replay gives Galway and Roscommon the chance to throw the shackles off

HERE’S one for the romanticists: The last time Galway and Roscommon drew in a Connacht senior football final was in the All-Ireland breakthrough year of 1998. The Tribesmen went on to win the replay in Dr Hyde Park, and, the rest is history.

Can history repeat itself? We live in hope this side of the counties’ border.

Interestingly, on the third Sunday of July, 18 years ago, in Tuam Stadium, it was Niall Finnegan, who had a chance to rescue the Galway cause with a tricky enough free with a couple of minutes remaining. Cool-as-you-like, the corner forward nailed it.

Last Sunday, in Pearse Stadium, it was the turn of Donie Smith, the Roscommon substitute, who showed nerves of steel to convert the equalising free in the 37th minute of the second half.

It was a difficult, pressure kick, into the wind and rain, and secured a replay, which goes ahead without the ‘live’ TV cameras, this Sunday in MacHale Park Castlebar at 3.30pm.

It should not have come to this. Just as in 1998, Galway probably should have won the drawn game last Sunday in Salthill. They certainly had engineered a winning position with the wind at their backs. Having reined-in Roscommon and drawn level midway through the half, momentum turned in Galway’s favour, and they went on to establish a two-points advantage with three minutes of normal time remaining, plus the four that was signalled to be added on.

Given that the Galway defence had contained the Rossies so well in the second half, and given that Roscommon had only managed to raise two white flags in the entire second half up to that juncture, the home side were disappointed to have coughed up another pair of points late on.

“You get two points up with the breeze at your back, you’d like to see it out. But I think we had one or two chances and we didn’t put them over the bar and one or two counter-attacks ended up in one or two late frees that Roscommon got. We probably went a bit deep as well in defence,” said Galway manager Kevin Walsh.

But he was reasonably pleased with aspects of the performance and content with the result. “We came back strongly in the second half . . . the boys were asked questions early on, we were down by four or five points, and it was great to see their response. At half-time, you’d take the draw; you’d take the draw now. Would you take it with three minutes to go? No.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.