Padraic Joyce: 'Our second half, we have to look at it. We were well beaten all over the pitch'
SECOND HALF COLLAPSE: Galway manager Pádraic Joyce says Galway will have to look at their second half performance as they were well beaten by Derry all over the pitch. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Derry came from nine points down at half time to earn their first point of the season on Saturday night in Celtic Park.
It was the proverbial game of two halves. Galway surged into half-time control before Derry – led by substitute Lachlan Murray – got a handle on proceedings.
It could’ve been even better for the Oakleafers had John Daly not blocked Ethan Doherty’s last-minute shot to win the game.
Daly had previously got a hand to Derry’s clearest goal chance when goalkeeper Néill McNicholl snaked through the Galway cover to unleash a shot bound for the top corner.
Galway’s grit didn’t end there. Three times in the first half, John Maher flung himself to make interventions to deny Derry scores. The third, albeit a half goal chance for Ben McCarron that Connor Gleeson may well have saved, was a text book block.
It summed up how Galway steered an equally dominant Derry from midfield possession into turnovers, 1-5 of which resulted in the visitors going in 1-10 to 0-4 ahead at half-time.
Another factor was John Daly pulling the strings from behind midfield. His killer pass almost put Matthew Tierney in on goal only for a tangle of legs with Conor Doherty stopping a clear goal chance.
Two weeks after their chaotic defeat at the hands of Kerry, there was a sense of relief that Derry’s comeback didn’t end in defeat.
Lachlan Murray hit three points, made scores, won a kick-out and brought energy to the game.
Ciaran McFaul had a significant say on a night when Paudi McGrogan made a first appearance after an ACL injury.
For Galway, they’ll carry regrets of not keeping a foot on Derry’s throat. Shane Walsh kicked a 0-6 first-half haul with Dylan McHugh’s ninth minute goal also laying the foundations.
“I’ll take the point tonight,” said Derry manager Paddy Tally. “At nine points down, you were hoping they’d (Derry) come out and play much better in the second half and they did.
“At the end, you were thinking we’d left it behind us because we’d enough chances to win the game.”
Shane McGuigan and Cillian Ó Curraoin (free) treaded points early on but it was McHugh’s goal that turned the tide for the first time.
Conroy had hands on the ball in space. Did it rewind Derry minds to his two-point exploits? Possibly. When they switched off McHugh’s run, the Corofin man jetted into the space before blasting to the net for a 1-1 to 0-1 lead.
Paul Cassidy did land three points for the Oaks but they were finding it so difficult to break Galway down.
With Néill McNicholl not pushing fully into the Galway half, it left Joyce’s side able to shuffle around to close out any clear path to the posts.
The pick of the first half points for Derry was Cassidy effort after Ciaran McFaul thumped the ball forward after Baker had turned over Walsh.
On the other side, Walsh kicked two two-pointers to stretch the lead and hit the last score of the half. McNicholl left a shot short into arms of opposite number Gleeson. After a razor-sharp transition, the ball was ferried to Walsh who threw a dummy before kicking his side nine clear.
"In the second half we played with a lot more bite,” added Dery boss Tally. “We really got at the opposition and that changed the game for us.” In a pre-arranged move, Anton Tohill won the throw-in before picking out a pass to Conor Glass at full-forward. After the Derry skipper was fouled, McGuigan tapped over a the free.
Céin D’Arcy cancelled out the score with a fisted point before Derry almost found the net only for Daly to deny McNicholl.
McGuigan landed a two pointer from a free – after a Galway three v three infraction - to make the score 1-11 to 0-8 before Murray tore into action.
He notched a score before making one for McGuigan and when Conor Doherty assisted for a Glass point, the game was on the turn. It was one of those inspirational scores.
Both teams left shots short into the ‘keeper in an error ridden yet frantic final quarter.
Walsh hit back with a two-point free, one of two Galway second-half scores, but it was McGuigan’s last three points that earned Derry a deserved share of the spoils.
“It was a funny game, a brilliant first half performance by ourselves,” began Galway manager Padraic Joyce’s assessment.
“Our second half, we have to look at it. We were well beaten all over the pitch. We only punched a point and kicked a two-pointer, but Derry were all over us.
“In the end, we were blessed to come away with a point but, again, we will take learnings from the game. Points away from home are hard to come by.”
: S McGuigan (0-8, 1 tpf, 3f), P Cassidy, L Murray (0-3 each), N McNicholl and C Glass (0-1 each).
: S Walsh (0-8, 2 tp, 1 tpf, 1f), D McHugh (1-0), J Maher, S O’Neill, C Ó Curraoin (f), C D’Arcy and M Tierney (0-1 each).
: N McNicholl; D Baker, E McEvoy, M Bradley; C Doherty, B Rogers, D Cassidy; C Glass, A Tohill; B McCarron, C McFaul, E Doherty; N Toner; S McGuigan, P Cassidy Subs: L Murray for McCarron (43), M Doherty for D Cassidy (51), C McMonagle for Toner (59), P McGrogan for Bradley (65).
: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, L Silke; D McHugh, J Daly, S Kelly; P Conroy, J Maher; C D’Arcy, M Tierney, F Ó Laoí; S O’Neill; S Walsh, C Ó Curraoin Subs: R Finnerty for Ó Curraoin (43), J Heaney for Ó Laoí (49), K Molloy for O’Neill (55), D O’Flaherty for D’Arcy (61).
: D Gough (Meath).
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