In-form Salthill continue title surge with a clear-cut win

Salthill-Knocknacarra 4-12Moycullen 2-6

Cian O’Connell

THROUGHOUT the years the heavy burden of expectancy has rarely sat easily on Salthill-Knocknacarra shoulders, but in last Sunday evening's County SFC quarter final at Pearse Stadium, the suspicion that this particular outfit has something extra about them was proven correct.

Salthill-Knocknacarra are no strangers to emphatic victories early in the championship, but the past couple of weekends have brought encouragement as Killererin and Moycullen have been dismissed with the minimum of fuss.

Another source of pride surrounding this bunch, which includes 14 out of the starting 15 who played underage football with the club, is the way selectors Gerry Hughes, Tadhg O'Beaglaoich, and Carl Donlon have constructed a workaholic team.  

The fact that it is a predominantly native Salthill-Knocknacarra side might be scoffed at by others, but it matters deeply reflecting an admirable determination to involve homegrown youngsters who may have previously not been given sufficient opportunities to parade their talents.

This was always likely to be a test for Salthill-Knocknacarra as they sought to maintain the high levels of energy and excellence achieved when dumping the reigning champions Killererin out with such conviction. Moycullen did summon a trademark burst of defiance during an enterprising second quarter, but Salthill governed every other part of the contest.

Having scored a whopping 6-28 in their last two hours of football without marquee finisher Sean Armstrong it would be unwise to deem Salthill forward line simply stylish because they are also capable of completing the mundane chores. Repeatedly forcing mistakes and earning turnovers was what helped the city men settle so purposefully and, amazingly, they manufactured four goal scoring chances inside the first 13 minutes.  

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.