Roscommon 1-12 Galway 0-14 (after extra-time)

Reigning All Ireland minor football champions Galway were sensationally dumped out of the championship when they lost out to Roscommon in Tuam Stadium on Saturday evening.

Despite the fact that Galway were bidding for their sixth Connacht minor title in seven years, the title holders who fielded six survivors from last September's memorable All-Ireland final victory, were embarrassingly outnumbered with Roscommon having much more support that certainly made a difference at the end.

However the system adopted this year certainly didn't help the Tribesmen as Roscommon, Sligo and Leitrim played a round-robin series, which knocked out Leitrim. The remaining four played two quarter-finals, with Galway having played Sligo and Mayo having played Roscommon in games that didn't matter as all teams were in semi finals. However the fact that this was Roscommon's fourth game of the championship, and Galway's second made a huge difference as the Rossies looked much sharper in the end.

In the end though it was a case of Galway losing rather than Roscommon winning as the Tribesmen led by 0-11 to 0-6 ten minutes from the end. Roscommon fought back and in injury time their captain Eugene Stritch took a dropping ball near the Galway goal and blasted a piledriver to the roof of the net, forcing the game to extra time and from there the saffron and blue side were always going to be the winners. In extra time Galway were reduced to fourteen players and with the Roscommon support much stronger, it was always going to be difficult for the Tribesmen.

Roscommon scored first but Galway quickly got into the action and Galway began to dominate and a string of points from Oisin O'Brien (2), Ronan Burke, Joe Joe Greaney, Patrick Sweeney and Conor Doherty gave Galway an interval lead of 0-6 to 0-5.

Galway, with David Hansberry and Conor Doherty dominating midfield, seemed poised for victory when they opened a 0-10 to 0-5 lead ten minutes after the restart.

However, the decision to move impressive midfielder David Hansberry into attack was baffling and the Roscommon revival came when they took control in the middle of the field which eventually led to the dramatic late equaliser from Stritch.