Caltra football is alive and well

By NOEL CARNEY Caltra .1-13 Claregalway .0-8 CALTRA football is in much better health than many neutrals might have expected, judging by this spirited performance at Tuam Stadium last Sunday evening but for disappointing losers Claregalway the opposite seems to be the case as they appear to have gone backwards rather than forwards from last year's level. The losers were forced to line out without either of their county goalkeepers as the news that Brian O'Donoghue would miss out because of a fractured bone in his hand was compounded by the blow that his natural replacement, Adrian Faherty, was out with a foot injury. However, they cannot blame that misfortune for this defeat as stand-in netminder Robert Moran had a fine game.[private] From a neutral point of view there was considerable interest in this match as Galway supporters everywhere were wondering how brilliant forward Michael Meehan would fare out and if he would be able to last an entire hour plus, with the Connacht semi-final against Sligo only a fortnight away from this game. The news was good on all fronts as the ace attacker did play right through to the finish although the stadium held its collective breath when he went down with an injury late on. Happily he got up again and played on to the finish. It was gratifying also to see him kick a difficult free from out on the sideline over the bar and to drive a 45 high between the posts with ease. Adrian Faherty can now concentrate on goalkeeping duties alone for Galway. Caltra made an impressive start to this game when Michael Kelly gave them the lead after a penetrating run through a static Claregalway defence on five minutes; full-forward Shane Hogan quickly added a second point and Laurence Tully made it 0-3 to 0-0. Claregalway's Michael Noonan got one at the other end but Michael Meehan lifted Caltra with a super score from a right-wing free. Experienced Claregalway full-back Patrick Stephens made a timely intervention that probably prevented a score and they got a badly needed one themselves when Anthony Monaghan burst through for a well-taken point that left them trailing 0-4 to 0-2 after a quarter of an hour. Caltra replied with two more points through Michael Kelly who raced in and fisted over the bar, and Thomas Nolan (free). Michael Evans did well to get through the Caltra defence but his shot was narrowly off target before county star Danny Cummins, who grafted hard for little reward, got his only score of the game from a free. Then came a huge blow for Baile Clár na Gaillimhe when young Pádraig Mannion in his Senior Championship debut won a Caltra penalty and although Rob Moran made a great attempt to stop the ball crossing the line by getting a hand to it, Shane Hogan's drive had enough momentum to carry it to the net. At 1-6 to 0-3 the writing was on the wall for Eoin O'Donnellan's team and so it transpired although they got the next score when their excellent centre-back Conor Costello pointed. He managed two points in total which was exactly what their starting six forwards tallied from play. In stark contrast, all six Caltra forwards got on the scoresheet. To add to Claregalway's woes, Danny Cummins, Martin Kelly and Michael Evans all saw shots come back off the woodwork. Then they saw Michael Meehan turn twice to make space for himself before shooting over the bar from 35 metres. By then Caltra had compiled a 1-7 to 0-4 half-time lead they looked likely to retain, and when Michael Meehan got the opening two scores of the second period they were even more certain of going forward to the next round of the Championship. Martin Kelly converted a brace of frees as Claregalway, to their credit, tried hard to carry the fight to Caltra with Barry Cullinane now in at No. 14 but he was getting no real service. Points by Shane Hogan and Pádraig Mannion (from distance) were answered by Conor Costello and a Martin Kelly free to leave it 1-12 to 0-8. The game petered out to a tame conclusion with some scrappy passages of play until Shane Hogan wrapped it up for Caltra with the final score of the match. Caltra: K. Kilroy; C. Ó Ceallaigh, D. Hanlon, S. Nolan; O. Kelly, Brian Kilroy, P. Gately; Benny Kilroy, M. Killilea; T. Nolan (0-1), M. Kelly (0-3), L. Tully (0-1); M. Meehan (0-4, one free, one 45), S. Hogan (1-3, 1-0 penalty), P. Mannion (0-1). Subs., N. Keighrey, for T. Nolan; R. Kelly, for Ó Ceallaigh; M. Cunniffe, for O. Kelly, inj. Claregalway: R. Moran; A. Watson, P. Stephens, S. Cunniffe; J. Kearney, C. Costello (0-2), M. Evans; C. Glynn, B. Cullinane; M. Kelly (0-3, all frees), A. Monaghan (0-1), M. Noonan (0-1); J. Nallen, D. Cummins (0-1, free), B. Moran. Subs., S. Moran, for B. Moran; P. Divilly, for Noonan; K. McDermott, for Stephens. Referee: Mícheál Ó Griofa. Herald Sport Man of the Match: Paul Gately (Caltra).[/private]