Sligo 0-12
Galway 1-13
Galway fans travelled home along the N17 on Sunday night with a Connacht semi-final victory over Sligo in the bag; however, the worrying form of the first round London clash and the latter stages of the league remain.

WINNER: Joe Bergin kicks the crucial point for Galway in the Connacht semi-final, as Sligo’s Eugene Mullen and Eamon O'Hara try in vain to block his attempt. Photo: Ray Ryan / SPORTSFILE

It took two injury time scores – a monster point from Joe Bergin and Sean Armstrong's goal – for Galway to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. But it had all started so well.

Seven minutes before the break the Tribesmen held a six-point advantage, but by half-time that gap was down to two, as four unanswered points from the hosts tightened affairs at the break.

The opening quarter of an hour saw Galway tear into a Sligo outfit that seemed slightly in awe of their opponents. The outstanding Padraig Joyce slotted the opener from an acute angle in the second minute. Armstrong added another after five after he raced out in front of his marker Neil Ewing.

Mark Breheny landed a free for the 2007 champions, but consecutive scores from Joyce, Garreth Bradshaw and Armstrong handed Galway a healthy four-point lead.

Sean Davey tagged another for Sligo but a fine score from Armstrong followed by a pair of frees from Michael Meehan and Cormac Bane pushed the lead out to six.

Breheny was becoming increasingly involved in proceedings and the switch of Eamon O'Hara back as a sweeping centre-back dried up the supply of ball to the red-hot Galway forwards.

Breheny pointed a free on the half-hour and quickly added another from play to cap a defence splitting run from Jonathon Davey three minutes before the break. Corner-back Ross Donovan drilled over from distance a minute later and on the verge of the half-time whistle Jonathon Davey landed the score of the match from wide on the right. With the sides going in at 0-08 to 0-06 it was most defiantly game on.

Adrian Faherty came to Galway's rescue immediately after the restart when he batted Kenneth Sweeney's pile driver around his post from point-blank range. David Kelly slotted the resultant '45 and when Adrian Marren scored a free the sides were level.

The game took an ugly twist 12 minutes into the second-half as Sligo's centre-back Ewing was shown the line for two tackles on Armstrong in a three-minute period. It looked like Galway would pull away at that stage but midfielder Garry O'Donnell also saw red after he appeared to punch Jonathon Davey while the whippet-like wing-back was on the ground.

However, while everyone else was loosing their heads all around him, Michael Meehan kept his cool and two points in a three-minute spell from the Caltra man handed Galway a crucial two-point lead.

Kelly and substitute Stephen Coen both pointed for the home team to level affairs once more, but a Meehan free and a Joyce point from play swung the advantage Galway's direction once more.

A lesser team would have folded at this stage but under Kevin Walsh Sligo's belief runs deep. A pair of scores from the busy Kelly squared affairs two minutes from time, only for Bergin and Armstrong to finally put a brave Sligo side to the sword.

Liam Sammon will be delighted to escape Markievicz Park with the win. He will no doubt be concerned with the 23 scoreless minutes after their early blitz on the Sligo goal; the continuing worry around the middle of the field remains and an average defensive display will also irk the manager.

Galway were accused of 'being too nice' by the Sunday Game analyst Dara O Cinneide. Nonetheless, Sammon will be happy to see the Tribesmen hitting a Connacht final as underdogs well under the radar. Nice men win nothing, but you don't see many 'nice' Galway sides against Mayo in Pearse Stadium. It promises to be a classic.

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