Gary Sice’s golden goal staved off the threat of relegation

By BILLY COSS Galway ......................... 1-16 Wexford ....................... 0-11 RELIEF was the over-riding emotion at Pearse Stadium on Sunday afternoon as a fast-finishing Galway team struck 1-6 without reply over the final 15 minutes to leave the unthinkable prospect of relegation behind and guarantee their Division 2 survival with an eight-point win over Wexford. With Alan Mulhollandâ€â„¢s team staring down the barrel of Division 3 football in 2014 and scratching around for form throughout this National League campaign, Sunday was all about collecting two points and securing survival. With less than 15 minutes remaining, a wind-assisted Wexford held a one-point lead; they were winning plenty of possession, and perhaps looked the more likely winner until everything swung on Gary Siceâ€â„¢s 58th minute goal. It was a score that broke Wexfordâ€â„¢s spirit on the day and provided the catalyst for Galway to pull away in the closing stages of an up-to-then evenly-contested match. A trip to the Athletic Grounds next Sunday week still offers a faint glimmer of hope for promotion. To stand any chance however, Galway would need to defeat a relegation-threatened Armagh side and hope that Laois fail to win in Wexford and Derry lose on home soil against already-promoted Westmeath. All possible of course, but the odds look extremely long. As ever, Championship results will determine how Galwayâ€â„¢s year is ultimately judged but Sunday provided a much-needed jolt of positivity and momentum in their season with Mayoâ€â„¢s visit to Pearse Stadium little over seven weeks away. With their split of three home matches and four away, Galwayâ€â„¢s fixtures in both Tuam and Pearse Stadium carried greater significance this season and a return of five points from a possible six has been crucial. Their win in Longford aside, Galway had developed a habit of fading, sometimes badly, in the second halves of matches during this campaign and the manner of their losses against Louth and Laois were a source of genuine concern. Indeed, prior to Sunday, Galway had failed to outscore their opposition during the second half in 11 of their previous 15 League and Championship matches since the start of last year. Sunday bucked that trend as Galway played for the full 70-plus minutes and there was little sign of any second-half fade-out as the winners finished strongly, not only protecting the lead given to them by Siceâ€â„¢s goal but driving on and pressing home their advantage. In all, Galway manager Alan Mulholland made seven changes to the side that fell tamely to Laois eight days earlier: Colin Forde and Keith Kelly came into defence while Fiontán Ó Curraoin started at midfield less than 24 hours after lining out in Galway U-21sâ€â„¢ win over Mayo. Most notably, there was a significant shake-up to an attack that misfired badly in Portlaoise. Only Paul Conroy and Michael Meehan retained their places with John Oâ€â„¢Brien, Seán Armstrong and Conor Doherty forming an entirely new half-forward line and Danny Cummins also promoted to the starting line-up. Positive response It was by no means the complete performance but certainly a heartening and positive response to such a dispiriting loss in Laois. The Galway camp clearly demanded a lot more from themselves and there was far greater urgency and purpose in their play and several notable improvements in individual performances. Finian Hanley was rock solid at full-back; Colin Forde recovered from an extremely testing first half against Shane Roche and was far steadier in the second while Gary Sice came up with the match-winning goal in a superb, all-action display from wing-back. Wexford may have shaded the battle for kick-out possession through Daithí Waters and Rory Quinlivan but Galway foraged hard in the midfield sector. There are few busier footballers in the country than Fiontán Ó Curraoin at present and the Mícheál Breathnachs midfielder, playing his fourth match in just eight days, won some vital ball for Galway, particularly when the match was on the line during the second half. Seán Armstrong and Danny Cummins were the pick of an attack that was far