Galway v Sligo - Connact SFC semi final 27th June

[anportmorforjfc]

Think Galway will win this handy enough. Sligo have had their chance and they blew it!! Galway by 4

[Duine Eile]

Only one change on the Galway team for Saturday, Mike Meehan starts with Paul Conroy dropping to the bench.

[Duine Eile]

Galway team in full:
Adrian Faherty
Kieran Fitzgerald
Finian Hanley
Alan Burke
Garreth Bradshaw
Diarmuid Blake
Gary O'Donnell
Niall Coleman
Joe Bergin
Gary Sice
Sean Armstrong
Matty Clancy
Mike Meehan
Padraic Joyce
Eoin Concannon

Really don't know how Gary O'Donnell is holding his place on this team, the likes of Darren Mullahy and Tomas Fahy are miles ahead of him. Last Sunday was the worst Galway performance I've seen in a long time and to be honest the management didn't seem to have a clue how to improve things, and all the hand passing was horrible to see, the ball was going nowhere, it's called football for a reason!

[ross4life]

I thought Kernan would ring the changes & it's a big gamble with Meehan as he didn't look fit the last day, weather say's wind & rain for Saturday so it should be fascinating replay, perhaps another low scoring game that might go to extra time

[paddypastit]

Sligo unchanged - a big call but fair enough - plenty of form over time... important now to act more quickly if any of the negative patterns of last week seem to be continuing.  As i said earlier in the thread, Galway undoubtedly will improve this weekend and will have a few tactical moves to bring their key men into play and to stop Sligos' - Kelly in particular. By the same token,  Despite only playing for about 10 minutes last week, not really pushing on going into hHT, and sitting back after, Sligo were still well the better team over the 70 minutes. Sligo can improve and play a lot better than they did last weekend.  Get middle of the field sorted, win the breaks in particular and Galway will need to be amazing to win. Thius game will make one of these sides...

[GalwayBayBoy]

Galway team in full:
Adrian Faherty
Kieran Fitzgerald
Finian Hanley
Alan Burke
Garreth Bradshaw
Diarmuid Blake
Gary O'Donnell
Niall Coleman
Joe Bergin
Gary Sice
Sean Armstrong
Matty Clancy
Mike Meehan
Padraic Joyce
Eoin Concannon

Really don't know how Gary O'Donnell is holding his place on this team, the likes of Darren Mullahy and Tomas Fahy are miles ahead of him. Last Sunday was the worst Galway performance I've seen in a long time and to be honest the management didn't seem to have a clue how to improve things, and all the hand passing was horrible to see, the ball was going nowhere, it's called football for a reason!

Paul Conroy had a poor game but I thought he was one of Galway's best players in the league. Seems to be suffering from not having a solid partner beside him in midfield (he's only 20). Hard to expect a young lad like that to take charge in midfield. O'Donnell I agree is just not good enough. Cannot understand what Kernan sees in him. No way is Meehan fully fit either even though he actually put in a  good shift last weekend after he came on. Fully fit and sharp side available and Galway win this more than likely. Too many questions about that team though so difficult to be more than hopeful.

[magpie seanie]

I think an unchanged side for Sligo is a fair call but I'd bet there will be no hanging around on the line if things aren't up to scratch. If we play close to our usual level we will win I believe.

There's no way Meehan is fit for the seventy minutes. Kernan's laughable comments after the game last week show that he is under pressure. Agree with some of the Galway comments on their team. Conroy was far from the worst of their players. Would have my doubts about Meehan starting though can't see what's to be gained by naming dummy teams as managements cover all eventualities these days.

[paddypastit]

Seanie, he's a buffoon, only contribution to the cause down there is to have then lying down feigning injury when playing against the wind. Sligo will win if don't play into opposition's hands.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Seanie, he's a buffoon, only contribution to the cause down there is to have then lying down feigning injury when playing against the wind.

Now now. Sligo lads were hardly innocent themselves of this last weekend. Davey spent more time lying on the turf than he did upright.

