Galway Advertiser 2008/GA_2008_01_10/GA_1001_E1_136.pdf 

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136

SPORT

January 10 2008

Sammon to continue with experimental team
BY FRANK KEARNEY Having prevailed in his first outing in the FBD Connacht Football League on home soil, new boss Liam Sammon now faces his first away game when Galway travel to play Leitrim in Sean McDermott Park, Carrick on Shannon at 2pm. Last week Leitrim defeated GMIT so it will be a clash of two teams trying to keep their unbeaten run. Galway have never left Carrick-on-Shannon with an easy win and expect Sunday to be no different. Last weekend Liam Sammon used a lot of fringe players and he is expected to continue this trend throughout the FBD Connacht Football League. Adrian Flaherty, Mark Lydon, Mark Gottche, and Cathal Kenny all got the call up last week, while Gary Sice, Niall Coyne, and Darren Mullahy came back into action. Fiachra Breathnach impressed when coming on, scoring three points, and it is likely the Galway manager will continue to experiment right up to championship action. With the Allianz Football League just around the corner, the FBD Connacht Football League is an ideal platform to try out new players. However there is no doubt Liam Sammon will also be anxious to keep Galway on a winning way, having opened with a 1 - 13 to 0 - 9 victory against Sligo at Tuam Stadium on Sunday. It had been a traumatic week for Sammon whose brother Ollie Sammon, died in Spain the previous week, and a minute's silence was held prior to kick off. Galway were always on top against a Sligo side that never performed. They failed to score for the opening 21 minutes and hit another barren spell in the second half. Galway started well and scored four points without reply in the opening quarter, with wing-back Darren Mullahy going forward to hit two superb points, in addition to efforts from Niall Coleman and Mark Lydon from Moycullen who impressed at midfield alongside Joe Bergin. Gerry McGowan fisted over Leitrim's first point after 21 minutes and another McGowan point, along with points from Mark Breheny and Sean Davey, had Galway leading by 0-6 to 0-4 at the break. Kenneth Sweeney and Gerry McGowan added points shortly after the restart to level the game as the crowd of about 1,200 spectators anticipated a repeat of the Connacht final. But although all six Sligo forwards had found the range by the end of the game, they failed to score again until the closing stages. By then Galway had the game wrapped up, having scored 1-5 without reply - the goal coming from a Michael Meehan penalty after 68 minutes. Substitute Fiachra Breathnach picked off three good points from play and Cormac Bane also found the range, while Michael Meehan scored a spectacular point after good work from Darren Mullahy. Galway: A Flaherty; M Comer, K Fitzgerald, D Burke; G Sice, N Coyne, D Mullahy (0-2); J Bergin, M Lydon (0-1); N Coleman (01), M Gottche, D Meehan; C Kenny, M Meehan (1-2, 10pen), C Bane (0-4, 0-3frs). Subs: F Breathnach (0-3) for Gottche (22 mins); D Blake for Sice (33 mins); Sligo: P Greene; B Kivlehan, N McGuire, R Donovan; P McGovern, C McGowan, J Davey; E O'Hara, M McNamara; B Curran (0-1), E Cawley (0-3, 0-1fr), S Davey (0-1); G McGowan (0-2), K Sweeney (0-1), M Breheny (0-1fr). Subs: B Phillips for C McGowan (50 mins); D McTiernan for Davey (50 mins); E McHugh for Kivlehan (56 mins); K Byrne for O'Hara (58 mins). Referee: V Neary (Mayo).

United seek premiership clubs for pre-season friendlies
BY LINLEY MACKENZIE Galway United is currently negotiating with English premiership clubs for some highprofile friendlies. Chief executive officer Nick Leeson says these matches will take place in the pre-season and during race week. "I remain in negotiations with a number of high-profile premiership clubs to arrange friendly matches. I would like to think that we will see at least two premiership clubs in Galway during 2008." Pre-season tickets are already on sale and Leeson says some 240 tickets have sold to date in addition to 100 Terryland Tigers distributed. "We are very happy with the interest in season ticket particularly in the build up to Christmas." "A lot of people were disappointed last year when unable to see Roy Keane and Sunderland play at Terryland and we expect demand again to be very high for these matches." Season ticket holders will receive priority access to tickets for highprofile matches in addition to full access to Galway United's Eircom League of Ireland matches for the 2008 season. Season tickets are currently on sale in Zhivago Records, Shop Street and from the Galway United office in Terryland Park, 091 767336. Adult season tickets cost 250, concession (OAP, student and juveniles 12 to 16yrs) 120, family (two adults and two juveniles) 500, and Terryland Tigers u12s 40. and White Ball, will take place this year on Saturday, February 23. The Radisson SAS Hotel will host the event, now in its third year. Now one of the biggest sporting nights of the year in Galway, the Black and White Ball will also be used as opportunity to acknowledge members of the soccer and sporting fraternity in the 4-4-2 awards which this year will tie into the recently launched Galway United Legends. Entertainment will include Barry Murphy, star of Apres Match, and a number of surprises are being promised throughout the night, while an auction of unique sporting items will also be held on the night. Tickets cost 150. Table of 10, 1,500. Tickets are on sale from Galway United Office, Terryland Park or telephone 091767336.

