Three well-timed goals proved crucial for Galway as they held off Westmeath for a 3-21 to 2-21 win in Salthill this afternoon to advance to join Cork and Louth in the last eight of the All-Ireland senior football championship.

Shane Walsh, Cian Hernon and Matthew Tierney all hit the net for the Tribesmen in the first-half, while midfielder Paul Conroy chipped in with 0-5 over the 70 minutes to help earn the result for his side which sends the Leinster champions into tomorrow morning’s Round 3 draw after suffering their first loss of this year's championship.

Walsh’s brilliantly taken goal gave the hosts a 1-2 to 0-2 lead after eight minutes and full-back Hernon would have the ball in the Lake men’s net again four minutes later.

Ronan Wallace pulled back a goal for Mark McHugh’s side in the 22nd minute, but it’d be erased by a Conroy two-pointer and the points of Tierney (2) and Sean Kelly.

Westmeath seemingly recovered well by hitting unanswered points via Brian Cooney, Brandon Kelly, Ray Connellan and John Heslin in the run up to the break, but the concession of a Tierney goal right before the hooter sounded came as a hammer blow to them.

The visitors would get their deficit down to five points thanks to a run of scores from Kevin O’Sullivan, Heslin (free) and Sam McCartan during the fourth quarter, but Conroy landed the next score after that and points by Shane McGrath, Walsh and Daniel O’Flaherty all but sealed Galway’s quarter-final berth.

Robert Forde and McCartan sent over two-pointers either side of a Jack Duncan goal to bring it back to two points for McHugh’s side, with McGrath wrapping up the Connacht side’s win with the last score of the afternoon.

Tweet

Most Read Stories