Sports
St Bernard’s blast league title warning with big win over NUIG
THOUGH Corrib Rangers might be striding away at the top of the Premier Division, the chase is on behind to catch the leaders and third placed St Bernard’s are in a terrific position to pose a real challenge for title honours.
While they are ten points in arrears, Bernard’s do enjoy five games in hand and, on Sunday morning in Dangan, inflicted a 7-0 defeat on NUI Galway.
The Abbeyknockmoy side were always in command and once they made a breakthrough on 24 minutes, they rattled home two more in quick succession to open up a 3-0 interval advantage. When Eoghan Roche added a fourth after the restart, the game petered out as a contest and as the students wilted in the closing stages, St Bernard’s added three more before the end.
Adrian Roche set up Craig Kennedy for the opener and the visitors quickly pulled away as Shane King twice fired past goalkeeper Luke Williams to give them a comfortable interval advantage. The longer the contest went the more defenceless the students became and after Daryl Finn headed an Eoghan Roche cross against a post, Kennedy set up Jason Finn to fire home from close range to make it 5-0. Shane King then completed his hat trick, before Finn notched his second of the day against a College side displaying nothing but disinterest at this stage.
While St Bernard’s are the only unbeaten side in the Premier Division and enjoy a certain advantage with games in hand, their task in winning a first ever title is still a difficult one. Obviously, their away game with Rangers at Westside in ten days time will have a huge bearing on where the title ends as the City side have a much easier run in thereafter. That aside, St Bernard’s have matters in their own hands and while they can afford the odd slip up, their title challenge is a live one.
Elsewhere, Mervue United and Athenry are also in the top four, but barring a collapse by the other duo, it is difficult to see either ending up as champions. In fact, they met in midweek and in a temperamental affair, the encounter finished level at 2-2 with three players red carded.
Scoreless at the break, it was Athenry who broke the deadlock when Conor Cannon powerfully headed home a Cathal Fahy cross, before a Stephen Larkin brace put the home side in command. The visitors restored parity when Seamie Crowe set up Alan Harty for the equaliser and an outcome that did neither side any favours in their title challenge.
Under lights in Drom, an opening half brace from Keith Shaughnessy eased Salthill Devon to a 2-0 win over Tuam Celtic.
First Division
There is no doubt that Maree/Oranmore provided the shock of the day in the First Division as they fashioned a 2-1 win over a previously unbeaten West United. Aided by an outstanding display by goalkeeper Niall Walsh and goals in each half by Andrew Dillon, the home side held on for victory. Mixer Devanney got the visitors’ lone reply in the opening half.
Despite the setback, West United are still strong favourites for promotion, with four other sides chasing the remaining spot. Leaders Loughrea were surprisingly held to a scoreless draw by relegation threatened Kinvara United, while it also finished scoreless between Knocknacarra and Corofin United at Cappagh Park. Here, visiting goalkeeper Conan Clarke impressed with some smart saves, while Karl Higgins went closest to a break through at the other end.
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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