GALWAY’S FLYING FLYNN LEAVES GILROY’S DUBS GROUNDED
GALWAY are just a game away from a return to Division 1A after Jason Flynn’s 1-9 haul at Parnell Park helped maintain their perfect start to the campaign.
But manager Micheál Donoghue has admitted they’ll continue without an injured trio of key players for Sunday’s promotion shoot-out with Limerick at Pearse Stadium
Galway’s fourth victory on the spin has set up a winner-takes-all clash with John Kiely’s in-form Shannonsiders in Salthill.
All-Ireland-winning captain David Burke (knee), talisman attacker Joe Canning (knee) and half-forward Joseph Cooney (shin) will all miss that game along with Corofin’s Daithí Burke.
Donoghue confirmed that Burke and Canning are still ‘a few weeks’ away from playing while Cooney injured his shin against Offaly and was withdrawn from yesterday’s line-up.
It’s all good otherwise for Donoghue whose side shrugged off a determined Dublin effort to set up the promotion decider.
‘Limerick have been burning a big blaze in the division,’ said Donoghue. ‘They’re probably well ahead of us in terms of preparation and stuff so it’s going to be another step up for us.’
Cathal Mannion fired four important points from play for Galway while Padraig Mannion, Sean Loftus and Niall Burke weighed in with two each.
But there was victory in defeat for Dublin too who trailed by nine points in first-half stoppage time but battled back to two down after 53 minutes.
They outscored the All-Ireland champs by 1-10 to 1-7 from late in the first-half until full-time, pleasing boss Pat Gilroy no end.
They still need to beat Laois next weekend to avoid a relegation play-off but Gilroy reckons they’re finally putting in the hard yards that he’s demanded.
‘We could improve on our finishing, there’s no doubt we can improve in terms of the ball sticking up in the full-forward line,’ said Gilroy. ‘But you have to start somewhere and today was the first time really in the League where we got that level of effort.
Gilroy continues to be without his Cuala contingent and revealed that versatile attacker Niall McMorrow has withdrawn from the panel. ‘It’s disappointing but he had his reasons for doing it and we respect that,’ said Dublin’s 2011 All-Ireland-winning football manager.
Danny Sutcliffe’s solo goal late in the first-half handed Dublin a lifeline and they trailed 0-13 to 1-5 at the break.
Free-taker Paul Winters drilled over a succession of frees in the third quarter and Dublin trailed by just 0-15 to 1-10 after 53 minutes. But they needed a second goal and were frustrated that Winters’ 47th-minute penalty after a foul on Liam Rushe was saved.
Galway effectively sealed victory with Flynn’s 57th-minute goal and there was concern for Rushe late on when he was taken off with a rib injury.
Galway, leading by three approaching the end of normal time, hit four points in a row to ensure the win with Flynn, Brian Concannon, Cathal Mannion and Burke all on the mark.
GALWAY: J Skehill; A Tuohy, J Hanbury, J Grealish; S Cooney, G McInerney, P Mannion; J Coen, S Loftus (E Burke 45); C Cooney (D Glennon 59), C Mannion, N Burke; C Whelan, J Flynn, B Concannon.
Scorers: J Flynn 1-9 (0-6f), C Mannion 0-4, S Loftus, P Mannion, N Burke 0-2, B Concannon 0-1.
DUBLIN: A Nolan; P Smyth, B O’Carroll, E O’Donnell; D Kelly (J Madden 63), C Crummey, S Barrett; T Connolly, F MacGib; P Crummey (F O Riain Broin 47), C Keaney (C Boland 60), D Sutcliffe; P Winters, R O’Dwyer (L Rushe 42, P Ryan 68), R Hayes.
Scorers: P Winters 0-9 (0-8f, 0-1 65), D Sutcliffe 1-1, F MacGib, T Connolly, R Hayes, C Boland 0-1.
Referee: J Keenan (Wicklow).