Sylane boys see it out best in a physical minor decider

Sylane 1-17

Ahascragh/Fohenagh  0-14

(After extra time)

Ivan Smyth at Kenny Park

IN a game which threatened to boil over and eventually did, it was Sylane who kept their cool in front of the posts to become 2020 Minor B1 county champions at Kenny Park last Wednesday.

Though scores were hard to come by, Sylane possessed the greater options up front on a day when corner forward Sean Newell, who finished with 10 points, was named Man of the Match. Seven different players found the target for the winners with only three individuals grabbing scores for Ahascragh/Fohenagh.

Ivan Morris and Billy McDonagh’s Sylane side were never in front between the 15th and 60th minutes, but they were always within touching distance. Three late points in injury time looked to have given them the county title, but to their credit Ahascragh/Fohenagh managed to earn a free in the final play of the game to force extra time.

Sylane outscored their opponents by 1-3 to 0-0 during the next 20 minutes with action at a premium as cramp was often the cause of stoppages in play. After Sylane found the net in the second period of extra time to seal their victory, a brawl broke out with both teams reduced to 14 players. There was tension in the air throughout this contest, especially with both sides waiting over eight months to play this final and it showed during this physical but compelling encounter.

The tone for the game was set inside the opening five minutes with plenty of physicality on show as Niall Glynn (free) and Newell found the target for their respective sides. The teams then exchanged scores before Sylane tagged on two quick-fire points.

Ahascragh/Fohenagh hit a purple patch with Glynn firing over a free from inside his own ’65 before a loose Sylane clearance was punished by Robert Greene. The water break didn’t halt the North East Galway side’s momentum as Glynn struck over two scores, the second coming after a move which started in the Ahascragh/Fohenagh full back line.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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