Galway 2-08 Louth 0-09: A flat-looking Galway came perilously close on Saturday to being part of one the great upsets in championship history. If Louth had taken their scores in the final quarter a famous victory would have come to pass. Chances like this are rare.
Galway lacked rhythm and pattern, Noel Meehan's injury-time goal disguising how close the contest had been. Louth had a multitude of chances to take control, but the otherwise exceptional JP Rooney fired over Brian O'Donoghue's bar moments before Galway's second, and killer, goal.
With this game coming only six days after defeat by Mayo, manager John O'Mahony dwelt not on the performance but on the fact Galway are in the third round of the qualifiers.
"The performance was always going to be like that," he said. "We were very vulnerable mentally and we were always going to be after just six days. I knew that but all we were looking for today was a ticket to the next round and redemption from last week, or a chance for redemption. That performance wouldn't be good enough to win any other game but it was good enough today."
Nevertheless, considering the wealth of footballing brilliance at Galway's disposal, and O'Mahony's highlighting of his players' resilience under pressure, there must still be a cause for concern.
"The only positive is that we are in the next round and we have a chance to gather our thoughts and get things organised," he added. "I thought in the second- half when things weren't going well for us that certain players stood out and showed leadership there, which we probably didn't have as much as we would have liked last week."
Michael Donnellan and Kevin Walsh were the main contributors. Donnellan kicked two fine points and also set up Meehan's late goal with a typical run from deep. Walsh looks to be returning to his best. He fielded plenty of ball around midfield late on, as well as landing Galway's final point. It proved crucial as Louth finished well with Rooney and Nicky McDonnell reducing the deficit to two points. But when calm was really required Aaron Hoey kicked two wides.
Louth's inaccuracy proved their undoing. Apart from Rooney's late miss, centre back Simon Gerard really should have found the net in the 44th minute but his wild shot flew across the goal.
A largely subdued Padraic Joyce made no mistake after just 15 minutes when he fended off Hoey and Ray Rooney to finish from close range. Frees from Joyce and Mark Stanfield left Galway leading at the interval 1-5 to 0-5, yet it was the litany of wides by Louth that will leave them with most regrets.
"We said all week we had a chance to become legends but we left it behind us," said manager Val Andrews
"We had our chances, we didn't take them. You can always compete when you are honest and hard-working. I'm proud to be their manager, but they left it all out there on the field today."
GALWAY: 1. B O'Donoghue; 7. T Meehan, 3. K Fitzgerald, 17. G Fahy; 5. D Meehan, 6. P Clancy, 4. B Dooney; 8. J Bergin, 21. K Walsh (0-1); 15. T Joyce, 14. P Joyce (1-3, 0-3 frees), 11. M Donnellan (0-2); 10. M Meehan, 13. D Savage (0-1), 12. M Clancy (0-1). Subs: 24. N Meehan (1-0) for T Joyce (half-time), 18. D Burke for Dooney (51 mins), 22. J Devane for M Clancy (65 mins)
LOUTH: 1. S McCoy; 3. P Mallon, 13. A Hoey, 4. J Carr; 5. D Shevlin, 6. S Gerard, 7. R Rooney; 8. D Devaney, 9. P Keenan (0-1); 17. R Finnegan, 15. O McDonnell, 22. A Page, 14. M Stanfield (0-5, frees), 27. JP Rooney (0-2), 12. N McDonnell (0-1). Subs: D Clarke for O McDonnell (61 mins), P Matthews for Devaney (68 mins), R Kelly for Stanfield (71 mins).
Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan).
