Galway minor footballers edge past Sligo in Connacht semi-final
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THE GALWAY minor footballers have booked their place into the Connacht final with a narrow 0-14 to 0-12 win over Sligo on Friday evening in Tubbercurry GAA club. Friday evening’s provincial semi-final win for the Tribesmen means Galway are back into the Connacht final at minor level for the first time since 2023 and this win also ensure their place into the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Galway will play Roscommon next Friday May 8th in the Connacht Minor Football Championship final in Tuam Stadium at 7pm. The winners dug deep in the last quarter to secure a narrow two point victory over Sligo.
It was a cagey opening quarter, with both sides level at 0-2 apiece. Eanna Maher and Tiernan Mitchell got the early scores for Cossie Gilmore’s side, while Nathan McLoughlin and Jack Kelly kept Sligo in touch.
However, the visitors edged ahead before the break. Goalkeeper Evan Burke converted a free and a 45, while corner-forwards Adam Healy and Shane Heneghan also found their range. In response, the hosts managed just a Ryan Lang free, leaving Galway 0-6 to 0-3 in front at half-time.
Galway maintained their advantage throughout the second half, although Sligo continued to battle. They reduced the gap to a single point and trailed 0-10 to 0-9 by the 55th minute, but that was as close as they would get.
The winners then pushed on with four unanswered points from Ruairi Flaherty, Oliver Ó Suilleabháin, Adam Healy and Mikey Mitchell, stretching their lead to 0-14 to 0-9 by the 63rd minute. Sligo responded late on with a two-pointer from Kelly and a free from Lang, but Galway held firm to secure their place in the Connacht final.