Classy Costello kicks Tribesmen to opening win

Connacht U20 Football Championship – Round 1 

Galway 2-16 

Leitrim 0-13 

Tomás Keating at Duggan Park, Ballinasloe 

Colm Costello put on an exhibition of point-scoring to help Derek Savage get life as Galway U20 manager off to dream start, with his side defeating a sticky Leitrim outfit in Ballinasloe last Wednesday evening.

The scoreline doesn’t tell the true tale of this exciting game of football under lights at Duggan Park as Leitrim’s Jack Casey rattled the upright from a penalty, which would have cut the gap to two points prior to the interval. Galway were then also gifted a second goal.

As the scoreboard read 1-14 to 0-12 a minute from full-time time, Leitrim goalkeeper Brian Cull put his short kickout to Galway’s Seán Birmingham who found his captain Matthew Thompson and he finished to the net to put the game to bed.

Five minutes prior to that, Leitrim’s talisman Paul Honeyman stepped up to take a free that would have reduced the gap to three points, but referee Shane Corcoran was called in by his umpires to notify him about an altercation between Honeyman and Galway defender Shane Canavan; the former received a black card while the latter got his marching orders with a second yellow. Darren Cox took the free in Honeyman’s absence and couldn’t get any purchase on it, dropping the ball short. Galway went straight up the field and Thompson kicked a long-range free.

There will, however, be positives to take for manager Andy Moran whose men played some fabulous football at times, with Honeyman, Barry McNulty, captain Ben Guckian and Paddy Keane to the fore.

What an impressive outing it was from Colm Costello though. The Dunmore MacHales man kicked 0-10, six points of which came from play.

It was the Costello show in the opening quarter as Galway’s number 12 kicked his side’s first six points. He sent over two beauties early on to give Savage’s charges an early 0-2 to 0-0 lead, both of which were set up by Conor Heneghan.

Barry McNulty fired over a fantastic point in response while Costello kept the gap at two with a free. However, Paul Honeyman came to life showing his rapid pace and clever movement, to score two gorgeous points and level it up at 0-3 apiece. However, that was as close as Leitrim got.

The pick of the bunch came from Costello who raced in along the endline to kick a score from a difficult angle off his weaker left boot. Honeyman saw his close-range shot on goal saved by Galway custodian Éamon McGrath and Galway went up the field and Costello caught a mark and dispatched, to put two points between them again.

McNulty, a free, and Costello exchanged points until Tuam Stars’ Ronan Colleran got in on the act for the hosts with a fine effort. Leitrim’s Paddy Keane curled over a beauty from the left wing before Cormac Greaney got a nice score for Galway. Jack Casey and Thompson traded white flags after which Galway wing-back Jack Folan broke through the centre and rifled the ball to the back of the net.

Leitrim were awarded a penalty right after, as Guckian clipped a beautiful ball into Honeyman who was fouled by Greaney. Up stepped Jack Casey, but his effort struck the post and went wide. Paul Honeyman did kick another great point but the visitors trailed 1-9 to 0-7 at half-time.

Colm Costello picked up where he left off from his first-half performance by registering his seventh point but Keane negated that with another lovely score off his cultured left boot. Costello, a free, and Cian Murphy tagged on further points for Galway while Honeyman sent over three frees, with Birmingham firing over a score in between. McNulty’s free cut the gap to four and Honeyman had a 21-metre free to put three in it, but he received a black card.

Matthew Thompson slotted over a pressure free from distance before then finding the net after a moment of madness from Cull. Darren Cox put over a free but Costello capped off a memorable outing by kicking two points in stoppage-time to finish it.

Galway will now travel to Castlebar to face Mayo tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7pm in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park. Leitrim have a bye this round, but will welcome Mayo to Ballinamore on Wednesday, April 3.

Scorers – Galway: Colm Costello 0-10 (3f) (1m), Matthew Thompson 1-2 (1f), Jack Folan 1-0, Ronan Colleran, Cormac Greaney, Cian Murphy and Seán Birmingham 0-1 each.

Leitrim: Paul Honeyman 0-6 (3f), Barry McNulty 0-3 (2f), Paddy Keane 0-2, Jack Casey and Darren Cox (f) 0-1 each.

Galway: Éamon McGrath; Shane Canavan, Brian Noone, Darragh Costello; Pádraic Godwin, Jack Lonergan, Jack Folan; Ronan Colleran, Cormac Greaney; Matthew Thompson, Daithí Kilcommins, Colm Costello; Conor Heneghan, Cian Murphy, Ciarán Mulhern. Subs: Luc O’Connor (for Greaney 39), Seán Birmingham (for Colleran 40), Dara Walsh (for Heneghan 40), Seán Hansberry (for Kilcommins 51), Seán O’Connor (for Lonergan 60).

Leitrim: Brian Cull; Arek Oberwan, Tom Hughes, Ryan Cunningham; Conor Keegan, Jack Foley, Éannagh McNamara; Barry McNulty, Ben Guckian (captain); Michael McBrien, Paddy Keane, Jack Casey; Jake Tobin, Paul Honeyman, Darren Cox. Subs: Shaun Conlon (for Cunningham 21), Paul Moran (for Casey 40), Brian Goldrick (for Hughes 42), Tom Plunkett (for McBrien 47), Colm McLoughlin (for Keegan 60).

REF: Shane Corcoran (Mayo)