Galway 4-11

Derry 0-12

THREE FIRST-HALF GOALS put Galway on the way to victory at Owenbeg and back into Division One next season.

Derry won the toss and elected to play against the wind, but when Galway squeezed on their kick-outs, it gave them the platform to boss the game.

Matthew Tierney put in a Man of the Match performance, with Damien Comer’s movement pulling Derry’s defence out of shape until he was replaced as a precaution a tight hamstring.

The home side were without the suspended Shane McGuigan, with injury preventing Shane Walsh from featuring for Padraic Joyce’s side.

Johnny Heaney and Lachlan Murray traded early scores before Paul Conroy and Dessie Conneely shot Galway into a 0-3 to 0-1 before the game’s first goal.

Damien Comer cut in along the end line and when Conroy spooned the ball across goal, Tierney palmed home at the far post.

It got even better three minutes later when Comer powered to the top corner for a 2-5 to 0-2 lead.

Derry struggled to get the ball out of their of their own half before Paul Cassidy fired over to end a 10-minute scoreless spell.

Galway had the final say of the half when Conneely shot to the net in the last minute and there was still time for Sean Kelly to pull a stoppage time save out of Odhran Lynch.

Leading 3-8 to 0-4 at the break, Galway hit a fourth goal in the 40th minute from substitute Tomo Culhane.

Derry did rally with points from Niall Toner, Emmett Bradley and three from Ciaran McFaul but Galway kept them outside the danger zone.

The one time they home side got in, Niall Loughlin had a shot blocked by goalkeeper Flaherty in a crowded square.

Galway finished with 14 men when Paul Conroy was dismissed for a strike in the 58th and Gareth McKinless sent off following a squirmish after an incident that followed a booking for Conor Glass and Sean Kelly.

The win takes Galway top of the table, while Derry need to win in Navan next week to keep their outside chance of promotion alive.

Galway: C Flaherty; J Glynn, K Molloy, L Silke; D McHugh, J Daly, C McDaid (0-1); Paul Kelly, P Conroy (0-3); M Tierney (1-3, 2f), S Kelly, J Heaney (0-1); R Finnerty, D Comer (1-1), D Conneely (1-2, 1f)

Subs: O Gallagher for R Finnerty (HT), T Culhane (1-0) for D Comer (39), J McGrath for J Glynn (48), N Daly for Paul Kelly (57), T Gill for D Conneely (79), S Fitzgerald for S Kelly (Blood sub 70)

Black card: O Gallagher (56)
Yellow cards: S Kelly (62), K Molloy (77)
Red Card: P Conroy (58)

Derry: O Lynch; B Rogers, P McGrogan, C McKaigue; G McKinless, C Doherty, C McFaul (0-3); C Glass, E Bradley (0-3, 2f); E Doherty, O McWilliams, Paul Cassidy (0-1); B Heron, N Loughlin (0-3f), L Murray (0-1)

Subs: N Toner (0-1) for B Heron (47), Padraig Cassidy for C Doherty (47), C McCluskey for L Murray (60), S Downey for O McWilliams (62), B McCarron for E Doherty (75)

Black card: C McFaul (76)
Yellow cards: C McFaul (54), C Glass (63)
Red Cards: G McKinless (62), C McFaul (76)

Referee: S Hurson (Tyrone).