Mannion’s early goal helps to get Cappataggle over the line

Loughrea 0-17

FOR the second consecutive year, Cappataggle have reached the last four of the county senior hurling championship – this time at the expense of a Loughrea outfit that will bemoan a first half display in which they enjoyed a great deal of possession but, ultimately, did not translate it into scores on the board.

Cappataggle had no such problems and, no more than in the intermediate semi-final beforehand, Tony Nevin’s charges underlined the value to be had in scoring the only goal of the game. This they netted through Donal Mannion in the opening 20 seconds of play and it ensured Cappy were up and running from the off in this entertaining quarter-final in Ballinasloe on Sunday.

On the other hand, Loughrea, who dominated under the high and breaking ball in the first half, hit eight wides in that opening period along with spurning another four clear-cut scoring chances by this reporter’s count.

Indeed, the contrast in the two teams’ stats columns could not have been any different. Loughrea's were in rude health right across the board – except of course where it mattered, on the scoreboard – while Cappy’s showed they were leaking too much possession from their own puckouts; not winning enough of the opposition’s restarts; were conceding far too many frees; and were creating fewer scoring chances.

However, crucially, whatever Cappy were creating they were clinically translating into scores and by the interval they duly led 1-8 to 0-10 without hitting any great heights.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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