Never-say-die Clonbur pull off terrific second-half fightback

Kilglass Gaels 0-12

IT was definitely a tale of two halves as Clonbur finished the stronger to claim their place in the Connacht final of the Junior football championship – having looked completely out of sorts in the early stages.

At one stage during the first half Clonbur trailed by five points but a penalty in the early moments of the second period and a huge finish saw them claim an unlikely victory over Roscommon champions Kilglass Gaels at Tuam Stadium on Sunday.

It was a big ask for Clonbur. Having been defeated by Corofin in the Galway junior final replay the previous weekend, they certainly were not looking forward to this encounter. Because Corofin are a senior club, they could not contest the Connacht junior championship so it was left to Clonbur to be Galway’s standard-bearers.

And they did not disappoint as three late points from full forward Trevor Lydon and Eoin Joyce (2) put the icing on the cake for Clonbur as Galway footballer Declan Kyne gave a masterclass performance in every possible department imaginable.

But it did not augur well for Clonbur in the early stages when they looked vulnerable in defence while, at the other end, even when they got the ball into a scorable position, their finishing was abysmal.

It was often the case that the crucial last pass for a score went astray and at half time, nobody could have foreseen that Clonbur could possibly come through this match with a victory.

For a number of obvious reasons, Clonbur would have come into this match as underdogs but when push came to shove they rose to the challenge when they looked dead and gone.

Shane Holleran’s charges may have registered the first point through David Wallace after just 45 seconds, but they went on to concede six points within the next 10 minutes with Pierce Bolger proving the main threat for Kilglass.

Clonbur were five points down after the first quarter despite further scores from Eoin Joyce and the influential Cathal Burke at midfield who went on to get four from play.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and  county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.