Struggling Galway just about survive latest below par showing

Galway 0-16

Wexford 0-16

GALWAY’S search for the level of form, fluency and vibrancy which took them to long-awaited All-Ireland glory in 2017 frustratingly continues after they somehow dodged a potentially near-fatal bullet at Pearse Stadium on Sunday.

On a day of criminal wastage from both teams – a staggering 30 wides in total – the Tribesmen survived a high-wire finale which was completely at odds with the previous sub-standard fare on offer, with the swirling wind and the pernickety officiating of Limerick referee Johnny Murphy taking a big toll.

Though Galway appeared to have much of the heavy lifting done when establishing a 0-13 to 0-6 lead in the third quarter, the home team were left hanging on for dear life in an error-prone climax where neither team possessed the necessary conviction or composure to edge over the line.

Naturally, Galway will be the more deflated after failing to close the deal, but the stalemate outcome wasn’t the worst result in the world after Wexford blew a glorious chance of putting the seal on their comeback when Cathal Dunbar failed to find the net with the goal at his mercy in injury time.

Galway, however, were unable to pull the trigger at the other end either. In the preceding minutes, both Conor Cooney and substitute Davy Glennon were denied by heroic Wexford defending, contributing to the disappointing crowd of less than 13,00O being left drained by the shocking finishing on display.

During that hectic conclusion, Galway and Wexford were a carbon copy of each other – hugely committed but crucified by unforced errors, with some great turnovers being followed by sloppy passing and stickwork. The pressure clearly got to the rival combatants and in a contest of such high stakes, avoiding defeat was the number one priority.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
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.