Connacht Minor (U-17) Football Championship Round Robin (Round 1)
Galway 4-18
Roscommon 0-8
Two goals in injury-time at the end of the first half, added to an alarming Roscommon implosion in the second half, meant that the Primrose and Blue suffered one of their heaviest defeats in the history of the Connacht Minor Football Championship at Tuam last Friday night. It means that Paul Staunton’s team will have to get something out of their clash with Mayo in Kiltoom this Friday or their 2018 championship will be over.
On a perfect evening for football and on a superb pitch, it is incredible to report that the sides were tied at 0-5 apiece with 30 minutes gone, but Galway goals from Matthew Cooley from a penalty and Aidan Halloran in time added on saw Galway go into the break leading by 2-5 to 0-5, and Roscommon never recovered after that.
In the second half, Galway ran riot and scored at will. Roscommon’s defensive frailties that were shown up in the Ted Webb and Fr Manning Cup finals last year when they conceded seven goals in those two games, were evident here again and all three of the full-back line were taken off as the Galway scores piled up in the second half.
It was so different in that opening 30 minutes. With Liam Ormsby operating as a sweeper, Roscommon matched their opponents and Ormsby and Eoghan Derwin kicked a couple of good points too. But when Daniel Cox was fouled and Matthew Cooley slotted home the resultant spot kick in the 31st minute, the alarm bells started to ring for Roscommon. Worse was to follow as Ryan Monaghan’s great run a minute later was finished to the Roscommon net by Aidan Halloran.
Roscommon needed a quick response on the restart, and although Liam Ormsby opened the scoring with a good point, the visitors would not score for 15 minutes more as Galway cut loose. Matthew Cooley added a third goal in the 38th minute and the same player waltzed through the Roscommon defence five minutes later for another three-pointer. With points flying over from all angles the gap was getting wider and the final whistle was a relief to a shell-shocked Roscommon team.
This kind of collapse can happen at this level when the tide turns against a team, but the facts are that Roscommon will have to recover quickly to face Mayo on Friday night or their championship will be over almost before it began. Liam Ormsby and James Fitzpatrick were prominent for the Rossies at times but for the rest it is a night that they will want to forget in a hurry.
Galway: Donie Halloran; Conor Halband, Sean Black, Cian Deane; Ryan Monaghan (0-4, frees), Tony Gill, Cathal Sweeny (0-1); Paul Kelly (0-2), Conor Raftery (0-1); Liam Judge, Aidan Halloran (2-2), Oisin McCormack; Oisin Gormally (0-4, 1 free), Daniel Cox (0-1), Matthew Coole (2-2, 1-0 pen). Subs: Eoghan Tinney (0-1) for Halloran (47), Eanna McCormack for McCormack (50), James McLoughlin for Judge (51), Ruari McSweeney for Gill (56), Dylan Joyce for Cooley (57), Odhran Dooley for Black (57).
Roscommon: Daniel Connolly; Sean Trundle, Dylan Gaughan, Kealen Gunning; Robbie Dolan, Ruaidhri Fallon, Jack Lohan; Enda Crawley, Jonathan Hester; Aaron McDermott (0-1), Liam Ormsby (0-2), Eoghan Derwin (0-2); Fearghus Lennon, Shane Cunnane (0-2 frees), James Fitzpatrick (0-1). Subs: Niall Moran for Hester (22), Cathal Brogan for Trundle (h/t), Charlie Carthy for McDermott (39), Darragh Murray for Gaughan (41), Richard Walsh for Derwin (49), James Browne for Gunning (53).
Referee: Barry Judge (Sligo)
Wides: Roscommon 5 (3 first-half) Galway 9 (5 first-half)
Man of the Match: Cathal Sweeney (Galway)