more cohesive and crucially, more clinical in their finishing. Whereas they created chances and didnâ€â„¢t take them in Laois â€â€ converting only four from 15 scoring chances in the second half â€â€ they were more economical on Sunday and a final tally of 1-16, 1-8 into the wind in an excellent second-half display, was an impressive return, even if it did come against a team with the worst defensive record across all four divisions. Armstrongâ€â„¢s return to form was one of the most welcome developments, with clever use of possession from centre half-forward, particularly in the build-up to Galwayâ€â„¢s goal. Cummins has been in and out of the team this Spring but finished with three points from play in arguably his best display in a Galway senior jersey. There was impact off the bench also. Gareth Bradshaw replaced the injured Jonny Duane before half-time and chipped in with an important score after the restart. Eoin Concannon was brought in at the break and got through plenty of hard graft in the half-forward line â€â€ a change that saw Paul Conroy move to midfield â€â€ while Michael Martin scored three points, including two from play, as Wexfordâ€â„¢s challenge wilted late on. Fresh from his heroics for Galway U-21s a day earlier, Shane Walsh also came off the bench to make his National League debut and given his scintillating form of late, management look to have a difficult decision looming on whether they start the Kilkerrin-Clonberne youngster against Mayo, or hold him in reserve. Both sides played their best football into the stiff wind that blew into the ÃÂrus Bóthar na Trá end. It favoured Galway during the first half and despite a promising opening, they found themselves playing second fiddle to Wexford. The visitors dropped Redmond Barry back in defence and managed to frustrate several attacks while the Galway were guilty of coughing up far too many cheap turnovers as PJ Banville and the razor-sharp Shane Roche, in particular, helped the Model County to a deserved 6-3 lead on 16 minutes. Free-taking had been a major problem for Galway a week earlier but Seán Armstrong converted four in the opening half, including two sweetly struck efforts from 50 metres, while Danny Cummins fired two from play as the winners took a slender 8-7 lead in at the break. Given the strength of the wind, Galway looked up against it but early scores from Gareth Bradshaw and Paul Conroy pushed them further in front at the start of a second half that proved far more entertaining than what went before. Gradually, Wexford took over and registered four on the trot to lead 11-10 and the outcome may well have turned out very different had the visitors taken a golden goal chance in the 54th minute when Joey Waddingâ€â„¢s shot whistled past Maghnus Breathnachâ€â„¢s right post. Galway survived that scare and equalised soon after, before the decisive moment arrived when an Armstrong pass began a move that saw Michael Meehan and Danny Cummins combine to set up the unmarked Gary Sice to finish. It was a body-blow Wexford never recovered from and the home team did not look back, reeling off late points by Meehan, Cummins and Michael Martin (three) to put the seal on a much-needed victory and a morale-boosting weekend for Galway football. Galway: M. Breathnach; J. Duane, F. Hanley (captain), C. Forde; G. Oâ€â„¢Donnell, K. Kelly, G. Sice (1-0); F. Ó Curraoin, A. Ó Gríofa; J. Oâ€â„¢Brien, S. Armstrong (0-5, four frees), C. Doherty (0-1); P. Conroy (0-1), M. Meehan (0-2, one free), D. Cummins (0-3). Subs: G. Bradshaw (0-1), for Duane inj., 33 mins; E. Concannon, for Ó Gríofa, half-time; S. Denvir, for Oâ€â„¢Brien, 53 mins; M. Martin (0-3, one free), for Doherty, 60 mins; S. Walsh, for Meehan, 63 mins. Wexford: T. Hughes; J. Wadding, G. Molloy, B. Malone; R. Tierney, D. Murphy, A. Flynn (0-1); D. Waters, R. Quinlivan; J. Holmes, B. Brosnan (0-2, frees), C. Doyle; S. Roche (0-4, one free), R. Barry, captain (0-1), P. J. Banville (0-3). Subs: C. Carty, for Doyle, 24 mins; C. Lyng, for Holmes, 57 mins; P. Byrne, for Roche, 68 mins; A. Doyle, for Flynn, 68 mins; L. Chin, for Murphy, 68 mins. Referee: Pádraig Oâ€â„¢Sullivan (Kerry). Herald Sport Man of the Match: Gary Sice (Galway).