St. James' footballers hold their nerve to capture Connacht title

St. James’ 0-14 Strokestown 1-9

Dara Bradley

St. James’ did Galway football proud on Sunday. The Renmore/Mervue men put in a heroic performance to win the Connacht Club intermediate football final against Roscommon champions Strokestown at Tuam Stadium.

Their first-half display was as close to perfect as you could ask for in a provincial final – the backs were by and large rock solid, midfield was getting the upper-hand against Strokestown’s giants of men around that sector, and the forwards were buzzing, attracting fouls and keeping the scoreboard ticking over.

The second-half was a different story. The city club lost their shape for periods, and facing into a strong wind which got stronger as the match progressed, the attractive brand of football that was a feature of their play in the first 30 minutes was now absent.

We always knew St. James’ had the footballing ability but what was most pleasing about this display was how they proved they can fight, too. And boy did Seamus Burke’s charges have to fight for this title.  

After 25 minutes of the first half, St James’ deservedly led by 0-8 to 0-1 but by the 25th minute of the second-half Strokestown had cut the deficit to just the minimum, 1-8 to 0-12. The momentum was now with the away side, whose revival was buoyed-on by a vocal travelling support and inspired by two substitutes Niall Brogan and Emmett Collins.

St. James’ needed guts and mettle and resolve and defiance to battle back from the brink and hold on with a late flurry of points. They had all of those attributes in abundance. It was rousing stuff and the character that was evident in St. James’ in that second-half was every bit as satisfying as the flare of the first.

In other years, they would possibly have buckled under such pressure. Not now. On Sunday, this young St. James’ squad came of age. They absorbed the pressure, held their nerve and regrouped to finish the stronger.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.