Creaven goal the catalyst for Sylane return to Intermediate

North Galway derby final in inaugural Premier Junior Hurling Championship

Sylane 1-17

Abbeyknockmoy 0-18

DESPITE trailing for three-quarters of Sunday's inaugural County Premier Junior Hurling Championship final, Sylane justified favouritism to defeat Abbeyknockmoy in a north Galway derby that went down to the wire at Pearse Stadium.

"Sylane are back," exclaimed their captain Oran Martin in his victory speech as the new third tier in Galway hurling delivered a tense decider between its two best teams.

The pair were among the biggest casualties under this season's championship reformat - Annaghdown and Kilbeacanty the others - and dropped down from the old Intermediate grade under the Hurling Committee's restructure.

In Sylane's case, finishing below Meelick-Eyrecourt and Skehana-Mountbellew-Moylough - both semi-finalists in this year's Premier Intermediate - meant relegation. So too Abbey who were condemned to the drop after a 'do or die' battle with Killimor.

Jeopardy was in shortly supply when Sylane were impressive victors when the clubs met on Premier Junior's opening weekend. However, Abbey were much improved since that showing and decisive wins over Kiltormer, An Spidéal and Kilbeacanty took them to the final as very live underdogs.

With chief marksman Michael Molloy maintaining his heavy scoring form, Abbey opened up leads of 0-4 to 0-2 and 0-8 to 0-5 before it narrowed to 0-11 by 0-10 by half-time. Ger Hennelly's side kept their noses in front at 0-14 to 0-11 on 38 minutes and 0-15 to 0-12 on 48 minutes.

They appeared very much in the box seat until Keelan Creaven's pounced for a match-turning goal which duly ignited Sylane and opened a lead that they would protect to the final whistle. Top scorer Sean Newell and Tomás Keane were also prominent in seeing their side home.

Abbeyknockmoy were the better side in the opening half and much of the second. Molloy punished Sylane's ill-discipline on eight separate occasions before the break - and four times after it - with his dead-eye free-taking. The lively Cian Forde was proving hard to pin down on their inside line, while Jamie Collins, Philip Muldowney and 2017 All-Ireland winner Paul Flaherty all picked off points from play.

They also had a major let-off when Sylane's Sean Newell pulled a 13th minute goal chance wide after Abbeyknockmoy 'keeper James Kelleher saved superbly from John Igoe. Newell was Sylane's chief source of points with two of his five in the half coming from play. Igoe, Tomás Keane, Emmet Sweeney, Keelan Creaven and the pick of the bunch from Ryan Keane left the minimum in it at the break.

Matters improved for Abbey on the resumption with points from Molloy, a terrific effort near the stand sideline, and Paul Flaherty before a Molloy free added up to three of the half's opening four scores. A lone Tomás Keane effort proceeded four wides in-a-row from Sylane.

Keane ended their 12-minute barren spell but with Jamie Collins sending over his second of the day, Abbeyknockmoy had engineered a 0-15 to 0-12 lead entering the 48th minute. Molloy was off-target with a free to stretch the gap to four before the match-winning spell arrived from Sylane.

Sean Newell reduced the gap before the spark Sylane needed came with the game's only goal. Sub Darragh Mahon and Shane Glynn applied serious heat on the Abbey defence as they attempted to build off a short puckout and Keelan Creaven latched onto the loose ball and drilled low to the net.

With man of the match Newell adding back-to-back points, a purple patch of 1-3 in the space of three minutes changed the entire complexion of the final as Sylane now led by 1-15 to 0-15 on 50 minutes.

Molloy trimmed the deficit but Sylane responded with two high-class scores from Paul Ronan, capping his industrious display, and the last of Newell's nine after a scorching run by Tomás Keane from deep in his own defence.

That left it 1-17 to 0-16 to Sylane with 54 minutes on the clock. They would not score again, though, and after Molloy followed a missed free by converting two pressure ones, Abbey closed to within two. But with Oran Martin, Tom Kenny and their defence holding firm late on, Sylane punched their ticket to Premier Intermediate level.

SYLANE: J. Hogan; A. Lardner, T. Kenny, B. Igoe; S. Burke, O. Martin (captain), O. Burke; P. Ronan (0-1), E. Sweeney (0-1); J. Igoe (0-1), R. Keane (0-1), T. Keane (0-3); K. Creaven (1-1), S. Glynn, S. Newell (0-9, 0-4 frees). Subs: D. Mahon, for R. Keane, 35 mins; C. Fleming, for S. Burke, 41 mins; R. Keane, for Glynn, 51 mins; C. Burke, for Ronan, 60+2 mins.

ABBEYKNOCKMOY: J. Kelleher; N. Farragher, C. Maher, C. Langan; P. Cooley, C. Cooley (joint-captain), J. Joyce; J. Collins (0-2), E. Blade; M. Molloy (0-13, 0-12 frees), P. Flaherty (0-2), P. Muldowney (joint-captain, 0-1); T. Moran, C. Forde, B. Flaherty. Subs: D. Coleman, for P. Cooley, 33 mins; N. Mannion, for Blade, 53 mins; K. Flaherty, for C. Cooley, 60 mins.

REFEREE: John Keane.

HERALD SPORT MAN OF THE MATCH:

Sean Newell (Sylane).