Derry 2-20

Galway 4-14

SOMEHOW, Galway are still standing in the All-Ireland senior football championship after this mad-cap, chaotic if utterly absorbing Group 4 qualifier at Celtic Park on Sunday.

The Tribesmen came perilously close to a shock defeat against a team which hasn’t won a competitive match all year and only for a brace of late Matthew Tierney goals, Padraic Joyce’s squad would already have been the big casualties of the qualifiers.

Given Armagh’s five-point win over Dublin at Croke Park later Sunday afternoon, that would have been Galway’s disastrous fate as regardless of the outcome of their final group tie against the All-Ireland champions, their predicament would have been beyond rescue

No wonder the contingent of Galway supporters in the disappointing crowd of less than 5,000 breathed a huge sigh of relief after the final whistle. This was far too close for comfort after another mixed bag display from Seán Kelly and company.

Though it took defender Conor Doherty’s last-gasp point to earn a draw for Derry, it was Galway who had used their get out of jail card up north. Trailing by 2-17 to 2-9 after 53 minutes, the Connacht champions were in dire straits.

By that juncture, two of the team’s heavyweights – Paul Conroy and Cillian McDaid – had been replaced, while two more, Shane Walsh and Dylan McHugh, would soon follow. There were distress signals all over the pitch.

But through sheer force of will and the bounce the team got from substitutes, notably Cein D’Arcy, Galway admirably refused to die or throw in the towel, even if two of their four goals were of the freakish variety.

Despite Derry failing to win a league or championship game so far in 2025, this was always going to be a difficult assignment for Galway. Paddy Tally’s team had finished strong against Armagh in their previous outing, and with their season on the line, a defiant effort was at least expected.

And that’s what their supporters got. With the imperious Conor Class in majestic form, and Brendan Rogers working himself to a standstill, Derry were well up for the battle and they brought a real physical edge to the exchanges.

With the hard running of Diarmuid Baker, Conor Doherty, and Ethan Doherty also putting Galway on the backfoot, Derry delivered their most compelling performance of 2025 so far, but they will be bitterly disappointed not to have closed the deal given their commanding position midway through the second-half.

So many Galway players were below their best, together with untypical Hail Mary pot-shots at the posts over the closing 35 minutes, that it says much for the team’s survival instincts that they remain in control of their own destiny.

A couple of breaks for Rob Finnerty’s first half goal and Tierney’s second were critical too on a windswept afternoon close to the Bogside, but Galway are still searching for the cohesion and fluency which marked their progress to last year’s All-Ireland final.

At least, Damien Comer is back after a frustrating period on the sidelines. His introduction contributed to Galway’s late charge, while other substitutes, John Daly and Peter Cooke, also made their presence felt.

Pictured: Galway’s Matthew Tierney scoring his opening goal against Derry in Sunday’s All-Ireland Senior Football Group 4 clash at Celtic Park. Photos: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.