Galway 1-11

Derry 0-8

Daragh Small reports from Pearse Stadium, Galway.

DANNY CUMMINS’ FIFTH championship goal was the key score as Galway saw off Derry in dreadful conditions at Pearse Stadium.

Constant wind and rain made for a testing evening for both sides but it was Galway who adapted better and ran out convincing winners after a slow start.

Derry got few of the 50-50 calls from Cork referee Conor Lane and the decisive score came after Cailean O’Boyle was denied a penalty and Galway countered.

Seven passes later saw Liam Silke return the ball to Cummins and he rifled the ball to the net and Derry’s championship was over for another year.

It was a very disappointing conclusion to a game which started so brightly when Eon Bradley, Benny Heron and Daniel Heavron kicked point to put the 0-3 to 0-0 in front after nine minutes.

But Galway did not panic and with Derry giving away frees in shooting positions, Gary Sice and Paul Conroy punished them with seven pointed frees before the break.

Sice got five of them and Derry suffered another blow when Brendan Rogers was harshly given a black card for a foul on Johnny Duane.

Derry responded before the break with points from Heavron and Heron before Galway finally got their first point from play when the superb Gareth Bradshaw pointed from the right 90 seconds into stoppage time to leave it 0-8 to 0-5 at the interval.

Derry cut the gap to just point with points from Heavrion and O’Boyle but, remarkably, they did not score again until injury time.

Galway took over in midfield through Fiontan O Curraoin and Tom Flynn and with Bradshaw and Gary O’Donnell also coming forward from the half-back line, they met the Derry challenge head-on.

Sice landed another free and then O’Donnell scored after a wonderful pick-up from Sice and Galway were ahead by four when Cummins wrapped it up eight minutes from the end.

Scorers for Galway: G Sice 0-7 (7f), D Cummins 1-0, P Conroy 0-2 (2f) G Bradshaw & G O’Donnell 0-1 each.

Scorers for Derry: D Heavron 0-3, B Herron 0-2 (2f), E Bradley, C O’Boyle & N Forrester 0-1 each.

Galway

1. Brian O’Donoghue (Claregalway)

4. Cathal Sweeney (Killanin)

3. Finian Hanley (Salthill/Knocknacarra)

2. Johnny Duane (St James)

7. Gareth Bradshaw (Moycullen)

6. Gary O’Donnell (Tuam Stars)

5. Liam Silke (Corofin)

8. Fiontán Ó Curraoin (Micheál Breathnach)

9. Thomas Flynn (Athenry)

10. Gary Sice (Corofin)

11. Paul Conroy (St James) (C)

12. Michael Lundy (Corofin)

13. Peadar Óg Ó Gríofa (Micheál Breathnach)

14. Damien Comer (Annaghdown)

15. Danny Cummins (Claregalway)

Subs:

21. Patrick Sweeney for Ó Gríofa (47)

26. Shane Walsh (Kilkerrin-Clonberne) for Conroy (65)

17. Sean Denvir (Micheál Breathnach) for Lundy (69)

24. Adrian Varley (Cortoon Shamrocks) for Comer (69)

20. Michael Martin (Milltown) for Cummins (70)

Derry

1. Thomas Mallon (An Lúb)

2. Oisín Duffy (Foreglen)

4. Dermot McBride (Ballinascreen)

6. Brendan Rogers (Slaughtneil)

7. Sean Leo McGoldrick (Eoghan Rua)

3. Chrissy McKaigue (Slaughtneil)

5. Liam McGoldrick (Eoghan Rua)

8. Niall Holly (Eoghan Rua)

9. Fergal Doherty (Bellaghy)

10. Benny Heron (Ballinascreen)

11. Mark Lynch (Banagher) (C)

12. Enda Lynn (Greenlough)

13. Danny Heavron (Magherafelt)

15. Cailean O’Boyle (Lavey)

14. Eoin Bradley (Glenullin)

Subs:

17. Karl McKaigue (Slaughtneil) for Rogers (BC, 30)

24. Emmett McGuckin (Magherafelt) for Lynch (h-t)

18. Michael McIver (Ballinderry) for Liam McGoldrick (53)

20. Patsy Bradley (Slaughtneil) for Holly (53)

19. Neil Forrester (Steelstown) for Lynn (61)

Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)

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