The Galway minor footballers, under the guidance of Clonbur's Stephen Joyce, take on defeated Munster finalists Tipperary in the All-Ireland quarter-final this Monday afternoon in O' Connor Park, Tullamore.
The Galway lads recorded an impressive 4-12 to 1-8 victory over Sligo in last weekend's replayed Connacht final at Tuam Stadium, to win the county's first provincial title since 2007.
Two first half goals by Finnian Ó Laoi and Paudie McCormack put the home side on the right track, and they led by 2-9 to 1-3 at half-time, with some impressive scores from the likes of John Daly and dual star Cillian McDaid.
When two Moycullen players, Seán Kelly and substitute Desmond Connelly, hit two more goals in the second half it put Galway out of sight to record a well merited 13 point win.
Team manager Stephen Joyce was pleased with how his charges performed in their big win, and he is looking forward to the challenge of taking on Tipperary in four days time.
"The lads played very well in the replay and showed what they are capable of. They had shown great character in hanging on for a draw the first day, so we were delighted to see them play to their potential in Tuam last weekend. It was lovely to pick up a provincial title for the first time in a few years, and hopefully Galway will start to do that on a much more regular basis at this grade."
Joyce is weary of the threat posed by Tipperary and acknowledges the fact that the premier county are working very hard at improving football standards in what would have traditionally been seen as a predominantly hurling area.
"They won an All-Ireland minor title a few years ago and they narrowly lost the U-21 title this year to Tyrone, so we know that we are going to face a very well organised and highly motivated team. That being said, we have got this far and we don't want to stop now.
"We are the Connacht champions and the lads are going into the game in very good spirits. We have a few knocks, Cillian McDaid (finger ) and Colm Ó Braonain (hip ), but we hope to have a full squad to select from for Monday. It won't be easy, however, we are all looking forward to the challenge. If we play to our best and produce a really good performance, we believe we will be good enough to advance."
Scorers for Galway vs Sligo: P McCormack 1-2 (1f ), S Kelly 1-1, C McDaid 0-3 (2f ), F Ó Laoi 1-0, D Connelly 1-0, J Daly 0-2 (1f ), E Lee 0-1 (1 ’45 ), C Marsden 0-1 (1f ), C Ryan 0-1, C Brady 0-1.
Team: 1 ) R Ó Beolain, 2. C Mulry, 3. D McHugh 4 ) I Kent 5 ) S Kelly 6 ) L Ó Ceallaigh 7 ) J Daly 8 ) C Ó Braonáin 9. C McDaid 10. E Lee 11. F Ó Laoi 12. C Brady 13. M Boyle (Cpt ) 14. P McCormack 15. R Forde. Subs used: C Marsden, C Ryan, P Ó Domhnaill, B Goldrick, D Connelly
