Costello sparkles as Galway U20 footballers raise spirits

Mayo 0-10

A 10-point haul from their inside forward line — along with four points from man of the match Liam Costello — underlined the quality of a Galway U20 side that claimed a superb Connacht final victory over great rivals Mayo at Tuam Stadium last Wednesday evening.

If the large local crowd that arrived in Tuam was anything to judge, there was a real hunger for this one. It was understandable, given the gloom permeating throughout the county in the wake of the seniors’ defeat — and championship exit — to Mayo in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

Added to this, Mayo had also turned over Donal O Fatharta’s minors in a hugely exciting provincial decider at Tuam Stadium — albeit, the young Tribesmen still have an All-Ireland quarter-final to look forward to — and, against such a backdrop, Galway supporters yearned to have something to cheer about.

In Tuam Stadium last Wednesday, they got their wish as Padraic Joyce’s charges submitted an assured and eye-catching performance that left a fancied Mayo side chasing shadows for much of the hour’s fare.

By half-time, a wind-assisted Galway had raced into a 0-10 to 0-4 lead following an untidy 30 minutes of football that was littered by errors from both sides. In many respects, it was a remarkable lead the Tribesmen had built up, given they lost the free count 14-7 — at one point it was 10-1 against — and they had coughed up possession cheaply on far too many occasions.

However, in Joyce and his selection committee of John Concannon, John Divilly and Liam Sammon, Galway had mentors who astutely managed their resources to great effect throughout the half. This included making two substitutions before the interval. Jack Glynn and Conor Newell were introduced and they made an immediate impact, with Newell kicking a super point with his first touch on 25 minutes.

This, no doubt, kept Galway focused on the task in hand and by the end of the opening period they had not only tightened up their game in terms of turnovers against, they also outscored Mayo five points to one in the final five minutes (plus injury-time) in the half.

To the fore, as he was in the semi-final triumph over Roscommon, was Milltown dynamo Liam Costello. An all-action figure, his speed and direct running from deep had Mayo at sixes and sevens. In the first half, he kicked three sublime points — four in all over the hour — and he really set the tone from a Galway perspective.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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