Galway United Supporters Trust
GUST holds its AGM on Tuesday January 29, in Fox's Bar, Forster Street, at 8pm. GUST will hold its next meeting on Tuesday January 15 in Fox's, at 7pm. All members asked to attend and all United supporters welcome. This week's GUST Lotto draw will be held in the Menlo Park Hotel on Sunday night for a jackpot of 4,100. Annual subscriptions to the GUST Lotto are on sale at 80. All paid up subscribers on Sunday January 27 will be included in a draw for a Galway United season ticket. Subscription forms are available at www.galwayunitedfc.ie, where supporters can also play GUST Lotto online. For further details contact Ronan Coleman 087-6972823.

Black and White Ball
Galway United's biggest social event, the Black

Galway United stars Alan Keane, John Russell and Derek O'Brien take part in a dress rehearsal at Terryland Park for the 2008 Black & White Ball. Photo: Mike Shaughnessy

Maree and Moycullen contest cup semi-finals
BY LINLEY MACKENZIE As the basketball season approaches its climax, two Galway clubs will be contesting National Cup semi-finals this weekend. Maree have two teams in action with both the u-18 men and women bidding to advance to a national final, while Moycullen's u-20s will represent their club at this semi-final stage. The Maree u-18 men will face Templelogue on Saturday (10am) in the DUC Sports Complex, which will also host Moycullen's match against Neptune at 6pm. Moycullen's u-20 side includes all but five of the club's senior panel, and they will be buoyed by their recent victory in the National League over Castliesland. Cian Nihill, James Loughnane, Eoghan Maxwell and Paul O'Brien can be expected to lead Moycullen's hopes of advancing to the final, which is scheduled for two weeks later in the National Basketball Arena. In Inchicore it is the turn of the Maree u-18 women who face Meteors at 12noon. This fixture is expected to be a tough one for the Galway team who face a strong Meteors club that is contesting all three women's semi-finals on Saturday. The schools' basketball calendar reached its penultimate stage this week with a number of All Ireland Cup semi-finals. Calansanctius Oranmore were due to play in three matches yesterday. The u19A boys were facing St Benildus of Dublin in Tipperary, while both the girls' u-16A and u-19A teams were up against Loreto Dalkey and St Vincent's respectively in Sligo. On Monday it was the turn of St Joseph's, Galway who came up against tough opponents St Malachy's of Belfast in their u-19A semifinal. The Bish, having kept pace in the opening quarter when the scores were tied 23 - 23, eventually fell by 80 - 64. Con Crowley of St Joseph's had opened the scoring with a single freethrow, and joined Stephen Tummon and Colm O'Hagan with more scores as St Malachy's opted for a full court press early in the game. However the Belfast side replied with scores from Paul Dick and Niall Mullan, and with both sides playing some good offensive work, they were tied at 23-23 after the opening quarter. Although Michael Doughney opened the second quarter with a threepoint shot for St Malachy's, Con Crowley's intensity on both ends of the floor kept St Joseph's in the game. He scored six points in a short space of time before Michael Doughney, Keelan Cairns, and Niall Mullan responded for St Malachy's to keep the game close. The Belfast side then edged ahead to lead by 40 - 34 at the break before they stretched the margin early in the third. However Con Crowley returned the favour to keep the Bish in touch before both teams received technical fouls in the middle of the third quarter. St Malachy's turned the game in their favour after that and their transition offence was too hard for St Joseph's to handle. Dillon Cunningham did finish the quarter with a three-pointer to reduce the arrears to 62-44 in favour of St Malachy's. Credit to the Galway school for not throwing in the towel. They came out on a 7-0 run to make it 51-62. However the superb Paul Dick responded with successive three pointers which killed St Joseph's ambitions of an All Ireland final appearance.

Moycullen u-20 basketballers play Neptune in the National Cup semi-final on Saturday in Dublin. Back (l to r): Cian Nihill, Eoghan Maxwell, Dylan Cunningham, Zbigniew Mardon(coach), Paul O'Brien, James Brophy. Front (r to r): James Loughnane, Neil Cantwell, Tomas Gilson, James O'Brien, Gerald Lyons. Missing from photo, David Lee and Stephen Tummon.