Resolute Galway draw with Dubs but still go down

Date Published: 13-Apr-2011

Galway 0-15

Dublin 2-9

FRANK FARRAGHER

AT PEARSE STADIUM

GALWAY managed to salvage some pride and a modicum of championship hope from the tail end of their league travails but by the time the curtain came down on their Spring campaign at Pearse Stadium on Sunday, the late, late effort just wasn’t enough to preserve their Division One status.

At least, the conclusion of their league run was an awful lot better than the start with a decent performance against All-Ireland champions Cork, a gutsy away win in Armagh and a spirited comeback last Sunday against the Dubs, but a lot of boxes remain to be ticked before the championship acid test against Mayo in late June.

On the plus side for Galway is the spirit and commitment of the side. When Dublin powered into a 2-8 to 0-6 lead early in the second half, despite having Alan Brogan sent off in the 6th minute, there were genuine fears among the home crowd of close on 4,000 that a rout could be on the cards.

Galway responded by producing their most concerted and focused period of play notching eight points without reply to level the contest at 2-8 to 0-14 with barely eight minutes left on the clock – by then Dublin were desperately hanging onto the ropes but alas the knock-out blow just couldn’t be delivered.

First half defensive frailty cost the home side dearly and Dublin’s two goals during this period both resulted from Galway possession losses when the turnover should never have happened – it was to be the recurring pattern of the first half.

There were just three minutes on the clock when an Eoin Concannon pass went astray in the middle of the field and Dublin delivered a quick ball into the path of Alan Brogan, who whizzed inside the Galway full backline far too easily before blasting past Adrian Faherty in the Galway goal.

Nine minutes before half-time, things got an awful lot worse for Galway after Joe Bergin won possession close to his own goal line and attempted to break through two Dublin players – again the ball was knocked clear into the path of Pat Burke who soloed through unhindered before finishing cleanly to the back of the net.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.