Galway 4-12
Sligo 1-8
GALWAY WILL FACE Tipperary in the All-Ireland minor football quarter-finals after a convincing 13-point triumph over Sligo in this evening’s Connacht final replay at Tuam Stadium.
It was all too easy for the home side, who swept to a convincing win after Sligo never hit the heights we saw in the drawn match last Sunday.
First-half goals from Paudie McCormack and Finnian Ó Laoi got the Tribesmen on the road to victory and another two from Sean Kelly and Desmond Connelly after the break made sure of the facile win.
Sligo had gotten off to a fine start with early points form Nathan Rooney and Kyle Cawley as Galway fired six wides by the eighth minute.
But Galway soon improved and five in a row, including points from McCormack, Cillian McDaid and the excellent John Daly, gave the Tribesmen a three-point cushion.
They were totally dominant at that stage, but Cathal Herron made the most of some tentative play at the back from Galway to level matters with a well taken goal.
But Galway finished the half the stronger and after another McDaid free, Ryan Forde set up McCormack for Galway’s first goal, before Ó Laoi sent the Tribesmen in at half-time with a 2-9 to 1-3 lead after his goal in the 27th minute.
Points from Finnian Cawley and Liam Gaughan stopped the rot for Sligo, but once Kelly hit Galway’s third goal of the night in the 38th minute and they followed it with Connelly’s fourth in the last minute there was no doubting who’d be champions, as Sligo’s long wait for a provincial crown goes on.
Scorers for Galway: P McCormack 1-2 (1f), S Kelly 1-1, C McDaid 0-3 (2f), F Ó Laoi 1-0, D Connelly 1-0, J Daly 0-2 (1f), E Lee 0-1 (1 ’45), C Marsden 0-1 (1f), C Ryan 0-1, C Brady 0-1.
Scorers for Sligo: C Herron 1-0, L Gaughan 0-3 (2f), F Cawley 0-2 (1f), N Rooney 0-1 (1f), K Cawley 0-1, A McLoughlin 0-1.
GALWAY
1. Ronan Ó Beolain (Micheal Breathnach)
4. Ian Kent (Bearna)
3. Dylan McHugh (Corofin)
2. Caelom Mulry (Monivea Abbey)
5. Sean Kelly (Moycullen)
6. Liam Ó Cellaigh (An Spideal)
7. John Daly (Mountbellew/Moylough)
8. Colm Ó Braonáin (Oileain Arainn)
9. Cillian McDaid (Monivea Abbey)
10. Eric Lee (Oughterard)
11. Finnian Ó Laoi (An Spideal)
12. Ciaran Brady (Corofin)
15. Ryan Forde (Annaghdown)
14. Paudie McCormack (An Cheathru Rua)
13. Michael Boyle (Killererin)
Subs:
21 Conor Marsden (Kilconly) for Forde (HT)
24 Colin Ryan (Mountbellew/Moylough) for McDaid (39)
23 Patrick Ó Domhnaill (Óileann Arainn) for McCormack (49)
19 Barry Goldrick (Claregalway) for Kent (57)
17 Desmond Connolly (Moycullen) for Ó Braonain (58)
SLIGO
16. Conor McGovern (Calry/St Joseph’s)
24 Oisin Gilmartin (St Michael’s)
3. Eddie McGuinness (Tubbercurry)
4. Mark O’Dowd (Enniscrone/Kilglass)
5. Nathan Mullen (Coolaney/Mullinabreena)
6. Finnian Cawley (St Farnan’s)
7. Sean Power (Drumcliffe/Rosses Point)
8. Darragh Cummins (Calry/St Joseph’s)
9. Paul Kilcoyne (St Mary’s)
10. Liam Gaughan (Tourlestrane)
11. Nathan Rooney (St Mary’s)
19. Cathal Herron (St Molaise Gaels)
13. Kyle Cawley (St Mary’s)
14. Patrick O’Connor (St Farnan’s)
15. Michael Gordon (Easkey)
Subs:
17. Aaron Kearns (Curry) for Gordon (7-9 blood),
12. Sean Carrabine (Castleconnor) for Gilmartin (39)
22. Rian Kennedy (Tourlestrane) for Herron (47)
18 Alan McLoughlin (St Molaise Gaels) for O’Connor (58)
21. Kevin Banks for (Coolera/Strandhill) for Cummins (60 BC)
Referee: Declan Corcoran (Mayo)
