Sport

Connacht target title with four hits on net

Connacht, who haven't won the interprovincial football title since 1969, may bridge the gap this year, judging by their convincing…

Mon Apr 05 1999 - 01:00

Connacht, who haven't won the interprovincial football title since 1969, may bridge the gap this year, judging by their convincing win at Tuam Stadium yesterday in front of about 1,000 spectators.

A heavy shower at the start of the game made the playing surface extremely greasy, but Connacht adapted better to the conditions, and after conceding a point to Leinster through a Dessie Farrell free the home side landed four excellent scores, two points each for Paul Taylor and Michael Donnellan. Connacht got a significant boost after 20 minutes when a curling shot from the left corner by Lorcan Dowd dipped at the last minute and crept into the net for a fortuitous goal.

A Pat Fallon point made it 1-5 to 0-3, before Leinster goalkeeper Niall O'Donnell missed a Niall Finnegan line ball and Dowd was again on hand to box a second goal.

Fallon notched his second point to leave Connacht 2-6 to 0-3 ahead at the half-way stage but Leinster, with wind and rain behind them, attacked strongly on the restart. They were hampered however by wild shooting which resulted in four wides in quick succession and they were caught on the rebound when a great Connacht move involving Fallon, Sean Og de Paor and Taylor ended with Eamonn O'Hara driving in another goal.

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Leinster then produced a fruitful spell that yielded a goal and a point from substitute Declan Kerrigan and a Declan Darcy point but they were again caught napping when Fallon and James Nallen combined to set up Finnegan, who scored a magnificent goal which gave Connacht a 4-7 to 1-6 lead.

All Leinster could manage in reply was a couple of late points by Declan Darcy and Ciaran Whelan.

CONNACHT: P Burke (Mayo); K Mortimer (Mayo), G Fahy (Galway), R Silke (Galway); M Ryan (Roscommon), J Nallen (Mayo), S de Paor (Galway); S O Domhnaill (Galway), P Fallon (Mayo) 0-2; M Donnellan (Galway) 0-2, E O'Hara (Sligo) 1-0, P Joyce (Galway); L Dowd (Roscommon) 2-0, P Taylor (Sligo) 0-3, N Finnegan (Galway) 1-0. Sub: D Savage (Galway) for Dowd.

LEINSTER: N O'Donnell (Louth); M O'Reilly (Meath), D Fay (Meath), C Daly (Offaly); P Curran (Dublin), F Cullen (Offaly), J Kenny (Offaly); C Whelan (Dublin) 0-1, B Stynes (Dublin); C McManus (Offaly) 0-1, N Buckley (Kildare) 0-1, N Nestor (Meath); D Farrell (Dublin) 0-1, D Darcy (Dublin) 0-3, P Davis (Longford). Subs: T Maher (Laois) for Nestor; D Kerrigan (Kildare) 1-1 for Davis; T Doyle (Wicklow) for McManus.

Referee: P McEneaney (Monaghan).