Pride of Connacht run things close

A NEW dawn for Connacht football, a huge fright for champions Galway and aching frustration for Leitrim. These were the three main ingredients that had a sun baked crowd of 13,000 enthralled at Tuam Stadium yesterday.

Galway barely managed to stumble into the Connacht Senior Football final after seemingly finding cruising speed, with an eight points lead, a little over six minutes before Mayo referee Sean McHale sounded the final whistle that marked the end of a great match.

Connacht football pride was restored by the gripping splendour of it all.

Leitrim, operating on the important principle that a game is never over until that final whistle sounds, stormed back into contention with two superb goals in the last five minutes from substitute Jason Ward and Declan Darcy.

A huge point from over 50 yards by substitute Ward sensationally got the deficit down to a single point on the stroke of injury time.

The situation for Bosco McDermott's men seemed highly ominous and called for something special to crush the belated Leitrim ebullience. Fortunately for Galway, they had two players on the pitch - in team captain Jarlath Fallon and corner forward Niall Finnegan with the necessary attributes to fill the hero roles.

They combined splendidly to complete the rescue mission so desperately needed by Galway in a true moment of crisis. Leitrim, sensing a dramatic draw - at least - launched yet another attack a minute into injury time, but Fallon was back in defence to snatch a high cross and cut out what was Leitrim's last attack.

The Tuam Stars man astutely and defiantly kept possession as he careered towards the heart of the Leitrim cover to start as good a Galway move as was seen all afternoon.

It was appropriate for Sean de Paor to be involved, but even more so for Niall Finnegan. the man of the match, to finish off the interpassing with a great point, his fifth in quite an unforgettable contribution.

Leitrim's dugout decisions, notably the one that kept Jason Ward out of the action until the third quarter, proved ill advised. Niall Finnegan's dominance and huge threat to the Leitrim defence should also have been addressed earlier in the game. But in fairness, Finnegan ultimately proved that Leitrim had not got a defender to curb his performance.

Another unwise Leitrim strategy was to persist, for so long, with Declan Darcy at full forward. He would surely have been of greater service had be been left in his original position as attack leader. His goal, Leitrim's second, 34 minutes into the second half was a gem of its kind and a defining match feature.

Leitrim will also rue the fact that most of the breaks fell to Galway although it has to be emphasised that the champions earned any good fortune that came their way through resolute efforts in combined and individual skills.

An example of this came as early as the first minute when Finnegan, having come in on at end of a defence splitting move, was crash tackled to earn a penalty. Shay Walsh almost tore the back off the Leitrim net from the spot.

That penalty award by Mr McHale was warranted, but the official lacked consistency when denying Leitrim a spot kick chance as Declan Darcy seemed to be fouled en route for goal 21 minutes into the first half.

"It was a penalty, I have no doubt about that," said an angry Leitrim manager John O'Mahony. Instead, a free out was rewarded for over carrying.

Leitrim created other goal chances, notably just before half time when Pat Donohoe and Micky Quinn combined to send Padraig McLoughlin clear, but the winger's searing shot went wide at the far post.

Having played against the wind in the first half, despite having won the toss, Leitrim were only a point in arrears at the break, 1-5 to 0-7.

Galway came out with all guns blazing in the second half and within four minutes, Fergal O'Neill and Finnegan had stretched that lead to four points. A visibly dejected Leitrim failed to score in the opening 12 minutes of the second half.

While John O'Mahony insists that the penalty refusal was the turning point. Tomas Mannion's goal 13 minutes into the second half went a long way towards clinching a fully deserved win.

Not surprisingly Finnegan was again involved here and Jarlath Fallon's square back pass to Mannion was a winner. It gave Galway a commanding seven points lead.

The best individual performances were easy to define. Finnegan, Jarlath Fallon, Shay Walsh, Sean de Paor, Ian O'Donoghue, Alan Mulholland and Gary Fahy for Galway.