National recognition for the Tribesmen’s all-conquering U20 footballers
A terrific season for the Galway U20 footballers has been rounded off in fitting style with national awards for their team manager, captain and five other players.
Skipper Jack Glynn has been honoured with the EirGrid U20 Player of the Year accolade, with Galway colleagues Conor Flaherty, Conor Raftery, Paul Kelly, Matthew Tierney and Tomo Culhane also included in the grade’s Top 20 Performers of 2020.
Claregalway’s Glynn was a defensive lynchpin throughout the campaign, while goalkeeper Flaherty, midfielder Raftery, the versatile Kelly, and forwards Culhane and Tierney were also critical to Galway’s magnificent campaign.
And in a popular choice, An Spidéal’s Donal Ó Fátharta has been selected as the U20 Manager of the Year after the young Tribesmen claimed their first All-Ireland title at this level since 2013 (then U21).
Galway did it the hard way too, starting off with a Connacht championship defeat of Mayo in wretched conditions at MacHale Park, Castlebar last February.
With a gale heavily influencing the action, the match went to a penalty shoot-out and it was Galway who held their nerve the best – Tierney, Tony Gill and Ryan Monaghan converting spot kicks for victory.
Next up for Galway was a provincial semi-final against Leitrim in Elphin. It turned into the anticipated easy victory (1-12 to 0-2) for Ó Fatharta’s charges, with Matthew Cooley nailing the only goal of the game.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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