A draw better than nothing as Galway leave it behind!
GALWAY’S draw away to Wexford last Saturday, that initially left onlookers of a maroon disposition with a heavy sense of frustration usually associated with a heart-breaking defeat, may ultimately prove to be a very valuable point gained in the race to qualify from the round robin stage of the Leinster championship.
From up close and in the heat of the moment, the Galway team and management had every right to feel aggrieved with the refereeing decision that cost them the chance to extend their advantage to three deep into injury time. Robbing Conor Cooney of the opportunity to take a placed ball was inconsistent and referee Thomas Walsh appeared to get spooked by the restless natives.
From there, Wexford showed admirable resilience and took their chances, ultimately deserving to get something from a game that Galway will feel should have been done and dusted well before then. Joseph Cooney had a fine game otherwise, but his decision to go for a difficult shot with Diarmuid O’Keeffe blocking his path on 62 minutes was a costly one.
Nothing is ever assured, but a pass inside to an unmarked reliable finisher like Conor Cooney would surely have been the sensible option. A goal would have pushed Henry Shefflin’s side into an eight point advantage, and for all of talismanic substitute Lee Chin’s late heroics, Wexford would have been hard pushed to bridge that gap.
Shefflin has been imploring this Galway side to back themselves more since taking over but, on this occasion, Cooney surely needed to back his namesake more. Galway would be outscored by 1-4 to 0-2 after this as the home side gathered momentum, with Conor McDonald’s freakish one-handed swipe from almost on the end line somehow finding the net to light the purple and gold touch paper.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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