Sigerson Cup: NUI Galway win marred by injury to Tommy Conroy

But NUIG, with Galway captain Sean Kelly and vice-captain Matthew Tierney leading the way, progressed to the Sigerson Cup semi-final

Galway's Gavin Burke comes up against Oisin Langan of Letterkenny Institute of Technology. Picture: INPHO/Ben Brady

NUIG 2-8 Letterkenny IT 1-8

Manager Maxi Curran said that Letterkenny let a glorious chance slip of reaching the Sigerson Cup semi-finals for the second time in three years as they were edged out by an NUIG side who were down to 13 men at one stage in the second-half at Dangan.

But the NUIG win was marred by an injury to Mayo star Tommy Conroy just before the break which led to him being carried off.

Letterkenny regained the lead in the third quarter with the wind behind them but were unable to close out the deal.

“Yeah, it is a chance we let slip,” said Curran. “We had two good shooting opportunities when we were in the ascendancy in the second-half and I feel there was a very soft free given to them when we were a point up.

“They got a point from that and got level and they got a boost from that but all dues to Galway. They went down to 13 men at one stage in the second-half but came out fighting and I suppose for us we lacked a bit of experience at this level, playing in these kind of games. We probably should have been a wee bit braver and went for it in the second-half,” said Curran.

NUIG led by 1-5 to 0-4 at the break after recovering from a slow start with the wind and rain behind on an exposed pitch on the banks of the Corrib.

Letterkenny, with an all-Donegal team, started well against the elements with Rory O’Donnell and Ryan McFadden doing well in midfield and they deservedly led by 0-4 to 0-1 at the end of the opening quarter.

But NUIG, with Galway captain Sean Kelly and vice-captain Matthew Tierney leading the way, got moving and two points apiece from Tomo Culhane and Tierney edged them in front.

Then Tierney sent a superb ball through and Eoghan Kelly, one of three brothers from the Moycullen club, raced through and slotted home an excellent goal just before the interval.

But it all went wrong for them after the restart. They lost wing-back Nathan Mullen to a black card and then Letterkenny full-forward Jack McSharry forced home a goal before the Galway side lost Gavin Durcan to a second yellow after 40 minutes.

But NUIG responded superbly to the challenge. Tierney got them level with an excellent point after 46 minutes before McSharry and Culhane swapped points and then after smashing the post with a shot, Culhane finished a good move by drilling low to the net with three minutes remaining.

Tierney made it safe when he put four between them and while Letterkenny rallied to the end, a Peadar Mogan was all they could muster as the bowed out from the competition after what has been a good campaign as Maurice Sheridan’s NUIG booked a place in the last four.

“We got through it,” said the former Mayo star. “We knew it would be tough, they were well organised and our boys had to dig it out but that’s the nature of the Sigerson. You have to dig extremely deep and we did in the second-half. We were down to 13 men at one stage in the second-half and that’s when we played to our strengths.

“It's tough going, it’s very hard on the players with the inter-county action that’s on as well. The demands are huge.”

Scorers for NUIG: T Culhane (1-3, 3f); M Tierney 0-5, 3f); E Kelly (1-0).

Scorers for Letterkenny IT: J McSharry (1-1): JB Walsh (1 ’45); C O’Donnell (0-2 each); K McGroddy, J McGee, P Mogan (0-1 each).

NUI GALWAY: C Carroll (Roscommon); C Murray (Galway), N Mulcahy (Galway), G Burke (Galway); N Mullen (Sligo), E Kelly (Galway), G Durcan (Mayo); P Kelly (Galway), S Kelly (Galway); F McDonagh (Mayo), M Tierney (Galway), C Donoghue (Offaly); T Culhane (Galway), T Conroy (Mayo), C Sweeney (Galway).

Subs: R Egan (Offaly) for Conroy (ht), C Heneghan (Roscommon) for Donoghue (48).

LETTERKENNY IT (All Donegal): E Maguire; K Tobin, J Gallagher, D Dorrian; O Langan, P Mogan, A Gilhooley; R O’Donnell, R McFadden; K Dunleavy, J McGee, C O’Donnell; E Dowling, J McSharry, J B Walsh.

Referee: C Maguire (Clare).