Soccer Wrap Up with Mike Rafferty

There were no slip-ups by any of the big Galway sides in the third round of the Connacht Junior Cup over the weekend as holders Salthill Devon, along with Mervue United, West United, University of Galway, Maree/Oranmore, Athenry, and Colga all advanced with various degrees of comfort.

In the Connacht Shield, Knocknacarra, Salthill Devon B and Maree/Oranmore B all came out on top in competitive encounters; while Charlie Quinn got a late winner for the Galway League as they saw off the Donegal by 3-2 in the semi-final of the FAI Youth Inter-League.

Connacht Junior Cup

The draw for the Connacht Junior Cup produced one plum tie as Westport United came out of the hat against Salthill Devon and in a repeat of the final of two seasons ago the outcome was the same as the Galway side came out on top with an even greater degree of comfort following a 5-1 victory on this occasion.

In a game switched from Westport to Milebush in Castlebar, it didn’t start well for the visitors as Darren Browne got a touch to a near post corner to give the home side the lead. The setback was the signal for Devon to pick up their game and thereafter controlled matters as they set about their recovery.

They levelled matters when Andrew Connolly teed up Matthew Barrett, before Shane O’Rourke applied the finish to a deep Darren Darcy corner to put them ahead; and they added a third before the break when Cillian Doyle got his head to a Calym Crowe delivery to give them a 3-1 advantage.

The visitors continued where they left off on the resumption as O’Rourke knocked a Mikey Fox corner down for Doyle to get this third goal in two games; and when Barrett was upended in the box in the latter stages, Fox slotted the resulting penalty past Gary Cunningham to seal the perfect outcome with a 5-1 success.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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