Galway began their Connacht FBD League defence on Wednesday evening in the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan with a four-point victory over Sligo.
Kevin Walsh’s side always held the advantage after three points in two minutes from Peter Cooke (2) and Patrick Sweeney gave them a 0-4 to 0-1 lead on 13 minutes.
Cooke was Galway’s top scorer with four points over the hour and he’d kicked Galway’s first while Frankie Burke and Adrian Varley found the target by 26 minutes making it 0-6 to 0-3 for the Tribesmen.
Adrian Marren was Sligo’s sole scorer to this point before Sean Carrabine converted on 29 minutes. But Galway’s control in this pre-season competition was secured when Moycullen’s Sean Kelly hit the net 60 seconds later.
Cooke and Sligo’s Darragh Cummins traded before half-time leaving it 1-7 to 0-5 in Galway’s favour. And they stretched that margin immediately after the restart as Varley got his second.
But Marren was clinical for the Yeats County and he got two back either side of a Finnian Cawley score to leave three between them before Burke and Varley made it 1-10 to 0-8 on the three-quarter mark.
The scoring dried up in the closing strait though two more Marren scores brought Sligo within a kick of the ball on 54 minutes. However, Cathal Corey’s first game in charge ended in defeat as they didn’t score again until injury time.
Substitutes Dessie Conneely and Robert Finnerty concluded Galway’s tally with Marren doing likewise for Sligo. It was job done for Walsh’s team though they had two black cards for Sean Andy O Ceallaigh and David Wynne. But maximum points were secured ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Mayo (January 7th, MacHale Park, 2pm).
All over @Galway_GAA 1-12 @sligogaa 11pts. Good win, left a lot of scores behind us in 2nd half. pic.twitter.com/vL4kMIfcX2
— Barry Cullinane (@bigbar9) January 3, 2018
RESULTS:
ROSCOMMON 2-14 LEITRIM 1-3
GALWAY 1-12 SLIGO 0-11
Galway – Peter Cooke 0-4, Sean Kelly 1-0, Adrian Varley 0-3, Frankie Burke 0-2, Patrick Sweeney 0-1, Dessie Conneely 0-1, Robert Finnerty 0-1
Sligo – Adrian Marren 0-8, Sean Carrabine 0-1, Darragh Cummins 0-1, Finnian Cawley 0-1
| Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Dif | |
| ROSCOMMON | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +14 |
| GALWAY | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +4 |
| MAYO | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SLIGO | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -4 |
| LEITRIM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -14 |
NEXT FIXTURES:
Sunday, 7th January – Mayo vs Galway (2pm MacHale Park), Leitrim vs Sligo (2pm Ballinamore)
Wednesday, 10th January – Roscommon vs Sligo (7pm Kiltoom), Mayo vs Leitrim (7pm MacHale Park)
Sunday, 14th January – Galway vs Leitrim (2pm Clonbur), Roscommon vs Mayo (2pm Dr. Hyde Park)
Sunday, 21st January – Galway vs Roscommon (2pm Tuam Stadium), Sligo vs Mayo (Details TBC)
@PadraicCun of @GalwayUnitedFC has made his inter-county senior debut for @Galway_GAA against @sligogaa in the FBD League this evening #GUFC #FBDLeague pic.twitter.com/3uVk96syak
— Galway United Co-Op (@gufccoop) January 3, 2018
OTHER REPORTS:
Cian O’Connell for gaa.ie wrote – “Despite the difficult conditions Galway and Sligo produced a lively encounter with Kevin Walsh’s charges earning the Connacht FBD League spoils in Bekan.”
Connachtgaa.ie said – “Galway got the better of Sligo on a score of 1-12 to 0-11 in a hard-fought physical battle in the 1st round of the FBD League which both teams will reflect on as hugely beneficial.”
