Healy stars as Galway overcome Sligo

Final in Tuam Stadium

CONNACHT MINOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL

Galway 0-14

Sligo 0-12

At Fr. Kilcoyne Park

Tuam Stadium will host next Friday evening's Connacht Minor (U-17) Football Championship final between Galway and Roscommon after Cossie Gilmore’s side finished strongly to get the better of Sligo in Tubbercurry this evening.

A run of four points without reply between the 58th and 64th minute from Ruairí Flaherty, Oliver Ó Suilleabháin, Mikey Mitchell and man of the match Adam Healy proved crucial and pushed Galway out of reach of the hosts who rallied late on but paid a high price for being the more wasteful side.

Galway never trailed and led 0-6 to 0-3 at the break. Goalkeeper Evan Burke was the their standout performer of the first half, converting two placed balls from range and producing a sharp save to deny Sligo’s Aodhán Hannon. Adam Healy, Shane Heneghan, Eanna Maher and Tiernan Mitchell also found the target.

Chasing a first provincial final appearance since 2021, Sligo’s replies came from Nathan McLoughlin, Jack Kelly and a Ryan Lang free though they rallied and enjoyed the better of the third quarter.

Ryan Lang, Sligo’s chief marksman in the competition, and Danny Feeney added two points apiece but Galway always kept their noses in front and were 0-8 to 0-7 up after 45 minutes thanks to a couple of terrific scores from Adam Healy. Oisín Ó Neachtáin also landed a couple of inspirational efforts to make it a three-point game with 54 minutes gone.

The first of Jack Kelly’s late two-pointers for Sligo reduced it to 0-10 to 0-9 before Galway hit a rich vein of form late on with match-defining scores coming from Flaherty, Ó Suilleabháin, Mitchell and a fourth from Healy leaving five in it deep in injury-time.

Sligo hit back with a second Kelly orange flag before Lang’s attempt at a last-gasp equalising goal from a close-range free cleared the crossbar as Galway held on.

GALWAY: Evan Burke (0-2, 0-1 free, 0-1 45, Tuam Stars); Evan McDonagh (Claregalway), Ciarán Collins (Claregalway), Mylo Higgins (Tuam Stars); Jamie Dillon (Micheál Breathnach), Eoin Gannon (captain, Micheál Breathnach), Oliver Ó Suilleabháin (Micheál Breathnach); Oisín Ó Neachtáin (0-2, Micheál Breathnach), Darragh Kelly (Killannin); Ryan Connolly (Corofin), Joey Cullinane (Oranmore-Maree), Éanna Maher (0-1, Monivea-Abbey); Tiernan Mitchell (0-1, Dunmore MacHales), Shane Heneghan (0-1, Caherlistrane), Adam Healy (0-4, Corofin). Subs: Mikey Mitchell (0-1, Killannin), for Heneghan, 38 mins; Ruairí Flaherty (0-1, Claregalway), for Connolly, 49 mins; Aaron Hanrahan (Oranmore-Maree), for Maher 60+3 mins.

SLIGO: James Broderick; Jake Noone, Hugh O’Connell, Pól Arnold; Nathan McLoughlin (0-1), Matthew Gillen, Seán Óg McDonagh; Allan Smyth, Éanna Giblin (captain); Oisín Gormley, Danny Feeney (0-2, 0-1 free), Ryan Healy; Aodhán Hannon, Ryan Lang (0-4, 0-3 frees), Jack Kelly (0-5, two 0-2 scores). Subs: Bríain McGauran, for Hannon, 38 mins; Niall Willis, for Smyth, 53 mins; Josh McTiernan for Gormley, 54 mins; Cian O’Flaherty, for McLoughlin, 60+3 mins; Martin McManus, for Healy, 60+5 mins.

REFEREE: Martin Feeney (Leitrim).

HERALD SPORT MAN OF THE MATCH:

Adam Healy (Galway).