Sports
Roche and Kennedy keep St Bernard’s at the top
ST Bernard’s maintained their Premier Division challenge on Sunday as the table toppers had to dig deep to overcome Mervue United by 2-0 at Fahy’s Field and along with Salthill Devon, they look to be the major contenders in the closing weeks of the season.
Chasing a first ever title, the Abbeyknockmoy outfit have put themselves in prime position with a series of impressive performances and a goal in each half was enough to see off a home side who made them battle every inch of the way.
The visitors gave an early indication of their intent as Jason Finn struck the butt of a post with an effort, before Craig Kennedy extracted a smart save from Peter Healy. St Bernard’s made a crucial breakthrough midway through the half when Finn provided the cross and after taking a touch, Adrian Roche applied the far post finish for a 1-0 lead.
The resumption saw Mervue offer more of a threat in the last third of the park, but despite forcing a series of corners and set pieces, they seldom directly threatened goalkeeper Kevin Ruane, whose handing and control of his area was a real confidence booster as he maintained a clean sheet. Now, mind you, he knew little about Simon Walsh’s effort that crashed off the crossbar on 68 minutes in one of their few clear opportunities of the day.
The same player was just wide with a far post header in the closing stages and with the home side doing the majority of late pressing, the visitors were depending on some rapid counter attacking to secure a second breakthrough. Indeed, it was from such a route that they made it 2-0 on 89 minutes.
Substitute Shane King and Craig Kennedy combined with a series of passes down the right, before Kennedy displayed great composure in the box as he rounded Healy and side footed into an empty net to a chorus of massive cheering from the Bernard’s bench.
Meanwhile, in Drom there was an equally competitive encounter as Salthill Devon came from behind to defeat previous leaders Corrib Rangers by 2-1. The dismissal of four players in the closing quarter just added to the intrigue as the visitors lost three in a total lack of discipline.
It was Rangers who enjoyed supremacy in the opening half and they deserved more than David Goldbey’s stunning strike on 28 minutes, but the second half saw the home side take over and they levelled matters just past the hour mark as Oscar Sibanda made it 1-1. Eight minutes from time, Jose Garcia struck the winner for Devon as they maintained their distant challenge for league honours.
Maybe Athenry had their eye on Sunday’s Connacht Cup final as they were held to a scoreless draw by a committed and young Hibernians side. The home team enjoyed the best chances, but on a frustrating occasion they just struggled to hit the target.
Ciaran Duggan was on the mark twice for Corrib Celtic as they drew 2-2 with NUI Galway. Ian Kent and Sean Gavin scored for the students, who picked up a valuable point in their quest to avoid the drop to the First Division.
Indeed, three clubs are in the relegation mix as Colemanstown United, NUI Galway and Tuam Celtic all vie to avoid the drop. They all have to meet in head to head challenges and the outcome of these games will decide who stays up and who goes down.
Meanwhile in the title race, all roads lead to Abbey on Sunday morning as St Bernards host Salthill Devon at 11am. While the home side have a little room for error, the visitors have none as they cannot afford to drop points as they chase the leaders. They trail Bernard’s by nine points, but have two games in hand.
Further to our story in the Connacht Tribune last week, Athenry and Corrib Rangers have appealed their loss of points for using suspended players in wins over Mervue United and St Bernard’s.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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