Connacht Club SFC Final: Moycullen (Galway) 0-13 Tourlestrane (Sligo) 0-6
Owen Gallagher was on the scoresheet again for Moycullen as the Galway side defeated Tourlestrane to win the Connacht Club SFC title at Pearse Stadium on Sunday.
The Glenavy native and former Antrim panellist was part of the Galway squad who reached the All-Ireland SFC final earlier this year with the Tribesmen losing out to Kerry July’s decider.
Gallagher transferred club and county allegiances in 2020 when working in Galway and helped Moycullen win the county title that season. However, Don Connellan’s side didn’t get the chance to progress with the provincial and All-Ireland Championships cancelled due to Covid.
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They now face an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with the winners of this Sunday’s Ulster Club SFC final between defending champions Kilcoo and Glen.
Tourlestrane manager Fergal O’Donnell lamented his side’s failure to build up a lead when they had the breeze behind them in the opening half of the Connacht SFC club final.
His men failed to score in the second quarter and their hopes of a first ever Connacht title were all but dead when they turned around trailing by 0-4 to 0-3 at the break.
In fairness the seven-in-a-row Sligo champions, back in a Connacht final for the first time in 40 years, never gave up but they had left themselves with too much to do.
“We worked very hard in the first-half,” said O’Donnell, lining out against a side managed by his former Roscommon teammate Connellan.
“Moycullen are good at running at you but we didn’t lose the runners. But we should have got another point or two, we needed that but the small margins didn’t go our way,” added O’Donnell.
Moycullen’s 2020 success was their maiden Galway senior crown and, with the club’s minor team lifting the county title on Saturday, these are glorious times for the Connemara club.
They laid the foundation for victory in the opening half, playing into the freezing breeze. They may have failed to score from play in that opening half but still led by 0-4 to 0-3 at the interval.
The Galway champions would have been out of sight but Tourlestrane goalkeeper Adam Broe saved a first effort from the impressive Paul Kelly in the opening minute, while Ger Davoren blasted a great goal chance off the crossbar after a good build-up.
Tourlestrane, back in the Connacht final for the first time in four decades, hit the front three times in the opening quarter with John Kelly kicking two excellent points and Liam Gaughan also landing a fine effort, but each time Moycullen hauled them back with frees from captain Dessie Conneely.
Crucially, Tourlestrane failed to score in the second quarter but they continued to battle away after the restart with Gary Gaughan cancelling an effort from Owen Gallagher.
But then Connellan’s men took over with Peter Cooke leading the way, with Galway coach Cian O’Neill watching from the stand amid continued speculation whether the Moycullen star will be able rejoin the Tribesmen next season after missing out this year due to work commitments in the United States.
Cooke landed three magnificent points from play in the second-half while Paul Kelly, one of three brothers in the county squad, delivered another big display.
He was on target as Moycullen struck three points in just over two minutes with Cooke and Michéal O'Reilly also finding the target to lead by 0-8 to 0-4 after 39 minutes and there was really no way back for Tourlestrane after that although, in fairness, they never gave up.
But the goal they needed didn’t materialise with Moycullen goalkeeper Andrew Power denying Liam Gaughan after 54 minutes, moments after Broe had saved from Neil Mulcahy at the other end as the Galway champions advanced to an All-Ireland semi-final date in January against whichever side triumphs in Ulster.
“It’s a great time for the club and now we have an All-Ireland semi-final to look forward to but we will have a break first. We are just glad to be at this stage and to finish the year this way,” said Moycullen manager Don Connellan.
“We started this campaign out here in Pearse Stadium in July and back then you were only dreaming about being here at this stage.
“We have had a lot of challenges all year and have to dig deep and it was the same today.”
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