Inside Track with John McIntyre
IT really didn’t matter if the opposition had comprised of just a set of well known cartoon characters headed by Mickey Mouse, Daffy Duck and The Pink Panther, the only issue at stake was that Galway footballers would prove equal to the challenge of halting a horrible run of defeats in the All-Ireland qualifiers at Pearse Stadium last Saturday evening.
In the end, Alan Mulholland’s men sort of staggered over the line against a badly depleted Tipperary team and though Galway’s display will have done little to appease their critics, the result was everything for Finian Hanley and company. Having been humiliated by Mayo in the Connacht championship, last Saturday evening was all about stopping the rot and they managed to achieve that fundamental aim.
Galway’s summer struggles for nearly the best part of a decade have spawned inconsistent teams which are lacking in confidence. Those traits were again evident in Pearse Stadium at the weekend but, at least, the Tribesmen had enough quality and pride in their ranks to advance to the second round of the qualifiers. Every win is important, but Galway’s victory over Tipperary was priceless in terms of squad morale and trying to kick-start some sort of a revival.
Mind you, a couple of bare statistics from the match underlined how much Galway diced with danger in front of a decent attendance of over 3,500. If you were told beforehand that they would only lead by 0-6 to 0-5 at the interval having had the backing of the wind and would also concede the last five scores of the match, you’d be forgiven for fearing the worst. Fortunately, a powerful third quarter proved enough for the home team to more than compensate.
The match itself was of no great quality, but none of that will matter to the Galway camp this week. They had to win; needed to win; and operating in that environment brings its own pressures, even against a Division Four league outfit. A point in the opening seconds from the lively Danny Cummins should have been the ideal tonic but, alarmingly, Galway wouldn’t score again for 20 minutes. Though guilty of some poor shooting, they were also struggling to cope with Tipperary’s tactic of funnelling so many players back when defending. It didn’t make for a great spectacle and, more worryingly for the home fans, the spectre of a shock result was always hanging in the air throughout the opening-half.
The manner in which raiding Tipperary players, notably wing back Brian Fox, were breaking through some flimsy tackling around the Galway half-back sector really had the alarm bells ringing and they ought to have found the net in the 20th minute when midfielder Steven O’Brien was straight through but shot too early and too high, ensuring a routine save from goalkeeper Manus Breathnach.
Just three minutes earlier, the Tipperary custodian Paul Fitzgerald had made a terrific reflex save to deny Michael Meehan at the other end, but with half-time approaching and the Munster minnows ahead by 0-5 to 0-4, the Galway supporters were becoming increasingly uneasy. Significantly, hard-working midfielder Paul Conroy subsequently landed the equaliser before Sean Armstrong (free) edged them in front for the break.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
