U17 Champ Rd1: Sligo 1-10 v Galway 0-15

Back 28/05/2019 @ 09:01 | mainnews | U17 Champ Rd1: Sligo 1-10 v Galway 0-15
Played in Tuam on Friday evening with not a puff or wind or rain the Sligo minors started their campaign in the partly refurbished stadium but left wondering how they did not take the points.

For the first 10 minutes Galway could not get past halfway and despite scoring 2 points from frees from Eoghan Smith we had missed a number of other chances including a gilt edged goal chance that rolled by the town end goal. 
Galway barely hanging on stole up the field on the counter attack but crucially made their chances tell and went in front with all their full forward line getting on the score board. Sligo were hit in the 20th minute by the injury to captain and midfielder Oran McDonagh but the impressive Casserly and Smith alternated between that position for the rest of the game. At halftime we trailed 0-7 v 0-5. 

from the throw in Galway drove forward to extend their lead but Sligo responded and drew level with a goal from Gavin Duffy after a long ball in caused havoc in the Galway defence. The Galway centre back was sent to the line just after this. Galway went back up the field and Jack Lavin somehow managed to redirect a point blank shot on an open goal over the bar. Sligo drew level again with a long range point from Duffy. Galway scored the next 4 points in the following 15 minutes, all on the counter attack as Sligo shot selection and shooting deserted them. 

The lads however kept on plugging and sub Conor Matthews drove over from distance, quickly followed by Eoghan Smith from out near the sideline. We were getting it very hard to win a free inside the home teams 45 however full forward Oisín Gorman dissected the posts with a deft sidefoot to leave a point in it going into injury time. With only our keeper Teape in our half for most of the last 15 minutes we failed to score and a Galway break away yielded an insurance score to go 2 up. Sligo came directly down and the game finished with a goalmouth scramble and a Galway defender happy to drive his boot through the ball towards the sideline. 

Next up for the team is a home game next Friday evening in Markievicz Park v Mayo

Team: Jack Teape, Mark Connolly McGowan, Jack Lavin, Oisín Hynes, Canice Mulligan, Ciarán McKeon, Connor Finn, Oran McDonagh, Joseph Keaney(0-1), Luke Casserly, Eoghan Smith(0-4, 2f), Dylan Walsh, Lee Deignan, Oisín Gorman (0-3), Gavin Duffy(1-1). Subs Jim Davis, Conor Matthews(0-1)