Sligo v Galway June 21st markievicz park

[Rossfan]

Galway had it won from way out. Sligo were a bit toothless but I suppose when you're gettin nothin at midfield it doesnt help the front men.
Should no 20 and Murphy have started?

[SLIGONIAN]

Very very very frustrated/disappointed at that 3 hrs of football from our minors and seniors,

[GalwayBayBoy]

Have no idea why Sligo didn't try and change their kick out strategy. Try some short ones. O'Curraoin was like a monkey catching nuts.

[seafoid]

Have to be happy enough with that. To take a very young team up to Sligo and win pretty comfortably there is not to be sniffed at. More experienced Galway sides have had awful trouble with Sligo over the past few years. Bit disappointed in the last 15 minutes or so. Galway became very casual, very wasteful and kicked a lot of loose wides. Probably should have won by more than they did. Midfield the foundation of the win really. O'Curraoin ruled the skies and Flynn charged up and down the field. Cummins good. Shane Walsh is still a bit raw but is such a beautifully balanced skillful footballer.

Not sure if I'm looking forward to or dreading the Connacht final. Just hope we put up a good show.

Nice win. Bypasses an awful lot of qfs. We should do better than London last year.
Big progress since 2013 really.  They were right to have the manager for 3 years to steady the ship.

[IolarCoisCuain]

Have to be happy enough with that. To take a very young team up to Sligo and win pretty comfortably there is not to be sniffed at. More experienced Galway sides have had awful trouble with Sligo over the past few years. Bit disappointed in the last 15 minutes or so. Galway became very casual, very wasteful and kicked a lot of loose wides. Probably should have won by more than they did. Midfield the foundation of the win really. O'Curraoin ruled the skies and Flynn charged up and down the field. Cummins good. Shane Walsh is still a bit raw but is such a beautifully balanced skillful footballer.

Not sure if I'm looking forward to or dreading the Connacht final. Just hope we put up a good show.

Nice win. Bypasses an awful lot of qfs. We should do better than London last year.
Big progress since 2013 really.  They were right to have the manager for 3 years to steady the ship.

Thinking the ship is steadied THREE WEEKS before you even face Mayo, let alone beat them? I always thought you were bad, but this brings Galway arrogance to a new level. That post will be on the Mayo dressing-room wall in Castlebar Seafóid, mark my words it will!

[seafoid]

Have to be happy enough with that. To take a very young team up to Sligo and win pretty comfortably there is not to be sniffed at. More experienced Galway sides have had awful trouble with Sligo over the past few years. Bit disappointed in the last 15 minutes or so. Galway became very casual, very wasteful and kicked a lot of loose wides. Probably should have won by more than they did. Midfield the foundation of the win really. O'Curraoin ruled the skies and Flynn charged up and down the field. Cummins good. Shane Walsh is still a bit raw but is such a beautifully balanced skillful footballer.

Not sure if I'm looking forward to or dreading the Connacht final. Just hope we put up a good show.

Nice win. Bypasses an awful lot of qfs. We should do better than London last year.
Big progress since 2013 really.  They were right to have the manager for 3 years to steady the ship.

Thinking the ship is steadied THREE WEEKS before you even face Mayo, let alone beat them? I always thought you were bad, but this brings Galway arrogance to a new level. That post will be on the Mayo dressing-room wall in Castlebar Seafóid, mark my words it will!

Surely Mayo are past using Galway as dressingroom invective fodder. Sure all ye have to do is turn up.
Beating Sligo is wonderful enough. Baby steps baby. But we'll be back giving it bhfaca tu at some stage. For the decima.

[IolarCoisCuain]

Have to be happy enough with that. To take a very young team up to Sligo and win pretty comfortably there is not to be sniffed at. More experienced Galway sides have had awful trouble with Sligo over the past few years. Bit disappointed in the last 15 minutes or so. Galway became very casual, very wasteful and kicked a lot of loose wides. Probably should have won by more than they did. Midfield the foundation of the win really. O'Curraoin ruled the skies and Flynn charged up and down the field. Cummins good. Shane Walsh is still a bit raw but is such a beautifully balanced skillful footballer.

Not sure if I'm looking forward to or dreading the Connacht final. Just hope we put up a good show.

Nice win. Bypasses an awful lot of qfs. We should do better than London last year.
Big progress since 2013 really.  They were right to have the manager for 3 years to steady the ship.

Thinking the ship is steadied THREE WEEKS before you even face Mayo, let alone beat them? I always thought you were bad, but this brings Galway arrogance to a new level. That post will be on the Mayo dressing-room wall in Castlebar Seafóid, mark my words it will!

