Inside Track with John McIntyre

COMING down the home stretch at Celtic Park last Sunday, the prospect of the unthinkable happening was only too real. Galway footballers were on the ropes; fighting for their championship lives against a team playing like demons in trying to salvage something from an awful season.

Derry were in Galway’s faces from the off. Bringing a physical edge to the contest, they were holding nothing back. The Tribesmen would have been mentally prepared for a hostile environment, but they were on the back foot for large tracts of a game, and it took an unlikely haul of four goals to keep their campaign alive.

Though Galway haven’t really clicked yet in this year’s championship, there is no questioning the team’s heart or resilience. Padraic Joyce’s men didn’t drop their heads during their worst moments at Celtic Park and never wilted in terms of effort. One thing for sure, Galway don’t buckle under pressure.

The net result of their draw with Derry is that Saturday week’s clash with Armagh at Breffni Park offers Galway the chance to advance to the preliminary quarter-finals without possibly winning any of their Group 4 matches. That scenario would unfold if Derry lose to Dublin, as the Connacht title holders have currently the better scoring difference.

But with the All-Ireland champions already guaranteed to top the group, motivation will be an issue for Kieran McGeeney’s troops and, in those circumstances, and given Galway will be taking no chances about what happens between Derry and Dublin, you’d expect them to carry the day.

Galway’s use of their bench against Derry also came to their rescue. Joyce and his mentors didn’t hang about. Reputations counted for little as All-Stars Paul Conroy, Cillian McDaid, Shane Walsh, and Dylan McHugh were watching the closing stages of a cracking match from the sideline.

The lack of sentiment when Galway are making changes serves them well. It’s not an easy thing to do but Joyce judges things as he sees them unfold from one game to the next. If a player was man-of-the-match in their previous outing but isn’t performing the next day, the tough calls are not resisted.

By the end of their struggles against Derry, Céin D’Arcy, John Daly, Peter Cooke, and Damien Comer were on the field, and all helped to drive Galway’s late heroics. It was a tough outcome on Derry given the quality of some of their football, but when a team hasn’t won a game all year, nerves and tension can prevent them from closing the deal.

The Galway camp won’t need any reminding that they got out of jail at Celtic Park and though a tough run to the All-Ireland semi-finals is ahead of them – the prospect of three matches in a fortnight – the bottom line is that they are still standing and have the opportunity to fine-tune and improve their displays.

Pictured: Galway’s Paul Conroy in determined mood against Diarmuid Baker of Derry during Sunday’s All-Ireland Championship Group 4 clash at Celtic Park. Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.