Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football quarter-final

GALWAY 0-10 DUBLIN 0-7

Kevin Egan at O’Connor Park

The story of this weekend’s Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor football quarter-final round continues to be that of teams recovering from provincial final defeats, with Galway the latest to secure their place in the semi-finals after they accounted for Dublin at O’Connor Park in Tullamore this afternoon.

The Tribesmen were full value for this win and will feel that they could have won by more, having created three glorious first half goal chances, including a penalty, but failing to take any of those opportunities. However despite the comparatively small margin, Galway looked comfortable for most of the game, having recovered from the concession of the first four points to kick ten out of the next 12.

With a strong wind behind them, it was no surprise that Dublin started well, with Pierce Donohue and Joe Quigley both particularly lively in the inside forward line. They used the breeze brilliantly with some slick foot passing, and looked every bit as impressive as they did in the Leinster championship, where they cruised through five games, winning each by at least eight points.

Galway, in contrast, lost three of their six starts in Connacht, but the lessons learned by Alan Glynn’s side in those games clearly stood to them as they worked their way back into this game with some good close range passing, keeping the tempo high at all times. The decision to switch joint captain Éanna Monaghan back to centre forward bore fruit as the Claregalway man pulled the strings for his team, helping to set up excellent goal opportunities for Jack Lonergan (pulled wide), Fionn O’Connor (shot over the bar) and a penalty for a foul on Shay McGlinchey, which was dragged wide by Stephen Curley.

They shrugged off those setbacks however to take an 0-5 to 0-4 lead at half-time, with Jack Lonergan and Shay McGlinchey kicking their best points.

A black card in the 26th minute for Nathan Fitzgerald was a further setback to Dublin, but when Joe Quigley tied up the game just before the boys in blue were restored to 15 on the field, it felt like a nip and tuck contest was in store for the remainder of the game.

Instead Galway kicked on and took control of the game, with corner backs Tomás Farthing and Vinny Gill, as well as centre back Cillian Trayers and their midfield duo of Lonergan and McGlinchey all very impressive.

Nine different players put their names on the scoresheet as they moved 0-10 to 0-6 clear, and while Clyde Burke kicked a good point to reduced that gap and Dublin tried to push for an equalising goal in the last few minutes, they were reduced to hitting high and hopeful balls into the Galway square, all of which were easily repelled by the in-form Tribesmen.

Scorers for Galway: Fionn O’Connor 0-2, Jack Lonergan 0-1, Shay McGlinchey 0-1, Éanna Monaghan 0-1f, Seán Dunne 0-1, Colm Costello 0-1, Owen Morgan 0-1, Tomás Farthing 0-1, Olan Kelly 0-1.

Scorers for Dublin: Joe Quigley 0-3, Pierce Donohue 0-2, Luke O’Boyle 0-1, Clyde Burke 0-1.

Galway: Kyle Gilmore; Vinny Gill, Ryan Flaherty, Tomás Farthing; Mark Mannion, Cillian Travers, Ross Coen; Jack Lonergan, Shay McGlinchey; Seán Dunne, Éanna Monaghan, Owen Morgan; Fionn O'Connor, Stephen Curley, Colm Costello.

Subs: Charlie Cox for O’Connor (48), Olan Kelly for Dunne (54), Luke Carr for Curley (58), James Summerville for McGlinchey (60+1), Cian Dolan for Lonergan (60+3)

Dublin: David Leonard; Emmet Brady, Daniel McCarthy, Oscar Donohoe; James Brady, David Lucey, Tim Deering; Dylan Clark, Nathan Fitzgerald; Paul Reynolds Hand, David Mulqueen, Luke O'Boyle; Ciarán Donovan, Pierce Donohue, Joe Quigley.

Subs: Clyde Burke for Donovan (half-time), Jamie Smith for Brady (half-time), Charlie McMorrow for Fitzgerald (36), Seán Doyle for Deering (52), Shane Mullarkey for Mulqueen (56), Conal Ó Ríain for Reynolds Hand (60+4).

Referee: David Murnane (Cork)