[magpie seanie]

Seanie, he's a buffoon, only contribution to the cause down there is to have then lying down feigning injury when playing against the wind. Sligo will win if don't play into opposition's hands.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. Never thought I'd see the day when Galway would be at that. It was like Croker and Navan in 2002 all over again.

[GaillimhIarthair]

Sligo unchanged - a big call but fair enough - plenty of form over time... important now to act more quickly if any of the negative patterns of last week seem to be continuing.  As i said earlier in the thread, Galway undoubtedly will improve this weekend and will have a few tactical moves to bring their key men into play and to stop Sligos' - Kelly in particular. By the same token,  Despite only playing for about 10 minutes last week, not really pushing on going into hHT, and sitting back after, Sligo were still well the better team over the 70 minutes. Sligo can improve and play a lot better than they did last weekend.  Get middle of the field sorted, win the breaks in particular and Galway will need to be amazing to win. Thius game will make one of these sides...

At least ye managed to play for 10 monutes, we only managed this during the 3 minutes of injury time!  I dont honestly know what to expect from our fellas this weekend.  Last sunday was as bad a performance as I have seen in many many years and is an indictment of Sligo in that they couldnt put us away bad and all as we were.  Poor tactics played its part no doubt.  I doubt Meehan is fit for 70 mins but he caused a lot of panic in the Sligo defence when introduced and this is an area of the Sligo team that can be got at I think but we need to get a supply of ball in there and unfortunately we have a lot of issues further out the field that hinders this opportunity.  I also hope our Mgt have a plan B for dealing with Kelly because he is a class act and will punish us heavily given any opportunity.  I hope the game will have brought us on but I will be travelling more in hope than expectation. 

[galwayman]

Terrible performance from us the last day.Still don't know how we managed to escape with a draw from it.
Am surprised there was only one change made for tomorrow.
How Gary O'Donnell keeps getting the start is beyond me.Darren Mullaghy is 100 times better and should imho be number 7.Either him or Alan Burke anyway.Burke is NOT a corner back as was shown last week.He is a wing back.Full stop.As I know myself from club football there is a world of difference between playing corner back and wing back. I guess we don't have too many options here though.Fitzy and Hanley are the only 2 fullback line players we have of sufficient quality (and Hanley had been having a nightmare season until last Sunday).
Nicky is a huge loss up front for us.Matt Clancy is not much of a scoring threat.I would have stuck with Conroy.Our midfield was poor last week but Conroy is a very good ball player and was impressive in the league.Think he deserved a start more than Coleman anyway.
I don't think we are good enough to win tomorrow if I am being honest.Sligo are the form team with home advantage and I don't think we have the ball winning ability in the middle or the firepower up front to win it.
I say the latter because Meehan is nowhere near fit and Nicky is out. A fully fit forwardline would be a different matter but with the injury situation as it is - we are relying almost totally on PJ for scores. You can't be relying on one player -no matter how good he is and PJ is undoubtedly a class act - to win games for you.
I hope I'm wrong but I expect Sligo to win. I'll be there anyway hoping for the best. Gaillimh abu!!

[Hound]

As an outside observer, I notice the Sligo lads have got fierce cranky all of a sudden!

This new found pressure of expectation is affecting the fans as well as the players.

I reckon both teams will improve from the last day. Hopefully be an entertaining game, I'm looking forward to it.

[joemamas]

Just watched the highlights again, Sligo's incredible niaviety cost them them. when P Joyce made it a four point game in injury time, from the resulting kick out, you would have thought that Sligo were down by four points, they had five or six players around midfield in attacking positions. If they had stayed on their own fifty, there was no way Gawlay would have been able to walk through them for a goal. The next series, before Michael Meehan was fouled, he had a man totally unmarked inside him, as three Sligo players advanced to tackle him.

I dont think Sligo need to fear anything, as Galway are an average team at best, relying on three or four players.

Q, What is weather like today in Sligo.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Sligo will be very angry if they lose by a point, that was so a Sligo point not a wide.