Surely Mayo are past using Galway as dressingroom invective fodder. Sure all ye have to do is turn up.
Beating Sligo is wonderful enough. Baby steps baby. But we'll be back giving it bhfaca tu at some stage. For the decima.

Not at all man. Sure who'll sleep in Mayo after that display in Sligo this evening? Fiontán Ó Curraoin soaring into the skies and probably having irregular verbs correctly conjugated in the Modh Coinníollach by the time he comes down, as well as the football? It's 1998 all over again. Why God, why? Why?

[moysider]

Very disappointing occasion. Great location, poor crowd and dreadful atmosphere.

The match lacked championship bite. Looks like Sligo were happy to limit damage. Set up defensively from throw-in even though they had a considerable wind advantage. Thing is they don t have the pace to run the ball from back to front. To see a Galway defense with 2 extra men is a novelty. And they were not being deliberately defensively. Sligo played with 2 forwards in the opposition half so there was going to be spare defenders about.

Numbers are one thing but in spite of clogging things up Sligo could not win a break and gave away several cheap enough frees. Individuals did not work hard enough which renders the masssed defense useless. Galway players found too much space and time too easily. Sligo were too slow on their own frees, there was a reluctance to make runs and support runners for Kelly and Marren were non existant. Sligo introduced some subs that looked promising, likes of Coen and Murphy, but they look like inside forwards and it is in the middle third that most of the issues are. Sligo confidence seemed non existant from the start. Well before the end morale had taken a kicking as well. Players that should be leading and pumping were struggling with their own game. Old heroes like Ross Donavan was at sea all day. Harrison and Egan also shadows of their better days. Brehony s legs seem shot.

Galway - as is their nature- looked nice, and did enough to close the game out without doing anything in particularly spectacular. But they won midfields and breaks all day long without killing Sigo outright. So is that good or bad for Galway?

Good if they have another level they can go to. However there were handy late chances there this evening that were passed up.
If Mayo eventually come out of hibernation and realise that they ve had enough wake up calls already they can prevail - home advantage and all. We all know Mayo s limitations at this stage ( it can be argued, self-imposed), but Mayo can be strong v Galway where Galway cleaned up today. Middle 3rd, 5-12. We were poor there v Ros. But that was partly down to in indulgent selection. If we re still asleep in 3 weeks time we will be gone.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Match report from RTE.

Galway claimed a deserved 0-16 to 0-11 success in the Connacht Senior Football Championship semi-final at Markievicz Park.

With Tom Flynn and Fiontan O'Curraoin effective at centrefield, Galway shaded an interesting first half to go in 0-09 to 0-08 ahead.

In the second period Shane Walsh was immense for Galway, who pulled five points clear in the third quarter.

Late on Sligo needed a goal, but the Galway defence was never in any serious danger as Alan Mulholland's side held on.

Early on there was plenty to admire in the manner Galway moved the ball quickly with promising centre forward Walsh impressive.

The former St Jarlath's College star was busy scoring and creating chances for an inside line in which Danny Cummins was craving involvement.

Twelve minutes in, the teams were deadlocked at 0-03 each following plenty of early industry from both outfits.

An Adrian Marren free edged Sligo ahead, but then Galway reeled off three nice points on the spin courtesy of Michael Martin (two) and Walsh.

From then until the break it remained keenly contested as a Shane McManus score kept Sligo very much in the reckoning during a burst of Galway pressure.

O'Curraoin and Flynn were productive in the middle for Galway, who went 0-09 to 0-05 in front by the 34th minute with Walsh continued to cause problems.

But two scores in the closing seconds of the half from Mark Breheny and Marren ensured only the narrowest of margins divided the teams at half-time.

Ten minutes after the break Flynn released Cummins, who forced a brilliant reaction save from Sligo custodian Aidan Devaney.

Walsh assumed responsibility, knocking over the resultant '45 which put Galway 0-11 to 0-09 ahead clear in the 46th minute.

Sligo were being put under pressure and two further points from the splendid Walsh and one from Cummins extended Galway's advantage.

Sligo terminated an 11-minute search for a score when substitute Kevin McDonnell clipped a point, but Galway replied instantly through Damien Comer.

Late on Niall Murphy and Walsh traded points as Galway closed out the deal to book a provincial decider date with Mayo on July 13.

