Joyce joy as Galway overcome 14-man Derry but injury worries linger
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: Galway’s Cein Darcy scores the second goal of the game. Pic: Ryan Byrne, Inpho
Having spent five months looking for a spark, over the course of two weeks in Salthill, Galway found an inferno.Â
Fresh from a Connacht title and win over their near rivals, they bested league champions Derry in front of an animated 7,602 crowd.
It means Pádraic Joyce’s record against Ulster teams in the championship is now four wins from five meetings. The one usual worry lingers, however.Â
Damien Comer, Sean Kelly and Robert Finnerty all limped off before the final whistle.
A wounded animal after the Donegal implosion last month, Derry were dealt further blows just before throw-in when it was announced Conor Doherty and Eoin McEvoy would not start with Emmet Bradley and Declan Cassidy taking their place.Â
It meant the entire half-back line from the league final triumph over Dublin was changed.Â
Padraig McGrogan was already ruled out with an ACL injury.
Their next cut was a self-inflicted one. With 20 minutes played and the sides level, Gareth McKinless was shown a straight red card by referee Brendan Cawley.Â
The wing-back fouled Damien Comer and then landed his boot on the back of the Galway man’s leg. It ignited the home support and crippled the away challenge.
The home side outscored Derry 0-4 to 0-2 to erect a two-point lead by half-time. It was a particularly painful development given Mickey Harte’s side had started brighter, kicking the first two points through Paul Cassidy and Bradley.
Their attack soon started to stutter with five shots dropped short in the first half and another four wide. At the other end, Man of the Match Paul Conroy landed two gorgeous long-range scores with left and right.
 He would add a third later on. John Daly sliced over another beauty before half-time before Shane McGuigan escaped the clutches of Johnny McGrath to land his first from play.
Elsewhere, there were several intriguing matchups. Christopher McKaigue made for Comer. Diarmuid Baker took Finnerty and Brendan Rogers was on Tierney.
To their credit, Derry kept fighting. They drew level after half-time through Doherty and McGuigan. Finnerty responded with a free and Galway blew the tie open immediately after.Â
Matthew Tierney picked off the kickout and played on with advantage, Shane Walsh teed up Sean Kelly who took his goal at the second time of asking after Diarmuid Baker’s initial goal-line save.
A similar swing brought the second green flag. With Derry three down, Shane McGuigan blasted straight at Conor Gleeson. From the counter-attack, Daniel O’Flaherty broke free and squared to Cein Darcy for a palmed finish.
The drawback for Joyce comes with the toll this victory took. Comer played on after that first-half incident but never looked right and was replaced early in the second half.Â
Kelly and Finnerty both consulted the physio before their eventual withdrawal. They travel to Westmeath next. Derry need a response against Armagh.
Robert Finnerty 0-4 (2 free), Sean Kelly 1-0, Cein Darcy 1-0, Paul Conroy 0-3, Shane Walsh 0-2, John Daly 0-2, Johnny Heaney 0-1, Matthew Tierney 0-1, Liam Ă“ Conghaile 0-1.
Shane McGuigan 0-4 (2 free), Lachlan Murray 0-3, Ciaran McFaul 0-2, Paul Cassidy 0-1, Ethan Doherty 0-1, Emmet Bradley 0-1, Conor Glass 0-1, Brendan Rogers 0-1, Donncha Gilmore 0-1.
C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, J Glynn; D McHugh, J Daly, L Silke; P Conroy, J Maher; J Heaney, S Kelly, M Tierney; R Finnerty, D Comer, S Walsh.
C Darcy for Comer (46 – Inj), McDaid for Maher (58), D O’Flaherty for Kelly (61), C Ó Curraoin for Finnerty (62), L Ó Conghaile for Heaney (65).
O Lynch; C McCluskey, C McKaigue, D Baker; B Rogers, G McKinless, C McFaul; C Glass, E Bradley; E Doherty, D Cassidy, P Cassidy; N Toner, S McGuigan, L Murray.
G McKinless (22).
D Gilmore for D Cassidy (half-time), E Mulholland for Toner (47), S Downey for McFaul (69), C McMonagle for Murray (70).
B Cawley (Kildare)
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