May 21: Senior Football Championship: Aidan McAnespies v Galway

Aidan McAnespies 1-9 Galway 0-7


Galway pushed Aidan McAnespies right to the finish line in the opening senior football championship outing for each club. The Pat O’Brien Cup winners came through in the end in large part thanks to the performance of Paul O’Donoghue at corner forward. The man who came from the St. Mary’s club in Kerry got the critical scores in final stages of the game to ensure the first points of the season.

Galway's Eoghan Costello and Plunkett Kane of McAnespies.

By the time the first 30 minutes were over McAnespies held a four-point lead. The scorers were well spread throughout the forward line. O’Donoghue was the main provider with three points, while fellow St. Mary’s man, Sean Cournane accounted for another as did Stephen Magill. Midfielders Plunkett Kane and Philip Toner also got on the scoresheet. Galway corner forward Kevin Cummins caused lots of problems for the McAnespies back line. So much so that the McAnespies management switched Niall Kerr from center back to mark the Roscommon native who had got Galway on the scoreboard.


Galway almost made their opponents pay for several missed chances in the second half. For the first 20 minutes McAnespies failed to score and Galway inched closer. Having scored the first three points of the half, the third coming from Gearoid O’Connor, a surprise result was on the cards. McAnespies, however, made sure that would not happen. O’Donoghue netted and added two more points to put the game out of Galway’s reach. McAnespies on the board with two championship points, and for Galway, we could be hearing more from them as the season moves on.


Galway: JJ O’Neill, G. Dunphy, S. Gallagher, E. Costello, P. Cummins, J. Kehoe, E. Kavanagh, P. Ryan, G. O’Connor, P. Nolan, D. Reddin, D. Redmond, K. Cummins. Macs: C. Kendrick, M. Bogue, A. McAnespie, S. Hughes, N. Kerr, N. Gallen, P. Toner, P. Kane, M. Little, C. McCrory, S. Magill, P. O’Donoghue, S. Cournane.


By Rory O'Donnell