Mayo Soccer 5 June 1996

MAYO LEAGUE QUIGLEY (Under-18) CUP FINAL

GOALKEEPER COLM GALLAGHER PROVED A 'SAVE'-IOUR FOR ROVERS

Achill are elevated to the throne !

Achill Rovers ..................................... 1
Straide & Foxford United .............. 1
(Achill won 4-2 on pens after extra time)

By
Jonathon Mullin. . .at Milebush

Achill goalkeeper Colm Gallagher emerged as the hero of the Davitt Restaurant-sponsored Quigley (Under-18) Cup final at Milebush on Saturday. His two penalty saves during the penalty shoot-out capped a commanding display from the young Achillman.
Rovers captured the title for the first time, avenging a defeat by Straide & Foxford in last year's decider by virtue of a 4-2 win on penalties after being tied one apiece after extra time.
It was a game that promised so much, but for the first hour delivered little.

To be fair, the winners played the better football in the first half. Down the left channel, Michael Forry, especially, was causing the Straide & Foxford defence numerous problems.

In the opening stages, Forry linked inventively with Kieran Gallagher before swinging in a cross for Niall O'Donnell only for it to evade the head of the big man by mere inches.

O'Donnell, like Forry, was a constant worry for the Gallagher brothers in the middle of defence. O'Donnell had two chances within two minutes, midway through the half.

Straide & Foxford's prolific goalscorer Michael Devanney, was at the heart of every noteworthy Straide & Foxford attack in the first half. Skipping past Stephen Gallagher, his cross found Brendan Bourke on the half-hour. Bourke's volley failed to trouble Colm Gallagher. Devanney's ambitious long range free-kick effort on the stroke of half time was closer than Bourke's, but not much.

From the tedious first half, you got the impression that both teams would struggle to put the ball through a hangar door guarded by a pygmy.

This notion proved inaccurate, to a degree, in an improved second half.

Anthony Dunne's pace on the left was a feature of the first fifteen minutes.

Coveted Trophy

Almost straight from the kick-off, a Straide & Foxford attack terminated in Dunne's shot being smothered by Gallagher, who at that stage could not surely have guessed the role he would play in deciding the destiny of Mayo youths football's most coveted trophy.

Soon after Dunne forced two corners, the second of which, on the 57th minute, supplied Straide & Foxford's first shot on target.

Sean Johnson's long ball found Stephen Gallagher with his back to the goal, and Gallagher's enterprising overhead kick was gathered by his namesake between the sticks.

Early Straide & Foxford pressure was relieved, courtesy of two searching runs down the right by inter-league defender John P. Keane.

The first set up a header for O'Donnell who really should have done better, but all that seemed immaterial three minutes later because Keane's second foray produced Achill's goal.

His cross eluded Stephen Gallagher, and Robert Lynch was on hand to volley powerfully past a helpless Tuohy. Up to that point

, the game had a constricted aura to it and the general consensus was that one goal would be enough. Obviously this impetuous hearsay didn't reach the ears of Anthony Dunne. On 72 minutes a breaking ball from midfield was collected by Dunne just inside Achill's half. His confidence buoyed by an excellent start to the second half, Dunne took on the Straide & Foxford defence. He outstripped all pursuers and kept his head to tuck the ball between Gallagher and his right post.

Achill's striking duo, O'Donnell and Lynch, both had chances to seal the game in the closing stages but failed to do so and referee Jimmy Blake called upon the captains to flick a coin once again as the tired limbs were forced to survive another twenty minutes of extra-time.

Chances for Murray and Dunne went abegging and both teams seemed happy to settle for a penalty shoot-out and that's exactly what they got. There was no way Achill captain, midfield supremo John Forry, was shirking the responsibility. Forry stroked the first penalty past Tuohy. Kenneth Hyland then evened the scores for Straide & Foxford.

Tuohy failed marginally to stop Robert Lynch's penalty before switching roles to take Straide & Foxford's second. Tuohy's strike was much too close to Gallagher though, and Michael Forry put Achill 3-1 up moments later.

Brendan McHugh brought Straide & Foxford back into the game and when John P. Keane beat Tuohy with Achill's fourth penalty, Brendan Bourke knew that he must score or else . . . .

Bourke hit his penalty well but Colm Gallagher sprung acrobatically to his right, sparking off wild celebrations on Mayo soccer's hallowed turf.

Speaking afterwards about the star role of his 16-years-old goalkeeper Colm Gallagher, Achill manager Tom Mullen said: "He has done a brilliant job for us this season, even through he really wants to play out-field."

Achill Rovers: C. Gallagher, J. P. Keane, M. Needham, J. Ryan, M. J. Fadian, K. Gallagher, K. Murray, J. Forry, N. O'Donnell, R. Lynch, M. Forry. Res: K. Fallon for Needham; F. Cunningham, M. Johnston, J. Commy and P. Mullane (not used).

Straide & Foxford United: K. Tuohy, S. Johnson, K. Hyland, S. Gallagher, J. Gallagher, M. Costello, B. Bourke, K. Lowe, M. Devanney, B. McHugh, A. Dunne. Res: D. Coleman, D. McDonnell, B. Culkin, J. Brogan and J. O'Hara (not used).

Ref: J. Blake (Castlebar).

* Star Rating: Colm Gallagher. . .Achill's 'Save'-iour.