Galway 1-13

Sligo 1-9

By Dara Bradley at Markievicz Park 

THE Galway minor footballers’ thirteenth point, and last score on Friday evening, was their most pleasing. It came in the 26th minute of the second half. They were leading by five points, and the win was probably secure. But it highlighted the philosophy management has instilled in this team: hard work.

Sligo substitute Josh McHugh was in possession, under the stand around halfway, weighing up his options to launch an attack, when he was hit an unmerciful shoulder by Maigh Cuilinn’s Seán Walsh who refused to allow him space. He spilled the ball, and work-horse Walsh capitalised.

He popped it to Mountbellew/Moylough’s Ciarán Mulhern who soloed up-field and rewarded the turnover with a counter-attack that produced his third point.

That it involved two of the game’s best players, Walsh and Mulhern – although Tuam Stars’ Jack Heneghan who landed four points from play had legitimate claims for that accolade too – was neat symmetry. More importantly it signalled Galway’s attitude was right. They have classy forwards, but Galway are grafters, too.

They could’ve switched off, sat back and defended their lead . . . instead Walsh led by example and worked his socks off, an outlook that bodes well for the remaining round robin matches in the Connacht minor football championship.

As first outings go, this trip to Markievicz Park was satisfying. All bar four of the 24 players on the panel are new to the U17 inter-county grade, and they handled admirably the pressure, excitement and nerves that come with championship debuts in county grounds.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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