Galway: M Breathnach; D O'Neill, F Hanley, A Tierney; G Bradshaw, G O'Donnell, P Varley; F O'Curraoin, T Flynn; M Lundy (0-01), S Walsh (0-06, 2fs, 145), D Comer (0-01); M Martin (0-02, 1f), E Hoare (0-02), D Cummins (0-04).

Subs: P Conroy for Hoare (54 mins), A Varley for Martin (60 mins), S Armstrong for Cummins (61 mins), J O'Brien for Comer (65 mins), C Mulryan for Lundy (70 mins).

Sligo: A Devaney; R Donovan, J Martyn, N Ewing; C Harrison, A McIntyre, K Cawley; J Kilcullen, S McManus (0-01); D Rooney, M Breheny (0-02), B Egan; P Hughes (0-01), A Marren (0-04, 1sideline, 1 free), D Kelly (0-01).

Subs: B Curran for Harrison (39 mins), K McDonnell (0-01) for McManus (51 mins), N Murphy (0-01) for Rooney (55 mins), S Coen for Hughes (55 mins), G Ryan for Martyn (63 mins), E McHugh for Breheny (65 mins).

Referee: M Deegan (Laois).

[Shrewdness]

Maybe it's clear now why Sligo are a division 3 team?

[Sligomanabroad]

Very poor stuff indeed. really disappointed with the lack of pressure put on Galway defenders coming out with the ball and it seems we don't have anyone to send a decent 40m pass into Marren and Kelly.
I cant believe how long we persisted with the ridiculous kickouts! I really hoped that this was a thing of the past with new management and keeper in place... unfortunately not. but the most disappointing thing was the lack of intensity.
We really have no idea how good Galway are from that game.

When is the qualifier draw due to be made? We need a handy home tie to get the show on the road and give more game time to the lads who have just come back from injury - although Flanagan should probably start with some of the younger lads in the qualifiers as it seems some of our old reliables are coming to the end. Maybe a bit of a qualifier run might cheer us all up a bit.....

[Syferus]

Have no idea why Sligo didn't try and change their kick out strategy. Try some short ones. O'Curraoin was like a monkey catching nuts.

I'm a fan of FOC but my God was his job easy yesterday. Even the Sligo keeper kicked uncontested ball to him. In this day and age when a midfielder wins as much ball as he did it's more about what the opposition did than he did, I think.

James should have been looking to punch the ball a mile away from FOC at every chance. I hardly remember the other Sligo midfielder winning a ball.

[An Fhairche Abu]

The match lacked championship bite

Nail on the head there, far too easy for Galway against a very disappointing Sligo team, at times in the second half I thought the pace was like a late stage National League game where there is nothing at stake for either team.

A 5 point win but in truth it could have been a lot more, given the respective performances there was only one team going to win yesterday. At this stage we are going into the Connacht final having really got no test whatsoever from two sides who were below par on the day against Galway, Mayo in contrast have had a really tough encounter against the Rossies which will stand to them on July 13th.

Sligo in the second half were anemic, and having played with the wind in the first half only the two quickfire points (one of them from a Galway mistake) just before the ht whistle gave any sign of life from Sligo.
As has been mentioned the Sligo persistence of raining kick out ball down on Fiontán Ó Curraoin who along with Tom Flynn and Eddie Hoare was aerially dominating the middle was baffling.
I thought that Galway were sloppy in the last quarter, should have buried Sligo by more than 5 points, always only a goal away from leaving a team that you should have well beaten back into the contest.

I think it would be remiss not to state that regardless of the pace of the game, performance etc. this was a huge win for Galway, would have been a disaster to lose again to Sligo yesterday and Galway can now approach the Mayo match in "no lose" mode, Mayo will be expected to win comfortably, Galway are simply trying to come back from an unmerciful hammering last year and give them a game.

[manfromdelmonte]

So how many years without a championship win for Pat Flanagan?

[magpie seanie]

I would agree with most of the comment on here. Galway should have won by more but in years to come this may prove to be a vital win for them. Despite being really poor in most sectors if we were able to muster a gallop in the last quarter we could nearly have stolen this but I think this group of Galway lads will kick on from this win. Ye have some fine footballers developing there and the rehabilitiation after last years Mayo mauling may be complete. Think ye will give them a good shaking the next day. Well done.

From a Sligo perspective most of my pre match doubts came to fruition unfortunately. I'm pretty disgusted overall but won't go into it now/here. Am seriously disillusioned with Sligo GAA. I said beforehand we'd need a goal or two to win but we had no plan to try and get a goal. Playing clearly unfit players and others based purely on reputation has to stop.